Psalm 27:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.

NIV: For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.

NASB: For on the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; He will hide me in the secret place of His tent; He will lift me up on a rock.

CSB: For he will conceal me in his shelter in the day of adversity; he will hide me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.

NLT: For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

KJV: For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

NKJV: For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

The center of worship in Israel, during the time of David, was still a movable tabernacle: God's house was still a tent. Even so, this location was sometimes called a "temple" (1 Samuel 1:9). David's son Solomon built the first permanent sanctuary which was a true "temple" of God, but David rightly considered the tabernacle the equivalent of God's protection. He would feel safe in the tabernacle. His enemies would not be able to reach him there.

In David's time a host who welcomed a visitor into his tent accepted the responsibility to keep the visitor safe. His tent served as a stronghold (Psalm 27:1) for the visitor. David thought of the Lord as his protector under the cover of the Lord's tent, the tabernacle. Believers today are safe in Christ, who "tabernacled" among men (John 1:14). He said, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28). Our chief enemy, the Devil, would love to pry us from our Savior's hand and destroy us, but he faces an impossible task!

Psalm 27:1–6 demonstrates David's confidence in the Lord. He trusts God will protect him from his enemies and restore him to Jerusalem, where he will offer sacrifices. Psalm 22:8–26 is a parallel passage. It's possible David wrote this psalm when he was in the Negev, as a fugitive from King Saul, or during the violent rebellion of his son, Absalom. In the second half of this psalm, David pleads with God for the very deliverance he seems assured of in the first half—demonstrating that "knowing" not to be afraid does not make a person immune to the emotion of fear.

David lays out the reasons he should be confident in God's protection. David then transitions, almost abruptly, into heartfelt pleas for God to rescue him from his enemies. The impression is that David is experiencing natural human anxiety and responding by reminding himself of God's goodness. The psalm ends with the same assurance expressed when it began.

Most Bible scholars believe David wrote Psalm 27 when he was in exile, with King Saul in hot pursuit. If so, the psalm aligns with other writings David composed during this time. Psalms 21, 26, and 28 are good examples. Others think this might have been written when David was fleeing from his violently rebellious son, Absalom. For the most part, Psalm 27 expresses David's confidence in the Lord as his guide and deliverer, but he also demonstrates his human fears by pleading with God for the exact thing he has been so confident of.

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 5/1/2024 9:12:29 PM