Psalm 35:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my Lord!

NIV: Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord.

NASB: Stir Yourself, and awake to my right And to my cause, my God and my Lord.

CSB: Wake up and rise to my defense, to my cause, my God and my Lord!

NLT: Wake up! Rise to my defense! Take up my case, my God and my Lord.

KJV: Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.

NKJV: Stir up Yourself, and awake to my vindication, To my cause, my God and my Lord.

David calls upon the Lord to take swift action and vindicate him. David's enemies had been gloating over their presumed victory. They thought they could damage his reputation by accusing him of false crimes. But David knew he was innocent, and he trusted the Lord to clear his name (Psalm 35:19–21). Here, David calls on God, in personal terms. His perception of the Lord was not distant, but intimate. David knew the Lord saw both his enemies' wicked deeds and his own innocence. This made him confident that God would ultimately prove him correct: to "vindicate" David (Psalm 35:24).

The request for God to "awake" is not meant as a literal reference to sleep (Judges 5:12; Joel 1:5). The imagery is part of a figure of speech asking someone to move from inaction to action (Psalm 44:23; 108:2; Matthew 24:42).

A believer's prayer should always be like that of a child who is intimately connected to their father. Paul tells the Galatian believers that they received the Spirit of His Son into their hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" (Galatians 4:6). The name "Abba" reflects the simple cry of a young child, and it could be translated "Dad!" or "Daddy!" Believers can address God as their Father and believe that as a loving Father He will always hear their prayers and do what is best for them (Romans 8:15).

Psalm 35:19–28 is the last of three phases of this psalm, each expressing variations of the same basic themes. David pleads with the Lord for vindication. He prays for deliverance from his enemies, asking God to put them to shame. The psalm concludes with a call for those who support David to rejoice, and to worship God. David promises to constantly praise and honor the Lord.

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.