Psalm 17:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

NIV: My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not stumbled.

NASB: My steps have held to Your paths. My feet have not slipped.

CSB: My steps are on your paths; my feet have not slipped.

NLT: My steps have stayed on your path; I have not wavered from following you.

KJV: Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.

NKJV: Uphold my steps in Your paths, That my footsteps may not slip.

David confidently proclaims that he has consistently followed God. Using common biblical symbols, such as that of a path, he declares that he has been obedient to God's will. Scripture uses the imagery of walking along a path as a parallel for obedience to God's will (Psalm 119:105). Those who obey God can see the safest, most correct way forward. Staying on that path prevents stumbles and failures (Proverbs 4:12, 26).

Although David wandered in the wilderness as Saul and his men pursued him, he never drifted from the Lord's paths. Following in the steps of the Lord Jesus is the mark of a faithful believer. Jesus announced in John 10:4, "When he [the sheep's Good Shepherd] has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice." Peter writes: "For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps" (1 Peter 2:21). The Christian life involves following Jesus one step at a time. Sometimes He leads over rough ground, but His way is always the best way (John 16:33).

Psalm 17:1–5 begins David's prayer for deliverance. He asks God to intervene in a dangerous situation, pleading and making note of his own faithfulness to the Lord. David is confident that his life proves loyalty to God and obedience to His commands. This might have been written during David's time of persecution under king Saul.

Likely written when Saul was pursuing David in the wilderness, this records David's urgent plea for deliverance. He insists that he is in the right and free from deceit or evil. He proclaims God as a Savior and asks God to heed his cry and reveal His steadfast love to him. David addresses God as the Savior of those who seek refuge in Him from their enemies. Verse 8 uses two famous phrases describing God's tender care and love: "apple of the eye" and "shadow of your wings." Using a singular noun, David compares his enemy, likely Saul, to a ferocious, stealthy, bloodthirsty lion. Through these struggles, David looks forward to a blessed eternity of beholding God's face.

This is another psalm in which David appeals to God to deliver him from his enemy, likely Saul (1 Samuel 20:32–33). It shares themes and even Hebrew phrases with Psalm 16. This is one of several psalms identified as direct prayers, along with psalms 86, 90, 102, and 142.

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.