Psalms 17:1-6

Prayer for Vindication and Protection

1

A prayer of David.

1 O Yahweh, hear a just cause. Hear my cry; heed my prayer [I make] without deceitful lips.
2 Let my vindication come forth from you; let your eyes see fairness.
3 You have tried my heart; you have examined [me] by night; you have tested me; you found nothing. I have decided [that] my mouth will not transgress.
4 As for [the] works of humankind, by the word of your lips, I have kept [from] the ways of [the] violent.
5 [I have] held my steps in your path My feet will not slip.
6 As for me, I have called on you because you will answer me, O God. Incline your ear to me. Hear my words.

Psalms 17:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 17

\\<>\\. This prayer was put up by David either in his own person, on his own account, praying to God for the vindication of his cause, and for salvation and deliverance from his enemies; or in the person of the Messiah, whose type he was, and of the whole church, so Jerom of old interpreted it; and the title of it in the Arabic version is, ``a prayer in the person of a perfect man, and of Christ himself, and of everyone that is redeemed by him;'' in which preservation and protection are prayed for, and hope of eternal life is expressed. It was written, according to Theodoret, when David suffered persecution from Saul.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm
  • [b]. Hebrew "word"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.