Psalm 61:6
New International Version
Increase the days of the king’s life, his years for many generations.

New Living Translation
Add many years to the life of the king! May his years span the generations!

English Standard Version
Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations!

Berean Standard Bible
Increase the days of the king’s life; may his years span many generations.

King James Bible
Thou wilt prolong the king's life: and his years as many generations.

New King James Version
You will prolong the king’s life, His years as many generations.

New American Standard Bible
You will prolong the king’s life; His years will be like generations.

NASB 1995
You will prolong the king’s life; His years will be as many generations.

NASB 1977
Thou wilt prolong the king’s life; His years will be as many generations.

Legacy Standard Bible
You will add days to the king’s life; His years will be from generation to generation.

Amplified Bible
You will prolong the king’s life [adding days upon days]; His years will be like many generations.

Christian Standard Bible
Add days to the king’s life; may his years span many generations.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Add days to the king’s life; may his years span many generations.

American Standard Version
Thou wilt prolong the king's life; His years shall be as many generations.

Contemporary English Version
Let the king have a long and healthy life.

English Revised Version
Thou wilt prolong the king's life: his years shall be as many generations.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Add days upon days to the life of the king. May his years endure throughout every generation.

Good News Translation
Add many years to the king's life; let him live on and on!

International Standard Version
Add day after day to the king's life; may his years continue for many generations.

Majority Standard Bible
Increase the days of the king?s life; may his years span many generations.

NET Bible
Give the king long life! Make his lifetime span several generations!

New Heart English Bible
You will prolong the king's life; his years shall be for generations.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thou wilt prolong the king's life: and his years as many generations.

World English Bible
You will prolong the king’s life. His years will be for generations.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
You add days to the days of the king, "" His years as generation and generation.

Young's Literal Translation
Days to the days of the king Thou addest, His years as generation and generation.

Smith's Literal Translation
Thou wilt add days to the days of the king: his years as generation and generation.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou wilt add days to the days of the king: his years even to generation and generation.

Catholic Public Domain Version
You will add days to the days of the king, to his years, even to the time of generation after generation.

New American Bible
Add days to the life of the king; may his years be as from generation to generation;

New Revised Standard Version
Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations!
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Thou hast added days to the days of the king, and his years as many generations.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And you have added days upon the days of the King, and his years to the generation of generations as an inheritance
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Mayest Thou add days unto the king's days! May his years be as many generations!

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Thou shalt add days to the days of the king; thou shalt lengthen his years to all generations.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
You Have Heard My Vows
5For You have heard my vows, O God; You have given me the inheritance reserved for those who fear Your name. 6Increase the days of the king’s life; may his years span many generations. 7May he sit enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint Your loving devotion and Your faithfulness to guard him.…

Cross References
2 Samuel 7:16
Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.”

1 Kings 2:45
But King Solomon will be blessed and David’s throne will remain secure before the LORD forever.”

1 Chronicles 17:14
But I will set him over My house and My kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.”

1 Chronicles 29:28
He died at a ripe old age, full of years, riches, and honor, and his son Solomon reigned in his place.

2 Samuel 7:29
Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with Your blessing the house of Your servant will be blessed forever.”

1 Kings 9:5
then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised your father David when I said, ‘You will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’

2 Chronicles 6:16
Therefore now, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for Your servant, my father David, what You promised when You said: ‘You will never fail to have a man to sit before Me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants guard their way to walk in My law as you have walked before Me.’

Psalm 21:4
He asked You for life, and You granted it—length of days, forever and ever.

Psalm 89:4
‘I will establish your offspring forever and build up your throne for all generations.’” Selah

Psalm 89:29
I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.

Psalm 89:36
his offspring shall endure forever, and his throne before Me like the sun,

Psalm 132:12
If your sons keep My covenant and the testimony I will teach them, then their sons will also sit on your throne forever and ever.”

Proverbs 4:10
Listen, my son, and receive my words, and the years of your life will be many.

Isaiah 9:7
Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.

