Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 17:6

I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.

6. I have called upon thee ] I is emphatic. Being such an one as I am, I have called upon Thee, in full confidence that Thou wilt answer me.

O God ] El, as in Psa 16:1. See note on Psa 5:4.

hear ] Wrongly printed in italics in many editions.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

6 9. After protesting his integrity he resumes his prayer.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

I have called upon thee for thou wilt hear me, O God – The meaning of this is, I have called on thee heretofore, and will do it still, because I am certain that thou wilt hear me. That is, he was encouraged to call upon God by the conviction that he would hear his prayer, and would grant his request. In other words, he came to God in faith; in the full belief of his readiness to answer prayer, and to bestow needed blessings. Compare Joh 11:42; Heb 11:6.

Incline thine ear unto me – See the notes at Psa 17:1.

My speech – My prayer. The reference here, as in Psa 17:1, is to prayer uttered before God; and not mere mental prayer.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 6. Incline thine ear unto me] David prayed from a conviction that God would hear: but he could not be satisfied unless he received an answer. In a believer’s mind the petition and the answer should not be separated.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

I have called upon thee; it hath been, and still is, and shall be my constant course to apply myself to thee for assistance and for deliverance.

For thou wilt hear me, O God; for though thou mayst delay for a season, I am well assured that thou wilt hear and answer me.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

6. wilt hear methat is,graciously (Ps 3:4).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

I have called upon thee,…. In prayer. This had been the constant practice of the psalmist, and he still continued in it;

for thou wilt hear me, O God; God is a God hearing prayer; he is used to hear his people, and they have frequent experience of it, and they may be assured that whatsoever they ask according to his will, and in the name of Christ, he will hear; and such an assurance is a reason engaging the saints to a constant calling upon God, Ps 116:2; and such confidence of being always heard Christ had, Joh 11:41;

incline thine ear unto me, [and hear] my speech; meaning his prayer, which he now directed to him in full assurance of being heard, and is as follows.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

It is only now, after his inward parts and his walk have been laid open to Jahve, that he resumes his petition, which is so well justified and so soundly based, and enters into detail. The

(Note: The word is pointed , in correct texts, as always is when it has Munach and Dech follows, e.g., also Psa 116:16. This Gaja demands an emphatic intonation of the secondary word in its relation to the principal word (which here is ).)

found beside (the perfect referring to that which has just now been put into execution) is meant to imply: such an one as he has described himself to be according to the testimony of his conscience, may call upon God, for God hears such and will therefore also hear him. exactly corresponds to the Latin au-di ( aus-cul-ta ). The Hiph. ( , Psa 31:22, cf. Psa 4:4) signifies here to work in an extraordinary and marvellous manner. The danger of him who thus prays is great, but the mercies of God, who is ready and able to help, are still greater. Oh that He may, then, exhibit all its fulness on his behalf. The form of the address resembles the Greek, which is so fond of participles. If it is translated as Luther translates it: “Show Thy marvellous lovingkindness, Thou Saviour of those who trust in Thee, Against those who so set themselves against Thy right hand,” then is used just as absolutely as in Pro 14:32, and the right hand of God is conceived of as that which arranges and makes firm. But “to rebel against God’s right (not statuta , but desteram )” is a strange expression. There are still two other constructions from which to choose, viz., “Thou Deliverer of those seeking protection from adversaries, with Thy right hand” (Hitz.), or: “Thou Helper of those seeking protection from adversaries, at Thy right hand” (Aben-Ezra, Tremell.). This last rendering is to be preferred to the two others. Since, on the one hand, one says , refuge from…, and on the other, to hide one’s self in any one, or in any place, this determining of the verbal notion by the preposition (on this, see above on Psa 2:12) must be possible in both directions. is equivalent to Job 27:7; and , those seeking protection at the strong hand of Jahve. The force of the is just the same as in connection with , 1Sa 23:19. In Damascus and throughout Syria – Wetzstein observes on this passage – the weak make use of these words when they surrender themselves to the strong: Arab. ana b – qabdt ydk , “I am in the grasp of thy hand (in thy closed hand) i.e., I give myself up entirely to thee.”

