Psalm 17:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: A Prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!

NIV: A prayer of David. Hear me, LORD, my plea is just; listen to my cry. Hear my prayer-- it does not rise from deceitful lips.

NASB: Hear a just cause, Lord, give Your attention to my cry; Listen to my prayer, which is not from deceitful lips.

CSB: Lord, hear a just cause; pay attention to my cry; listen to my prayer -- from lips free of deceit.

NLT: O Lord, hear my plea for justice. Listen to my cry for help. Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes from honest lips.

KJV: {A Prayer of David.} Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.

NKJV: {A Prayer of David.} Hear a just cause, O Lord, Attend to my cry; Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.

This psalm follows a structure resembling Psalm 16, but with a distinctly more urgent emphasis. David refers to his need as a "just cause." He was not hypocritical; he was sincere and righteous in pleading his case. Unlike his enemies who leveled false charges against him, David was free of deceit. He had not lied about others or his situation.

David believed the Lord would not hear his prayers if his heart harbored sin. It may have been David who writes in Psalm 66:18–19: "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer." The apostle Paul also called for purity of life as essential when praying. He writes: "I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling" (1 Timothy 2:8).

Despite what Saul and his men had falsely said about David, David had not spoken a word to defame Saul. Although he had occasion to kill Saul, he refused to do so because he believed Saul was God's chosen leader of the nation (1 Samuel 24; 26).

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.

Accessed 5/7/2024 4:42:59 PM