Psalms7
New Living Translation
1 I come to you for protection, O Lord my God. Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!
2 If you don’t, they will maul me like a lion, tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
3 O Lord my God, if I have done wrong or am guilty of injustice,
4 if I have betrayed a friend or plundered my enemy without cause,
5 then let my enemies capture me. Let them trample me into the ground and drag my honor in the dust. Interlude
6 Arise, O Lord, in anger! Stand up against the fury of my enemies! Wake up, my God, and bring justice!
7 Gather the nations before you. Rule over them from on high.
8 The Lord judges the nations. Declare me righteous, O Lord, for I am innocent, O Most High!
9 End the evil of those who are wicked, and defend the righteous. For you look deep within the mind and heart, O righteous God.
10 God is my shield, saving those whose hearts are true and right.
11 God is an honest judge. He is angry with the wicked every day.
12 If a person does not repent, God will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow.
13 He will prepare his deadly weapons and shoot his flaming arrows.
14 The wicked conceive evil; they are pregnant with trouble and give birth to lies.
15 They dig a deep pit to trap others, then fall into it themselves.
16 The trouble they make for others backfires on them. The violence they plan falls on their own heads.
17 I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Study
Psalms 7Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Psalms 7. The full AI study guide (summary, themes, context) has its own page.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The psalmist prays to God to plead his cause, and judge for him. (1–9). He expresses confidence in God, and will give him the glory of his deliverance. (10–17).
vv1-9
David flees to God for succour. But Christ alone could call on Heaven to attest his uprightness in all things. All His works were wrought in righteousness; and the prince of this world found nothing whereof justly to accuse him. Yet for our sakes, submitting to be charged as guilty, he suffered all evils, but, being innocent, he triumphed over them all. The plea is, “For the righteous God trieth the hearts and the reins.” He knows the secret wickedness of the wicked, and how to bring it to an end; he is witness to the secret sincerity of the just, and has ways of establishing it. When a man has made peace with God about all his sins, upon the terms of grace and mercy, through the sacrifice of the Mediator, he may, in comparison with his enemies, appeal to God's justice to decide.
vv10-17
David is confident that he shall find God his powerful Saviour. The destruction of sinners may be prevented by their conversion; for it is threatened, If he turn not from his evil way, let him expect it will be his ruin. But amidst the threatenings of wrath, we have a gracious offer of mercy. God gives sinners warning of their danger, and space to repent, and prevent it. He is slow to punish, and long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish. The sinner is described, verses 14–16, as taking more pains to ruin his soul than, if directed aright, would save it. This is true, in a sense, of all sinners. Let us look to the Saviour under all our trials. Blessed Lord, give us grace to look to thee in the path of tribulation, going before thy church and people, and marking the way by thine own spotless example. Under all the persecutions which in our lesser trials mark our way, let the looking to Jesus animate our minds and comfort our hearts.
Key Words
שִׁגָּיוֹן: properly, aberration, i.e. (technically) a dithyramb or rambling poem
דָּוִד: David, the youngest son of Jesse
שִׁיר: to sing
דָּבָר: a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
כּוּשׁ: Cush (or Ethiopia), the name of a son of Ham, and of his territory; also of an Israelite
אֱלֹהִים: gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative
חָסָה: to flee for protection; figuratively, to confide in
יָשַׁע: properly, to be open, wide or free, i.e. (by implication) to be safe; causatively, to free or succor
כֹּל: properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
רָדַף: to run after (usually with hostile intent; figuratively (of time) gone by)
Cross References
Psalms 7David points to sparing Saul's life as proof that 'there is no evil nor transgression in my hand.'
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
Reflects the slanderous reports of David seeking Saul's hurt, which David flatly denies here.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
Saul acknowledges that David rewarded him with good whereas he had rewarded David with evil.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
David asks what evil is in his hand, protesting his innocence to Saul.
Supported by Matthew Poole
David appeals to the Lord to judge between him and Saul, matching Psalm 7's judicial plea.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallels God searching the heart and trying the reins, matching the exact Hebrew anatomical metaphors.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Repeats the precise poetic image of the wicked falling into the pit they have dug.
Supported by JFB
David asks Jonathan what his iniquity is, protesting his total innocence toward Saul.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Wisdom parallel: whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein, illustrating the self-destructive nature of malice.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Historical demonstration of poetic justice where Haman is hanged on the gallows he prepared.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallels the motif of enemies digging a pit and spreading a net without cause.
Supported by John Calvin
David appeals to God's testing of his heart and finding no wicked intent.
Supported by JFB
New Testament organic metaphor matching the conception of lust and the bringing forth of sin/death.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The only other biblical use of the musical/poetic term 'Shigionoth' (plural of Shiggaion).
Supported by Matthew Poole