Psalm 130: Out of the Depths

"Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD. Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared."

"I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities."

Watchmen for the morning

City watchmen kept the night watches, waiting for dawn to end their duty. One of the Lachish letters (pictured, early 6th century BC) mentions watching for the signals of Lachish. The repetition "more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning" makes the waiting itself audible.

Forgiveness that leads to reverence

"There is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared": forgiveness does not make God less awesome but more. If God kept a record of every sin, no one could stand; his forgiveness is what makes worship possible.

De profundis

The sixth of the seven penitential psalms, Psalm 130 (Vulgate 129, "De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine") is prayed for the dead in Catholic tradition and gave its name to Oscar Wilde's prison letter (1897). Martin Luther's hymn "Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir" (1524) paraphrases it. In Jewish practice it is recited during the Ten Days of Repentance. The heading "A Song of degrees" (Vulgate "Canticum graduum") marks it as one of the fifteen Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120–134; see Psalm 120 for the possible meanings).