Psalms 119:107 Meaning and Explanation
“I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Prayer during real suffering often struggles to find its footing. Verse 107 shows a form that holds up under pressure: name the trouble plainly, ask for life, and give God a reason drawn from his own promise. It is short enough to pray when strength is gone and honest enough to pray without pretending.
Heavy affliction and a direct request stand side by side. The psalmist asks God to revive him, and he anchors the request in what God has already spoken instead of in his own worthiness.
The Context of Psalms 119:107
Verse 107 stands in the Nun stanza, verses 105 through 112, best known for its opening image of God's word as a lamp for the feet and a light for the path. That stanza moves quickly through danger: a soul continually in hand, snares laid by the wicked, an inheritance of testimonies claimed for ever. The writer has just sworn an oath in verse 106 to keep God's righteous judgments. Verse 107 admits how costly that oath has become. The plea to be quickened recurs across the psalm, appearing in verses 25, 40, 88, 149 and elsewhere.
What Does Psalms 119:107 Mean?
The opening clause refuses to soften anything: 'I am afflicted very much.' No cause is named and no villain is blamed. The intensity is simply stated, present tense, ongoing. What follows is one word of request in Hebrew rendered here as 'quicken me,' which in older English means make me live. The psalmist is asking for revival of a life that feels close to spent. Then comes the ground of the appeal, 'according unto thy word.' He does not offer his record or his suffering as leverage. He points to what God has said, and asks God to be consistent with himself.
Affliction is one of the recurring subjects of Psalm 119, and the psalm handles it in more than one way. Earlier the writer says it was good for him to be afflicted so that he might learn God's statutes, and elsewhere he says God in faithfulness afflicted him. Verse 107 adds the raw cry that keeps those statements from turning into a slogan. Learning from trouble and pleading for relief belong together in the same book of prayer. Across the Old Testament, God's word is repeatedly the thing that sustains life: manna and commandment in the wilderness, promise and covenant in exile, a lamp for feet on a dark road.
The request for life on the basis of God's word carries far. Paul writes that whatever was written before was written for our learning, so that through patience and comfort of the scriptures we might have hope, which is the same logic in New Testament dress. Jesus in Gethsemane faced affliction beyond measure and stayed with what was written, and the resurrection answered that trust with life. A believer praying Psalm 119:107 today is asking for something God has shown himself willing to give. The verse leaves room for a long wait, since the psalmist is still afflicted while he prays.
Psalms 119:107 in the Original Language
chayah (חָיָה), 'quicken' -- to live or to be kept alive; in the causative form used here it asks God to give life back, to revive someone worn down, and it appears again and again through this psalm as a plea for renewed strength.
Bible Verses Related to Psalms 119:107
“My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.”
- Psalm 119:25
“This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.”
- Psalm 119:50
“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”
- Romans 15:4
“Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.”
- Psalm 143:11
Where Psalms 119:107 Echoes in Scripture
Romans 15:4 gathers the point without quoting this verse, teaching that the older Scriptures were written so that through patience and comfort we might hold onto hope. Psalm 119:107 is a working example of that principle, since the psalmist reaches for God's spoken promise while the affliction is still on him. The connection matters practically. When our own words for prayer run out, the words God has already given become both the request and the reason for it.
How to Apply Psalms 119:107 Today
There are seasons when the only honest prayer is short. This verse gives us permission to say how bad it is without dressing it up, and it gives us a request worth making: life, strength, revival. Attaching the plea to a specific promise helps. Many of us find it steadying to keep two or three verses close during a hard stretch and to pray them back to God by name. Reviving often arrives slowly, through sleep, food, friends, and a returning ability to read. Asking for it is where the recovery begins.
Reflection & Prayer
Which promise of God would you most want to hold in front of him if you had strength for only one sentence of prayer? A prayer: Lord, I am worn thin and you know the reason. Quicken me according to your word. Give me enough life for today, and hold me to your promise when I cannot hold much of anything. Amen.