What Does Psalm 30:5 Mean?
Two renderings of the same sentence, the verses it belongs to, and what the passage is doing — so you can decide what it means rather than take someone's word for it.
"For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Psalm 30:5, King James Version
The same verse in modern English
"For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5, Berean Standard Bible
What it sits inside
A verse quoted on its own is the commonest way one gets misread. Here it is with what comes immediately before and after, in the King James Version.
Psalm 30:3 O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Psalm 30:4 Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
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.
Psalm 30:6 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
Psalm 30:7 Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.
A conversation built on it
In the middle of a long night it stops feeling like night and starts feeling permanent. David wrote from the other side of one — weeping given its hour, and joy given its own. The night was never the whole measure. Morning keeps its appointment.
Questions people ask
What does Psalm 30:5 mean?
In modern English (Berean Standard Bible) it reads: “For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.” The King James rendering most people know is: “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
What is the context of Psalm 30:5?
The verses immediately around it read: (Psalm 30:3) O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. (Psalm 30:4) Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. (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. (Psalm 30:6) And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. (Psalm 30:7) Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.
How is Psalm 30:5 used in a conversation about this?
In the middle of a long night it stops feeling like night and starts feeling permanent. David wrote from the other side of one — weeping given its hour, and joy given its own. The night was never the whole measure. Morning keeps its appointment.
Reading it is one thing. Saying what it stirs up is another.
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