Psalm 13:3
New International Version
Look on me and answer, LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,

New Living Translation
Turn and answer me, O LORD my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.

English Standard Version
Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

Berean Standard Bible
Consider me and respond, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death,

King James Bible
Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

New King James Version
Consider and hear me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death;

New American Standard Bible
Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,

NASB 1995
Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,

NASB 1977
Consider and answer me, O LORD, my God; Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

Legacy Standard Bible
Look and answer me, O Yahweh my God; Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

Amplified Bible
Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; Give light (life) to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,

Christian Standard Bible
Consider me and answer, LORD my God. Restore brightness to my eyes; otherwise, I will sleep in death.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Consider me and answer, LORD my God. Restore brightness to my eyes; otherwise, I will sleep in death.

American Standard Version
Consider and answer me, O Jehovah my God: Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Look and answer me, LORD JEHOVAH, my God, and enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep unto death.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Look on me, hearken to me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep in death;

Contemporary English Version
Please listen, LORD God, and answer my prayers. Make my eyes sparkle again, or else I will fall into the sleep of death.

Douay-Rheims Bible
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

English Revised Version
Consider and answer me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Look at me! Answer me, O LORD my God! Light up my eyes, or else I will die

Good News Translation
Look at me, O LORD my God, and answer me. Restore my strength; don't let me die.

International Standard Version
Look at me! Answer me, LORD, my God! Give light to my eyes! Otherwise, I will sleep in death;

JPS Tanakh 1917
Behold Thou, and answer me, O LORD my God; Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

Literal Standard Version
Look attentively; Answer me, O YHWH, my God, | Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep in death,

Majority Standard Bible
Consider me and respond, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death,

New American Bible
How long must I carry sorrow in my soul, grief in my heart day after day? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

NET Bible
Look at me! Answer me, O LORD my God! Revive me, or else I will die!

New Revised Standard Version
Consider and answer me, O LORD my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,

New Heart English Bible
Look, and answer me, LORD, my God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death;

Webster's Bible Translation
Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

World English Bible
Behold, and answer me, Yahweh, my God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death;

Young's Literal Translation
Look attentively; Answer me, O Jehovah, my God, Enlighten mine eyes, lest I sleep in death,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
How Long, O LORD?
2How long must I wrestle in my soul, with sorrow in my heart each day? How long will my enemy dominate me? 3Consider me and respond, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death, 4lest my enemy say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes rejoice when I fall.…

Cross References
1 Samuel 14:29
"My father has brought trouble to the land," Jonathan replied. "Just look at how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.

Ezra 9:8
But now, for a brief moment, grace has come from the LORD our God to preserve for us a remnant and to give us a stake in His holy place. Even in our bondage, our God has given us new life and light to our eyes.

Job 33:30
to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life.

Psalm 5:1
Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning.

Psalm 18:28
For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.

Psalm 27:7
Hear, O LORD, my voice when I call; be merciful and answer me.

Proverbs 29:13
The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives light to the eyes of both.


Treasury of Scripture

Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

Consider

Psalm 9:13
Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:

Psalm 25:19
Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.

Psalm 31:7
I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;

lighten

Psalm 18:28
For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

1 Samuel 14:27,29
But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in an honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were enlightened…

Ezra 9:8
And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.

less

Jeremiah 51:39,57
In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the LORD…

Ephesians 5:14
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

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Consider Death Enlighten Eyes Hear Light Shining Sleep Voice
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Psalm 13
1. David complains of delay
3. He prays for preventing grace
5. He boasts of divine mercy














(3) Lighten.--Literally, give light to my eyes that I may not go to sleep in death, i.e., go to sleep and never wake; "sleep unto death," as the LXX. (Comp. for the nature of the fear, Psalm 6:5; and for the form of expression, 1Samuel 14:27; 1Samuel 14:29.)

Verse 3. - Consider and hear me, O Lord my God (comp. Psalm 5:1; Psalm 9:13; Psalm 141:1, etc.). David will not allow himself to be "forgotten;" he will recall himself to God's remembrance. "Consider - hear me," he says, "O Lord my God;" still "my God," although thou hast forgotten me, and therefore bound to "hear me." Lighten mine eyes. Not so much "enlighten me spiritually," as "cheer me up; put brightness into my eyes; revive me" (comp. Ezra 9:8, "Grace hath been showed from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape... that our God may lighten out eyes, and give us a little reviving"). Lest I sleep the sleep of death; literally, lest I sleep death. Death is compared to a sleep by Job (Job 11:12), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 51:39, 57), Daniel (Daniel 12:2), and here by David, in the Old Testament; and by our Lord (John 11:11-13) and St. Paul in the New (1 Corinthians 11:30; 1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 15). The external resemblance of a corpse to a sleeping person was the root of the metaphor, and we shall do wrong to conclude from its employment anything with respect to the psalmist's views concerning the real nature of death.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
See me
הַבִּ֣יטָֽה (hab·bî·ṭāh)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5027: To scan, look intently at, to regard

[and] respond,
עֲ֭נֵנִי (‘ă·nê·nî)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 6030: To answer, respond

O LORD
יְהוָ֣ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

my God.
אֱלֹהָ֑י (’ĕ·lō·hāy)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

Give light
הָאִ֥ירָה (hā·’î·rāh)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 215: To be or become light

to my eyes,
עֵ֝ינַ֗י (‘ê·nay)
Noun - cdc | first person common singular
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

lest
פֶּן־ (pen-)
Conjunction
Strong's 6435: Removal, lest

I sleep
אִישַׁ֥ן (’î·šan)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3462: To be slack, languid, sleep, to grow old, stale, inveterate

in death,
הַמָּֽוֶת׃ (ham·mā·weṯ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4194: Death, the dead, their place, state, pestilence, ruin


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OT Poetry: Psalm 13:3 Behold and answer me Yahweh my God (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 13:2
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