King James Bible
"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."
The Hebrew word for 'wait' implies active hope and expectant trust, not passive resignation. In David's context of facing enemies and threats, this call to wait demonstrates faith that God's timing and intervention are superior to human action. Courage is presented as both a command and a promise—the believer must choose bravery while God provides the inner fortitude to sustain it. The heart in Hebrew thought represents the center of will and emotion, indicating God strengthens one's entire inner being. The emphatic repetition underscores the difficulty and importance of patient trust. This literary technique of repetition, common in Hebrew poetry, serves to both encourage and gently rebuke those tempted to take matters into their own hands.