I want to make some additional introductory remarks about Psalm 25. I said last time that Psalm 25 is a psalm for the Waiting Time. I haven’t always seen it that way. I first became aware of the prominence of this “waiting” theme  in this psalm through Peter Craigie’s commentary. Even without Craigie’s conjectural reading, the theme of “waiting” is still found in the repeated use of the Hebrew term קָוָה (qāwāh, v. to hope in; to hope for, wait for, look for) in verses 3 and 21.

Verse 3
גַּ֣ם כָּל־ק֭וֶֹיךָ לֹ֣א יֵבֹ֑שׁוּ יֵ֝בֹ֗שׁוּ הַבּוֹגְדִ֥ים רֵיקָֽם׃

“Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.”

Verse 21
תֹּם־וָיֹ֥שֶׁר יִצְּר֑וּנִי כִּ֝֗י קִוִּיתִֽיךָ׃

“May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.”

I think it’s worthwhile to take a moment to notice the close relationship between the concepts of “waiting” and “hoping.” This relationship is (I think) not immediately apparent to the modern reader.

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