1 > Hear, Yahweh, my righteous plea; Give ear to my prayer, that doesn't go out of deceitful lips.
Listen to my cry, For I am in desperate need. Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are stronger than me.
> I cry with my voice to Yahweh. With my voice, I ask Yahweh for mercy.
Beloved, if our hearts don't condemn us, we have boldness toward God;
'These people draw near to me with their mouth, And honor me with their lips; But their heart is far from me.
My God, turn your ear, and hear; open your eyes, and see our desolations, and the city which is called by your name: for we do not present our petitions before you for our righteousness, but for your great mercies' sake. Lord, hear; Lord, forgive; Lord, listen and do; don't defer, for your own sake, my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.
The Lord said, Because this people draw near [to me], and with their mouth and with their lips to honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which has been taught [them];
Yahweh is near to all those who call on him, To all who call on him in truth.
I know that Yahweh will maintain the cause of the afflicted, And justice for the needy.
But most assuredly, God has listened. He has heard the voice of my prayer.
Vindicate me, God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation. Oh, deliver me from deceitful and wicked men.
As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
Yahweh administers judgment to the peoples. Judge me, Yahweh, according to my righteousness, And to my integrity that is in me.
Listen to the voice of my cry, my King and my God; For to you do I pray.
Let your ear now be attentive, and your eyes open, that you may listen to the prayer of your servant, which I pray before you at this time, day and night, for the children of Israel your servants while I confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Yes, I and my father's house have sinned:
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 17
Commentary on Psalms 17 Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalm 17
David being in great distress and danger by the malice of his enemies, does, in this psalm, by prayer address himself to God, his tried refuge, and seeks shelter in him.
Some make him, in this, a type of Christ, who was perfectly innocent, and yet was hated and persecuted, but, like David, committed himself and his cause to him that judgeth righteously.
A prayer of David.
Psa 17:1-7
This psalm is a prayer. As there is a time to weep and a time to rejoice, so there is a time for praise and a time for prayer. David was now persecuted, probably by Saul, who hunted him like a partridge on the mountains; without were fightings, within were fears, and both urged him as a suppliant to the throne of mercy. He addresses himself to God in these verses both by way of appeal (Hear the right, O Lord! let my righteous cause have a hearing before thy tribunal, and give judgment upon it) and by way of petition (Give ear unto my prayer v. 1, and again v. 6, Incline thy ear unto me and hear my speech); not that God needs to be thus pressed with our importunity, but he gives us leave thus to express our earnest desire of his gracious answers to our prayers. These things he pleads with God for audience,
Psa 17:8-15
We may observe, in these verses,