Hidden Hebrew Word Play in Psalm 130: “God doesn’t exercise great care over our sins” There’s a Hebrew play on words on Psalm 130 that is invisible in English translations. Verse 3 reads, “If You, O Lord, should _______ iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” (Psalm 130:3).
What goes in the blank? The versions usually have either “keep a record” or “mark.” The Hebrew verb used here is shamar, which occurs hundreds of times in the OT. In fact, it’s the verb used in the commandment to “keep [shamar] the Sabbath day” (Deut 5:12). To shamar is “to exercise great care over.” It usually means to keep, guard, or observe. But here’s where it gets interesting: the same verbal root is used in vs. 6, “My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning.” The root of “watchmen” is also shamar. Those who guard the city from intruders, who keep watch over it by night, who wait expectantly for the sun to rise so their duty is over, they shamar. They “exercise great care over” guarding the city.
The implication? We wait for the Lord as guards wait for the morning precisely because God doesn’t guard sins. It’s as if he is a lousy night guard, who falls asleep while he’s supposed to be watching over iniquities. They’re stolen away, disappear, and he slumbers on. He doesn’t guard our sins. He doesn’t exercise great care over them.
Our Father is not some persnickety, diligent, cross your T’s and dot your I’s kind of watchman with eyes glued on our precious iniquities. Because if he were, we couldn’t stand. We’d fall into despair and death. Instead, he lets them all be stolen away by his Son who ends up crucified between two thieves. Because he is an un-iniquity-watching (shamar) kind of God, we watch (shamar) for him. His love draws us. The kind of love which doesn’t exercise great care over our iniquities, but forgives (vs. 4), exercises lovingkindness (vs. 7), had abundant redemption (vs. 7), and will redeem Israel (his people) from all their iniquities.
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