Psalms 56:8
Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
Original Language Analysis
סָפַ֪רְתָּ֫ה
Thou tellest
H5608
סָפַ֪רְתָּ֫ה
Thou tellest
Strong's:
H5608
Word #:
2 of 8
properly, to score with a mark as a tally or record, i.e., (by implication) to inscribe, and also to enumerate; intensively, to recount, i.e., celebra
שִׂ֣ימָה
put
H7760
שִׂ֣ימָה
put
Strong's:
H7760
Word #:
4 of 8
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
Cross References
2 Kings 20:5Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.Psalms 39:12Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.Malachi 3:16Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.Revelation 7:17For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.Matthew 10:30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.Psalms 139:16Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.Psalms 121:8The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.Hebrews 11:13These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.Isaiah 63:9In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.Revelation 20:12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Historical Context
David's years as a fugitive from Saul involved constant movement from place to place with no settled home. The imagery of collected tears reflects ancient mourning practices where tear bottles were sometimes placed in tombs.
Questions for Reflection
- How does knowing that God records your sufferings affect your endurance of trials?
- What does the metaphor of God's 'book' reveal about His purposes in allowing suffering?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
The image of God numbering wanderings and collecting tears in a bottle reveals divine attention to suffering. The Hebrew 'nod' (wandering/exile) indicates David's fugitive status. Ancient Near Eastern peoples collected tears in small bottles to represent mourning; David asks if God similarly treasures his tears. 'Are they not in thy book?' affirms that God records all suffering for eschatological vindication.