Psalm 142:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low! Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!

NIV: Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.

NASB: Give Your attention to my cry, For I have been brought very low; Rescue me from my persecutors, For they are too strong for me.

CSB: Listen to my cry, for I am very weak. Rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.

NLT: Hear my cry, for I am very low. Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.

KJV: Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.

NKJV: Attend to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are stronger than I.

Psalm 141:5–7 continues David's expression of prayerful anxiety. Feeling trapped and persecuted by powerful enemies who want to kill him, he prays for rescue. David escaped to a cave when King Saul attacked him (1 Samuel 22:1). He was also hiding in a cave when Saul entered to relieve himself, not knowing David and his men were there (1 Samuel 24:2–3). Though he is currently anxious, David anticipates a happy future.

David calls for mercy and rescue from the Lord. This either refers to when David was forced to flee to a cave (1 Samuel 22:1) or when King Saul entered a cave in which he and his men were hiding (1 Samuel 24:2–3). David takes all his concerns to God. Enemies are looking for ways to kill David and he feels alone and friendless. Faced with a dire situation, he calls on God with confidence that the future brings the Lord's blessings.

While evading death at the hands of King Saul (1 Samuel 19:1–2), David spent time living in a cave (1 Samuel 22:1). Later, he was cornered in a cave when Saul unknowingly entered the cave in which David and his men were hiding in order to relieve himself (1 Samuel 24:2–3). Either of these experiences may have inspired David. It's possible this psalm was composed while David was living in a cave, and that but Psalm 57 was inspired by the tense moments before the encounter with Saul (Psalm 57:1–4). This song is labelled as a maskil, probably referring to a musical style (Psalm 32:1; 42:1; 44:1; 45:1; 52:1; 53:1; 54:1; 55:1; 74:1; 78:1; 88:1; 89:1).

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 3:51:58 AM