Psalm 30:5
“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Psalm 30 is a song of thanksgiving for deliverance, likely after sickness or grave danger. Verse 5 distills the psalm's hope into a memorable contrast of night and morning.
What Does Psalm 30:5 Mean?
This verse contrasts the brevity of God's displeasure with the abundance of his favor, and the passing of night-time weeping with the arrival of morning joy. It is one of Scripture's clearest words of hope to those in grief: sorrow is real, but it is not the final word. The verse frames pain as temporary and God's favor as enduring.
Two parallel contrasts carry the meaning. First, "his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life" -- God's correction is brief, but his goodwill sustains a whole life. Second, the unforgettable image: "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." The night is not denied; weeping is allowed to "endure," sometimes long and dark. Yet morning comes, and with it joy. The Hebrew for "joy" suggests a ringing cry of gladness, the sound of a heart that has come through the dark. This is not a promise that grief is shallow or quick, but that it has a horizon. For the believer walking through a long night, the verse offers a sturdy hope: the God whose favor is life will bring the morning.
In the Original Language
The Hebrew rinnah ("joy") denotes a ringing cry or shout of gladness, and boqer ("morning") marks the dawn that ends the night of weeping.
Cross References
“Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;”
- Psalm 30:11
“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
- Psalm 34:18
“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.”
- Psalm 42:5
Application
In a season of grief, hold to the promise that weeping has a horizon; the God whose favor is life will bring morning joy in his time.