Psalm 35:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions!

NIV: How long, Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions.

NASB: Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, My only life from the lions.

CSB: Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages; rescue my precious life from the young lions.

NLT: How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing? Rescue me from their fierce attacks. Protect my life from these lions!

KJV: Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions.

NKJV: Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue me from their destructions, My precious life from the lions.

This type of question is not really a question, but an appeal for God's quick intervention (Psalm 13:1; 79:5; 90:13). David pleads with the Lord for rescue from destruction at the hand of his enemies. While David's prayer is a request, it also implies a level of certainty. David does not ask "if" God will save, rather he wonders when the rescue will come. His faith was strong, but his patience was weakening.

Psalm 22:20 makes a similar statement using much of the same imagery. David knows his life is "precious," both to himself and to God. He compares his enemies to wild animals tearing and attacking. In David's own life, he'd seen the dangers posed by predators such as lions (1 Samuel 17:36) but was able to overcome them with God's help.

Often, when a trial strikes a believer, it is hard to wait on the Lord (Psalm 33:20). But the Lord's timing often differs from that of His children. What we think of as delays are opportunities to draw closer to Him, to trust Him to fulfill His will, and to develop character and hope. The apostle Paul writes: "We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Romans 5:3–5).

Psalm 35:11–18 is the second of three variations on the same themes, which make up Psalm 35. David describes the attacks he endured. His enemy lied and used unscrupulous witnesses to level false accusations. This betrayal is made worse because David had been kind and loving towards them when they were in need. When they were sick, he prayed for them, and mourned when they did not recover. Yet now they ridiculed him. David calls out for God's intervention.

This is one of the "imprecatory psalms," which call on God to immediately judge or destroy His enemies. David echoes the same ideas in three phases. Each segment includes a plea for rescue, a request for God to conquer David's foes, and a promise to praise the Lord. David makes a point of noting that his enemies have no good reason for their hatred, since he was kind to them. With faith, David looks ahead, trusting he will have the opportunity to worship the Lord for His rescue and vindication.

David pleads with the Lord to destroy his enemies and vindicate him. As such, Psalm 35 is labeled an "imprecatory psalm." Other examples include psalms 5, 69, 109, and 140. This song might have been written when King Saul was seeking David's life (1 Samuel 19:1–2), or when Absalom was spreading rebellion in Israel (2 Samuel 15:13–14). David' notes three basic ideas in this psalm: vindication, defeat of enemies, and praise of God. Each is repeated in a series of three variations.

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.