Psalms 143:4

143:3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.

Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.

KJV

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Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me. My heart within me is desolate.

Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.

143:5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.

What does Psalms 143:4 mean?

Psalms 143:4 is a verse in the book of Psalms, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include רוּחַ (rûwach), עָטַף (ʻâṭaph), לֵב (lêb).

Hebrew interlinear

Therefore

spiritרוּחַrûwach/roo'-akh/H7307wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions)

overwhelmedעָטַףʻâṭaph/aw-taf'/H5848to shroud, i.e. clothe (whether transitive or reflex.); hence (from the idea of darkness) to languish

within

me;

heartלֵבlêb/labe/H3820the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything

withinתָּוֶךְtâvek/taw'-vek/H8432a bisection, i.e. (by implication) the centre

desolate.שָׁמֵםshâmêm/shaw-mame'/H8074to stun (or intransitively, grow numb), i.e. devastate or (figuratively) stupefy (both usually in a passive sense)

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Psalms 143:4.

Exodus 15:8

And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

Exodus 28:3

And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.

Genesis 3:8

And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. cool: Heb. wind

Frequently asked questions

What does Psalms 143:4 say?

Psalms 143:4 (King James Version) reads: "Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate."

Is Psalms 143:4 in the Old or New Testament?

Psalms 143:4 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Psalms.

Reflect

As you read Psalms 143:4, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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