Psalm 5:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.

NIV: Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.

NASB: Listen to the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, For to You I pray.

CSB: Pay attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for I pray to you.

NLT: Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you.

KJV: Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.

NKJV: Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray.

In this verse David asks the Lord to give attention to the sound of his cry. He is desperate for an answer, and he correctly perceives the Lord as his King and his God.

David was an earthly king, King of Israel, although at the time of his prayer in the wilderness, his reign was interrupted by Absalom's rebellion (2 Samuel 15:13–14). By contrast, the Lord is the eternal King, whose reign is invincible. No one and nothing can interrupt His reign. When King Uzziah died, the prophet Isaiah entered the temple, where he saw the King who never dies. He saw the Lord "sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up" (Isaiah 6:1).

David addressed his prayer directly to God. God is the creator and sustainer of everything (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1–3). He also grants life and ends it when He deems it is appropriate to do so. David believed his life was in God's hands.

Psalm 5:1–3 begins like Psalm 4, as David prays to the Lord with intense feeling. This song of David shares much with Psalms 3 and 4. All three were composed by David when he was fleeing from his rebellious, murderous son, Absalom, in the wilderness (2 Samuel 15—18). Other intense prayers for relief include Jonah's prayer from the belly of a great fish (Jonah 2) and Jesus' prayer in the garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:39–44; Hebrews 5:7). Psalm 7:1–2 also alludes to David's fervent prayer to be saved from his pursuing enemies.

Psalm 5 begins with David's urgent prayer for the Lord to heed his groaning and cry. He addresses the Lord as his King and his God, and indicates that he prays in the morning and watches for an answer. He recognizes that God takes no pleasure in the wicked but destroys evil, lying, bloodthirsty, or deceitful men. He anticipates that the God who loves him will allow him to enter the tabernacle, where he will offer reverential worship. He prays for the Lord's leading so that he will escape his enemies, whom he identifies as devoid of truth and violent. He prays further that the Lord will cause those rebels to bear the consequences of their transgressions. The psalm closes with an appeal to the righteous to sing for joy as they take refuge in the Lord, and David asks the Lord to bless and protect the righteous.

Like Psalm 4, this psalm is connected to Psalm 3. Psalm 3 refers to David's rising up in the morning, whereas Psalm 4 refers to his nighttime sleep. This psalm is addressed to the choirmaster. Like Psalms 3 and 4, Psalm 5 was composed by David in the wilderness, when Absalom's forces sought to destroy him (see 2 Samuel 15—18). This is one of the ''imprecatory psalms,'' so called because they pray for God to destroy the wicked. The imprecatory psalms are Psalms 5, 12, 35, 37, 58, 59, 69, 79, 83, 108, 139, and 140. These psalms urge God to judge those who oppose God and His people. Imprecations are also found elsewhere in the Bible, such as in passages like Jeremiah 11:18–20,15:15, 17:18, 18:19–23, 20:11–12; 1 Corinthians 16:22, and Revelation 6:10.

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 5/2/2024 10:45:50 AM