Psalms 27:5-14

5 For he hid me in his tabernacle in the day of evils; he defended me in the hid place of his tabernacle. He enhanced me in a stone; (For he shall hide me in his Temple on the day of evil; he shall defend me in the hidden place of his Temple. He shall put me upon a stone;)

6 and now he enhanced mine head over mine enemies. I compassed, and offered in his tabernacle a sacrifice of crying [out]; I shall sing, and I shall say psalm to the Lord. (and then my head shall be lifted up over my enemies, who be all around me. And I shall offer an offering of acclamation in his Temple; yea, I shall sing a song of praise to the Lord.)

7 Lord, hear thou my voice, by which I cried to thee; have thou mercy on me, and hear me. (Lord, hear thou my voice, when I cry to thee; have thou mercy on me, and answer me.)

8 Mine heart said to thee, My face sought thee; Lord, I shall seek again thy face. (And thou saidest, Seek ye my face; and my heart said to thee, Lord, I shall seek thy face.)

9 Turn thou not away thy face from me; bow thou not away in wrath from thy servant. Lord, be thou mine helper, forsake thou not me; and, God, mine health, despise thou not me (Lord, be thou my helper, abandon thou me not; and, O God, my salvation, or my deliverance, despise thou me not).

10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me; but the Lord hath taken me (up). (For even if my father and my mother desert me; the Lord shall still take care of me.)

11 Lord, set thou a law to me in thy way; and (ad)dress thou me in a rightful path, for mine enemies. (Lord, show thou me thy way; and direct thou me on the right path, for I have many enemies./Lord, teach thou me thy way; and direct thou me on the right path, safe from my enemies.)

12 Betake thou not me into the souls of them, that trouble me; for wicked witnesses have risen against me, and wickedness lied to itself. (Deliver thou me not unto those who trouble me; for wicked witnesses have risen up against me, and the wicked lie even to themselves!)

13 I believe to see the goods of the Lord; in the land of living men. (I know that I shall see the goodness of the Lord; in the land of the living.)

14 Abide thou the Lord, do thou manly; and thine heart be comforted, and suffer thou the Lord. (Wait thou for the Lord, be thou encouraged; let thy heart be strengthened, and wait thou for the Lord.)

Psalms 27:5-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 27

\\<<[A Psalm] of David>>\\. The Septuagint interpreters add to this title, "before he was anointed". David was anointed three times, first when a youth in his father's house; but this psalm could not be written before that time, because he had not had then any experience of war, nor could be in any immediate apprehension of it, as here suggested; he was anointed a second time, after the death of Saul at Hebron, by the men of Judah; before that time indeed he had been harassed by Saul, and distressed by the Amalekites, and was driven from the public worship of God, to which he has a respect, Ps 27:4; and he was a third time anointed, by the elders of Israel, king over all Israel; and between the death of Saul and this unction there was a war between the house of David and the house of Saul; but what is referred to is not certain, nor is it of moment, since these words are neither in the Hebrew text, nor in the Chaldee paraphrase. Theodoret is of opinion this psalm was written by David when he fled from Saul, and came to Ahimelech the priest.