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Psalm 30:1

ESV I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
NIV A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David. I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
NASB I will exalt You, Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
CSB A psalm; a dedication song for the house. Of David. I will exalt you, Lord, because you have lifted me up and have not allowed my enemies to triumph over me.
NLT I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.
KJV A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David. I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
NKJV {A Psalm. A Song at the dedication of the house of David.} I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me.

What does Psalm 30:1 mean?

The description of this psalm is usually translated with the phrase "the dedication of the temple." Other versions translate this as "the dedication of the house." The Hebrew terms translated as "temple" include the term ba'yit, used here, as well as hekal', which has a more formal meaning. David did not live to see the temple built in Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:17–19), though his son Solomon did (2 Samuel 7:12–13; 1 Kings 7:51; 8:1–66). This psalm might be something David wrote to dedicate the future site of the temple (1 Chronicles 22:1; 2 Chronicles 3:1). That's likely why this psalm includes references to God's forgiveness. David's dedication of the temple site came shortly after he angered God through an unapproved census (1 Chronicles 21:7–14).

David vows to praise God for "drawing him up." This pictures the Lord pulling David from danger and away from death. Psalm 71:20 echoes this by stating: "You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again." David's brush with God's wrath, due to his census, is likely the danger from which he was spared (1 Chronicles 21:7–13). Judgment there came in the form of a pestilence or plague. Though this was terrible, it was an alternative to something worse. David could have been conquered by his enemies, letting them "rejoice over" his defeat.

An alternative explanation is that David experienced personal illness. Or, that the plague which struck Israel made him deathly ill. Even if that was the case, there should be no misunderstanding that sickness is always the result of sin—it is not (John 9:1–3). The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 2:25–30 about a severe illness Epaphroditus experienced. He was a fervent servant of the Lord, therefore there is no reason to suspect his illness was related to sin in his life. However, the Lord can use sickness to humble a disobedient believer—or an entire nation—to inspire repentance. This seems to have been the case with David.
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