Psalm 141:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

NIV: May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

NASB: May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The raising of my hands as the evening offering.

CSB: May my prayer be set before you as incense, the raising of my hands as the evening offering.

NLT: Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering.

KJV: Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

NKJV: Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Psalm 141:1–2 presents David's request that his prayer would be effective. As do other Scriptures (Revelation 5:8), these verses compare prayers to incense. The metaphor involves something which rises and brings a pleasant sensation to God. Similarly, David hopes that his humble and earnest prayer will gain a response from the Lord just as much as a physical sacrifice.

This song calls out to the Lord with two main requests. First, David prays for God's help in avoiding sin and temptation. David is open to godly correction when it comes from a righteous person. But he desperately wants to avoid drifting into sin. David's second request is for protection against the enemies who seek to trap him. He prays that those who plot evil against him will experience those harms, in their own lives.

This is one of several psalms where David asks the Lord for protection against enemies (Psalm 3; 25; 57). No exact moment is tied to this song. David's strong emphasis here on being kept from sinning notable in the psalms. His attitude echoes the Bible's stance on godly advice (Proverbs 9:8; 19:25; 27:6) and the importance of taking correction from both God and earthly authorities (Psalm 94:12; Proverbs 14:11; Hebrews 12:7).

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.

Accessed 3/28/2025 5:53:48 AM