Psalm 141:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But my eyes are toward you, O God, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!

NIV: But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.

NASB: For my eyes are toward You, God, the Lord; In You I take refuge; do not leave me defenseless.

CSB: But my eyes look to you, Lord, my Lord. I seek refuge in you; do not let me die.

NLT: I look to you for help, O Sovereign Lord. You are my refuge; don’t let them kill me.

KJV: But mine eyes are unto thee, O God the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.

NKJV: But my eyes are upon You, O God the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute.

Psalm 141:8–10 invests hope and confidence in God regarding David's prior requests. He again prays for the Lord's protection from the conspiracies of earthly enemies. Part of this hope is that the evil people who plot against David will be caught in their own schemes (Psalm 9:15; Proverbs 11:5; 28:10).

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 3:51:53 AM