Psalm 39:13
New International Version
Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again before I depart and am no more.”

New Living Translation
Leave me alone so I can smile again before I am gone and exist no more.

English Standard Version
Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!”

Berean Standard Bible
Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may again be cheered before I depart and am no more.”

King James Bible
O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

New King James Version
Remove Your gaze from me, that I may regain strength, Before I go away and am no more.”

New American Standard Bible
“Turn Your eyes away from me, that I may become cheerful again Before I depart and am no more.”

NASB 1995
“Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may smile again Before I depart and am no more.”

NASB 1977
“Turn Thy gaze away from me, that I may smile again, Before I depart and am no more.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may smile again Before I go and am no more.”

Amplified Bible
“O look away from me, that I may smile and again know joy Before I depart and am no more.”

Christian Standard Bible
Turn your angry gaze from me so that I may be cheered up before I die and am gone.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Turn Your angry gaze from me so that I may be cheered up before I die and am gone.”

American Standard Version
Oh spare me, that I may recover strength, Before I go hence, and be no more.

Contemporary English Version
Stop being angry with me and let me smile again before I am dead and gone."

English Revised Version
O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Look away from me so that I may smile again before I go away and am no more.

Good News Translation
Leave me alone so that I may have some happiness before I go away and am no more.

International Standard Version
Stop looking at me with chastisement, so I can smile again, before I depart and am no more.

Majority Standard Bible
Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may again be cheered before I depart and am no more.”

NET Bible
Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy before I pass away.

New Heart English Bible
Oh spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go away, and exist no more."

Webster's Bible Translation
O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

World English Bible
Oh spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go away and exist no more.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Look from me, and I brighten up before I go and am not!

Young's Literal Translation
Look from me, and I brighten up before I go and am not!

Smith's Literal Translation
Look away from me, and I shall be cheerful, before I shall go and I not be.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
O forgive me, that I may be refreshed, before I go hence, and be no more.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Forgive me, so that I may be refreshed, before I will go forth and be no more.

New American Bible
Turn your gaze from me, that I may smile before I depart to be no more.

New Revised Standard Version
Turn your gaze away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
O deliver me, that I may rest in peace before I pass away and be no more.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Save me, and I shall rest, lest I depart and I shall be no more.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Look away from me, that I may take comfort, Before I go hence, and be no more.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Spare me, that I may be refreshed, before I depart, and be no more.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
I Will Watch My Ways
12Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping. For I am a foreigner dwelling with You, a stranger like all my fathers. 13Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may again be cheered before I depart and am no more.”

Cross References
Job 7:19
Will You never look away from me, or leave me alone to swallow my spittle?

Job 10:20-21
Are my days not few? Withdraw from me, that I may have a little comfort, / before I go—never to return—to a land of darkness and gloom,

Psalm 102:24
I say: “O my God, do not take me in the midst of my days! Your years go on through all generations.

Isaiah 38:10-12
I said, “In the prime of my life I must go through the gates of Sheol and be deprived of the remainder of my years.” / I said, “I will never again see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living; I will no longer look on mankind with those who dwell in this world. / My dwelling has been picked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up my life like a weaver; He cuts me off from the loom; from day until night You make an end of me.

Job 14:6
look away from him and let him rest, so he can enjoy his day as a hired hand.

Psalm 90:10
The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty if we are strong—yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

Psalm 103:15-16
As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field; / when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more.

James 4:14
You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

1 Peter 1:24
For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,

2 Corinthians 4:17-18
For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison. / So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Philippians 1:23
I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed.

2 Timothy 4:6
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.

Genesis 47:9
“My travels have lasted 130 years,” Jacob replied. “My years have been few and hard, and they have not matched the years of the travels of my fathers.”

1 Chronicles 29:15
For we are foreigners and strangers in Your presence, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.

Hebrews 11:13
All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.


Treasury of Scripture

O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

spare

Job 10:20,21
Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little, …

Job 14:5,6
Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; …

be no

Genesis 5:24
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

Genesis 42:36
And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.

