Psalm 141:1

Protection from Sin and Sinners

A Davidic psalm.

1 Lord, I call on You;^[a] hurry to [help] me. Listen to my voice when I call on You.

Psalm 141:1 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 141:1

Lord, I cry unto thee
With great earnestness, importunity, and fervency, being in distress; and knowing vain was the help of man, and that none could deliver him but the Lord, and therefore continued crying unto him for help ^F23; make haste unto me;
which shows he was in a desperate condition; that he could not help himself, nor could any creature, only the Lord; and he was at a distance from him, as it seemed to him, and he delayed assistance; and therefore desires he would immediately draw nigh and be a present help in his time of need, and work speedy deliverance for him, his case requiring haste; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee;
a request the psalmist frequently makes, not contenting himself with prayer, without desiring and looking for an answer to it.

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 "Auxilium vocat, et duros conclamat agrestes", Virgil.

Psalm 141:1 In-Context

1 Lord, I call on You; hurry to [help] me. Listen to my voice when I call on You.

2 May my prayer be set before You as incense, the raising of my hands as the evening offering.

3 Lord, set up a guard for my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.

4 Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing or wickedly perform reckless acts with men who commit sin. Do not let me feast on their delicacies.

5 Let the righteous one strike me- it is [an act of] faithful love; let him rebuke me- it is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. Even now my prayer is against the evil acts of the wicked.

Footnotes

• [a] Ps 17:6; 31:17; 88:9