Psalm 17:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

NIV: As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

NASB: As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.

CSB: But I will see your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied with your presence.

NLT: Because I am righteous, I will see you. When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.

KJV: As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

NKJV: As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

David presents a vivid contrast between the future of the men of the world and his own future. He has described the future of the men who have no eternal hope through faith in God as empty (Psalm 17:14). Now he describes his own future as glorious. He anticipates seeing God's face. He uses the words, "when I awake," to refer to his resurrection. This parallels the end of Psalm 16, where David rejoiced in knowing his eternal fate was secure (Psalm 16:10–11).

Daniel 12:2 also refers to "awake" as a depiction of resurrection. This verse tells us: "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." The Christian's future is also glorious. It includes the promise of resurrection (John 11:25) and the prospect of seeing the Lord face to face and being like Him (1 John 3:2). It is tragic that a person may gain the whole world but lose his own soul (Mark 8:36), but it is glorious if a person believes on Jesus as his Savior and "awakes" to a blissful eternity (1 Corinthians 15:51).

Psalm 17:13–15 closes the prayer as David asks the Lord to execute judgment on his enemy. He also echoes his earlier pleas for deliverance. David knows those who hate God have a bleak future, whereas he sees his future as glorious. He is confident he will behold God's face.

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 5/3/2024 6:47:49 AM