I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
Psalm 40:1
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
Psalm 40:1
קָוָה
qâvâh
(Strong's H6960)
qâvâh
(Strong's H6960)
The language notes in the margins of a Bible often lead to a deeper understanding of
a word or phrase. This morning I was intrigued to see that an alternative translation listed for patiently in Psalm 40:1 was intently. These are not by nature synonyms. Waiting patiently for your coffee is very different than waiting intently for it.
My curiosity led me to Strong's Concordance to find out what word is used in the Hebrew original. Interestingly, this is the only time in Scripture that the root word qâvâh is translated as anything to do with patience.
Here is the Strong's entry for qâvâh:
a word or phrase. This morning I was intrigued to see that an alternative translation listed for patiently in Psalm 40:1 was intently. These are not by nature synonyms. Waiting patiently for your coffee is very different than waiting intently for it.
My curiosity led me to Strong's Concordance to find out what word is used in the Hebrew original. Interestingly, this is the only time in Scripture that the root word qâvâh is translated as anything to do with patience.
Here is the Strong's entry for qâvâh:
a primitive root; to bind together (perhaps by twisting), i.e. collect; (figuratively) to expect:--gather (together), look, patiently, tarry, wait (for, on, upon). |
The layers here are rich and full of instruction. Not only am I to wait (for, on, and upon the Lord) patiently, looking expectantly, but my waiting is to be a "binding together." The image that comes to my mind first is of twisting a rope around a sturdy object for security. This is not a passive image; your life may depend on how well the rope holds.
Another image is of marriage ("What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" [Matt. 19:6, Mark 10:9, KJV]).
Particularly coming as it does at the opening of a Messianic psalm, the phrase "I waited patiently for the Lord" seems charged with meaning, not just an expression of faith but a picture of holy relationship. Patiently and intently are two parts of a whole: when I wait for my God, I wait for Him as not just as a Bringer of answers, but as the Completer of my being. This is a desperate wait, but it's also a tempered wait, since as I begin to know Him better I learn that in the waiting, He is working.
Another image is of marriage ("What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder" [Matt. 19:6, Mark 10:9, KJV]).
Particularly coming as it does at the opening of a Messianic psalm, the phrase "I waited patiently for the Lord" seems charged with meaning, not just an expression of faith but a picture of holy relationship. Patiently and intently are two parts of a whole: when I wait for my God, I wait for Him as not just as a Bringer of answers, but as the Completer of my being. This is a desperate wait, but it's also a tempered wait, since as I begin to know Him better I learn that in the waiting, He is working.