Read Psalm 61 at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraph:
Psa 61:1-8 {p} A prayer from overwhelming distress to exultant praise
Psalm 61:1-8 Chiastic structure:
From the end of the earth I call to You, when my heart is faint; {n}
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psa 61:2
The faint heart, according to Gesenius’ Hebrew Lexicon, is a heart that is wrapped in darkness; from its primitive root of being shrouded or covered over.
Thus David’s location at the end of the earth. In Hebrew poetry, “the end of the earth” often isn’t literal geography but a metaphor for extreme distance, isolation, or desperation. It’s as if David feels utterly remote at the world’s edge, being at the “farthest reaches” from God’s presence. He’s calling to YHVH for rescue.
The Chiastic Structure makes a Contrast in the B pair, from being at the utmost extremity from God, to dwelling in His tent forever.
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