Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Psalms 130:4 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 4. 4But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Psalm 130:4: The opening contrast in “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared” turns the argument of “From the depths: waiting for abundant redemption.”
The depths speak first, and the terror is being marked for iniquity
This verse is one part of that explanation in Psalms 130:1–8. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Psalms 130:1–8
Read Psalms 130:4 with 130:1–8. Read alone, “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared” could lose the individual voice, the parallel line or movement it develops, and the psalm's outcome. The complete movement establishes: Within Psalms 130:1–8, the individual voice carries the movement “From the depths: waiting for abundant redemption” as part of “From the depths: waiting for abundant redemption.” Its song-of-ascents-lament form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Psalms 130:1–8 opens Psalm 130 with “Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD” and establishes the individual voice and “From the depths: waiting for abundant redemption” movement before later lines develop or answer it. Within that relationship, Psalm 130:4 turns the movement by contrasting what precedes it with “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.”
What Remains True
Because this verse serves “From the depths: waiting for abundant redemption,” its enduring claim is proportionate: Confession seeks mercy and changed life while preserving truth, consequences, restitution, safeguarding, and the dignity of people harmed. Psalm 130:4 turns the movement by contrasting what precedes it with “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” The local movement is “From the depths: waiting for abundant redemption.” The unit's reviewed limit is: Waiting and forgiveness do not require silence about harm, bypass restitution, or replace crisis and mental-health support.
How It Can Shape Life
- Keep the movement “From the depths: waiting for abundant redemption” in view. Let “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared” prompt specific confession and changed conduct, including restitution and safeguarding where harm has been done. The textual reason is this verse's role: Psalm 130:4 turns the movement by contrasting what precedes it with “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.”
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Psalms 130:1–8 — From the depths: waiting for abundant redemptionSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Psalms 130:1–8, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Psalms
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 130:1–8
Open the fixed Hebrew Psalms file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Psalms 1-150
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, current official online edition
Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 130:1–8.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 130 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 130:1–8
Open the official NET Psalms notes ↗