Jeremiah 33:17
For this is what the LORD says: David will never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel,


Treasury of Scripture

You will prolong the king's life: and his years as many generations.

wilt prolong the king's life.

Psalm 21:4,6
He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever…

Psalm 72:15-17
And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised…

Isaiah 53:10
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

many generations [heb.

Psalm 89:36,37
His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me…

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Psalm 61
1. David flees to God upon his former experience
4. He vows perpetual service unto him, because of his promises














Increase the days of the king’s life;
This phrase reflects a prayer for the longevity of the king, which in the context of ancient Israel, was often seen as a blessing from God. The king, likely David, is seen as God's anointed, and his reign is crucial for the stability and prosperity of the nation. The desire for the king's long life is not just personal but national, as the king's well-being is directly tied to the well-being of the people. This request echoes the covenantal promises God made to David in 2 Samuel 7:16, where God assures David that his throne will be established forever. The idea of a king's long life is also a common theme in wisdom literature, such as Proverbs 3:2, which associates long life with righteousness and obedience to God.

may his years span many generations.
This part of the verse extends the request for longevity into a desire for a dynastic continuity, suggesting a hope for a lasting legacy. The phrase implies not just a long life for the current king but a lasting dynasty that would endure through successive generations. This reflects the Davidic Covenant, where God promises David that his descendants will rule Israel perpetually (2 Samuel 7:12-13). This promise finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who is often referred to as the Son of David in the New Testament (Matthew 1:1), and whose kingdom is described as eternal (Luke 1:32-33). The desire for a king's years to span many generations also underscores the importance of stability and continuity in leadership for the prosperity and spiritual health of the nation.

Persons / Places / Events
1. David
Traditionally attributed as the author of Psalm 61, David is expressing a prayer for longevity and continued leadership. He is a central figure in the Old Testament, known for his kingship and his heart for God.

2. The King
While the immediate reference is to David himself, this can also be seen as a messianic prophecy pointing to Jesus Christ, the eternal King.

3. Generations
This term emphasizes the desire for a lasting legacy and continuity of leadership, reflecting the covenant promises made to David about his descendants.
Teaching Points
Prayer for Leadership
As believers, we are encouraged to pray for our leaders, asking God to grant them wisdom, longevity, and a heart aligned with His will.

Legacy and Influence
Consider the legacy you are building. Are your actions and decisions today contributing to a lasting impact for God's kingdom?

Messianic Fulfillment
Recognize Jesus as the fulfillment of the promise of an eternal king. Reflect on His eternal reign and what it means for your life today.

Trust in God's Promises
Just as God promised David a lasting dynasty, we can trust in His promises for our lives, knowing He is faithful to fulfill them.(6) See margin, and render as a prayer.

Verse 6. - Thou wilt prolong (or, mayest thou prolong) the king's life. The question arises - What king? Some answer that David prays for the extension of his own life; or, if not exactly of his own life, then for the prolongation of his dynasty upon the throne (Hengstenberg); others suggest that a distant exile, perhaps in Assyria, prays for the life of the reigning King of Judah, Josiah probably ('Four Friends,' p. 117); but the Messianic interpretation is perhaps the best. The writer, lifted up above himself and above sublunary things, abiding, as he does, in the spiritual tabernacle under the shelter of God's wings (ver. 4), prays for long continuance of days for the true King, the ideal King, Messiah, of whom David and his house are types: "Mayest thou add days to the days of the King," and make his years as many generations; or, as generation and generation; i.e. eternally continuous.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Increase
תּוֹסִ֑יף (tō·w·sîp̄)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3254: To add, augment

the days
יָמִ֣ים (yā·mîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3117: A day

of
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the king’s
מֶ֣לֶךְ (me·leḵ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

life;
יְמֵי־ (yə·mê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 3117: A day

may his years
שְׁ֝נוֹתָ֗יו (nō·w·ṯāw)
Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 8141: A year

span many generations.
דֹ֥ר (ḏōr)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1755: A revolution of time, an age, generation, a dwelling


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OT Poetry: Psalm 61:6 You will prolong the king's life (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 61:5
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