Psalms 30:3
O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Original Language Analysis
יְֽהוָ֗ה
O LORD
H3068
יְֽהוָ֗ה
O LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
1 of 8
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
הֶֽעֱלִ֣יתָ
thou hast brought up
H5927
הֶֽעֱלִ֣יתָ
thou hast brought up
Strong's:
H5927
Word #:
2 of 8
to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative
מִן
H4480
מִן
Strong's:
H4480
Word #:
3 of 8
properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses
שְׁא֣וֹל
from the grave
H7585
שְׁא֣וֹל
from the grave
Strong's:
H7585
Word #:
4 of 8
hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat), including its accessories and inmates
נַפְשִׁ֑י
my soul
H5315
נַפְשִׁ֑י
my soul
Strong's:
H5315
Word #:
5 of 8
properly, a breathing creature, i.e., animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or ment
חִ֝יִּיתַ֗נִי
thou hast kept me alive
H2421
חִ֝יִּיתַ֗נִי
thou hast kept me alive
Strong's:
H2421
Word #:
6 of 8
to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively, to revive
Cross References
Psalms 28:1Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.Psalms 16:10For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.Psalms 86:13For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
Historical Context
David faced death repeatedly—Goliath, Saul, Absalom, illness. Each deliverance testified to God's preserving grace. Israel's history included national near-extinctions (Egyptian bondage, exile) followed by divine rescue.
Questions for Reflection
- How has God 'brought up your soul from the grave' spiritually?
- What does deliverance from 'the pit' teach about God's saving power?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
The declaration 'O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit' describes deliverance from death. Whether literal physical rescue or spiritual salvation from sin's consequences, God intervened. Reformed theology sees salvation from eternal death ultimately—Christ descended to the grave and rose, bringing believers with Him (Eph. 2:5-6). All temporal deliverances prefigure ultimate salvation from death itself.