For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
Parallel translations
- WEB For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.
- KJV For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
- BSB For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.
- NKJV For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
- NLT For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God's anger lasts a moment but His favor a lifetime; weeping may last the night, but joy comes in the morning. It assures that God's grace outweighs His chastening.
Overview
This beloved verse contrasts the brevity of God's discipline with the enduring length of His favor. Present sorrow is real but temporary for those in God's covenant love. The promise of morning joy finds its deepest fulfillment in the resurrection dawn secured by Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 23
- Isa 54:7–8“For a small moment I have forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you.
- 2 Cor 4:17For our light affliction, which is for the moment, works for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory;
- Ps 126:5–6Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.
- Matt 5:4Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
- John 16:20–22Most certainly I tell you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.
- Isa 26:20Come, my people, enter into your rooms, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself for a little moment, until the indignation is past.
- Ps 103:9He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever.
- Ps 16:11You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.
- Ps 63:3Because your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise you.
- Ps 6:6–9I am weary with my groaning. Every night I flood my bed. I drench my couch with my tears.
- Ps 59:16But I will sing of your strength. Yes, I will sing aloud of your loving kindness in the morning. For you have been my high tower, a refuge in the day of my distress.
- Ps 46:5God is within her. She shall not be moved. God will help her at dawn.
- Ps 143:8Cause me to hear your loving kindness in the morning, for I trust in you. Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to you.
- 2 Cor 7:9–10I now rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that you were made sorry to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly way, that you might suffer loss by us in nothing.
- Ps 56:8–11You count my wanderings. You put my tears into your bottle. Aren’t they in your book?
- Ps 103:17But Yahweh’s loving kindness is from everlasting to everlasting with those who fear him, his righteousness to children’s children;
- Isa 57:15–16For thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
- Hos 6:3Let us acknowledge Yahweh. Let us press on to know Yahweh. As surely as the sun rises, Yahweh will appear. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain that waters the earth.”
- Ps 36:7–9How precious is your loving kindness, God! The children of men take refuge under the shadow of your wings.
- Isa 38:3–5and said, “Remember now, Yahweh, I beg you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in your sight.” Hezekiah wept bitterly.
- Rev 22:17The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” He who hears, let him say, “Come!” He who is thirsty, let him come. He who desires, let him take the water of life freely.
- Gen 32:24Jacob was left alone, and wrestled with a man there until the breaking of the day.
- Rev 22:1He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 30:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.