Job 14:10-12
But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? …

Jump to Previous
Brighten Chief Comfort Comforted David Depart Exist Gaze Gladness Hence Musician Psalm Recover Rejoice Smile Spare Strength Turn Wrath
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Brighten Chief Comfort Comforted David Depart Exist Gaze Gladness Hence Musician Psalm Recover Rejoice Smile Spare Strength Turn Wrath
Psalm 39
1. David's care of his thoughts
4. The consideration of the brevity and vanity of life
7. the reverence of God's judgments
10. and prayer, are his bridles of impatience














Turn Your gaze away from me
This phrase reflects a deep sense of humility and awareness of human frailty. The Hebrew root for "gaze" is "panah," which means to turn or face. In the context of the psalm, David is expressing a desire for relief from God's intense scrutiny or discipline. Historically, this reflects the understanding that God's gaze can be both protective and corrective. Theologically, it acknowledges God's omnipresence and the weight of His holiness, which can be overwhelming to the sinful human condition. David's plea is not for abandonment but for a reprieve, highlighting the tension between divine justice and mercy.

that I may again be cheered
The phrase "be cheered" comes from the Hebrew "balag," which conveys a sense of joy or brightness. David longs for a return to a state of joy and peace, which he associates with God's favor. This reflects the biblical theme that true joy is found in the presence of God. Historically, this aligns with the ancient Near Eastern understanding of divine favor as essential for well-being. Theologically, it underscores the belief that God is the source of all comfort and joy, and that His presence brings life and restoration.

before I depart
The word "depart" is translated from the Hebrew "halak," meaning to go or walk. In this context, it refers to the inevitability of death. David is acutely aware of the brevity of life, a recurring theme in wisdom literature. This reflects the biblical understanding of life as a temporary journey, emphasizing the importance of living in right relationship with God. The phrase serves as a reminder of human mortality and the urgency of seeking God's favor and forgiveness.

and am no more
This phrase emphasizes the finality of death. The Hebrew "ayin" means "nothing" or "not," indicating a state of non-existence. David acknowledges the transient nature of human life, echoing the sentiments found in Ecclesiastes about the fleeting nature of earthly existence. Historically, this reflects the ancient worldview that life is a precious, yet temporary gift. Theologically, it points to the hope of eternal life beyond physical death, a hope that is fully realized in the New Testament through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This phrase invites reflection on the eternal perspective, encouraging believers to live with an awareness of their eternal destiny.

(13) Recover strength.--Better, Let me become cheerful, i.e., look up with a glad look once more on my face, as the angry look fades from the Divine countenance.

Before.--Literally, before I go, and am not. All the words and phrases of this last verse occur in the Book of Job. (See Job 7:8; Job 7:19; Job 7:21; Job 14:6; Job 10:20-21.) . . .

Verse 13. - O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more. The Psalmist, no longer anxious for death, but still expecting it, requests of God, in conclusion, a breathing-space, a short time of refreshment and rest, before he is called on to leave the earth and "be no more ;" i.e. bring his present state of existence to an end. Nothing is to be gathered from the expression used as to his expectation or non-expectation of a future life.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Turn Your gaze
הָשַׁ֣ע (hā·ša‘)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 8159: To gaze at, about, to inspect, consider, compassionate, be nonplussed, bewildered

away from me,
מִמֶּ֣נִּי (mim·men·nî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

that I may again be cheered
וְאַבְלִ֑יגָה (wə·’aḇ·lî·ḡāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular
Strong's 1082: To break off, loose, desist, invade

before
בְּטֶ֖רֶם (bə·ṭe·rem)
Preposition-b | Adverb
Strong's 2962: Non-occurrence, not yet, before

I depart
אֵלֵ֣ךְ (’ê·lêḵ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

and am no more.”
וְאֵינֶֽנִּי׃ (wə·’ê·nen·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb | first person common singular
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle


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OT Poetry: Psalm 39:13 Oh spare me that I may recover (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 39:12
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