(Note: Cognate in meaning to are Arab. ‘sttr b and tadarra b , e.g., Arab. tdrra b – ‘l – ha’t mn ‘l – rh he shelters (hides) himself by the wall from the wind, or Arab. baldat mn ‘l – brd , by a fire against the cold, and Arab. ad , which is often applied in like manner to God’s protection. Thus, e.g., (according to Bochri’s Sunna) a woman, whom Muhammed wanted to seize, cried out: Arab. audu b – ‘llh mnk , I place myself under God’s protection against thee, and he replied: Arab. udti bi – maadin , thou hast taken refuge in an (inaccessible) asylum (cf. Job, i. 310 n. and ii. 22 n. 2).)

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

6. I have called upon thee, etc. This verb being put in the past tense denotes a continued act; and, therefore, it includes the present time. The Hebrew word כי, ki, which we translate surely, often signifies because, and if it is so understood in this passage, the meaning will be, that David took encouragement to pray, because, depending upon the promise of God, he hoped that his prayers would not be in vain. But, perhaps, it may be thought preferable to change the tense of the verb as some do, so as to give this meaning, I will pray, because I have hitherto experienced that thou hast heard (358) my prayers. I have, however, chosen the exposition what appears to me the more simple. David, in my judgment, here encourages and animates himself to call upon God, from the confident hope of being heard, as if he had said, Since I call upon thee, surely, O God, thou wilt not despise my prayers. Immediately after he beseeches God to bestow upon him the blessings of which he told us he entertained an assured hope.

(358) The Septuagint renders the verb in the past tense, “ Επηκουσας μου,” “Thou hast heard me.” The Syriac and Vulgate give a similar rendering. The verb, in the Hebrew, is in the future; but it is a common thing in Hebrew to use the future tense for the past.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(6) Iis emphatic, As for me, I, &c.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

6. Having laid open his inmost thoughts, and protested his innocence before God, the psalmist now resumes his prayer.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

‘I have called on you, for you will answer me, O God,

Incline your ear to me, and hear my speech.

Show your marvellous covenant love,

O you who save by your right hand,

Those who take refuge in you,

From those who rise up.’

He calls on YHWH as the Deliverer, the One Who reveals His marvellous covenant love, Who saves by His powerful right hand, confident that He will answer him. He cries to Him to do so. The ‘I’ is emphatic. He has taken refuge in YHWH. Let YHWH deliver him from those who rise up against him, as for one who is true to the covenant.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

David Calls upon God for Help

v. 6. I have called upon Thee, namely, in the capacity in which he described himself, as a child of God who could rightfully point to the righteousness of his life, for Thou wilt hear me, O God, of this David was sure. Incline Thine ear unto me, in the attitude of most careful attention, and hear my speech.

v. 7. Show Thy marvelous loving-kindness, giving him a proof, an exhibition, of His grace, O Thou that savest by Thy right hand them which put their trust in Thee from those that rise up against them, this being the reason why David puts his trust in the Lord with such firm confidence.

v. 8. Keep me as the apple of the eye, this being named as a possession most dear to men ; hide me under the shadow of Thy wings, as the mother-bird shelters her young in tender protection, Cf Deu 32:10-11; Psa 36:7; Mat 23:37,

v. 9. from the wicked that oppress me, greedily surrounding him for the purpose of wasting and devouring him, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about, ready to attack him from all sides.

v. 10. They are enclosed in their own fat, they are dead to all human feeling; with their mouth they speak proudly, they are insolent in their behavior, as though certain victory were near.

v. 11. They have now compassed us in our steps, so that the believers cannot make a move without their knowledge; they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth, they were eagerly watching in order to take their chance and throw down the believers to the ground, thereby completely overwhelming them;

v. 12. like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, eagerly lurking on its path, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places, cowering in his hiding-places, ready to spring upon an unsuspecting victim.

v. 13. Arise, O Lord, again David’s ringing appeal, disappoint him, going forth to meet the adversary and to anticipate his wicked move, cast him down; deliver my soul from the wicked, from all the unrighteous under the leadership of Satan, which is Thy Sword, by His almighty sword the Lord can quickly bring deliverance,

v. 14. from men which are Thy hand, rather, delivering from the wicked projects of these people with His hand, O Lord, from men of the world, whose entire interest is in this life, which have their portion, the measure of all they desire, in this life, and whose belly Thou fillest with Thy hid treasure, giving them of the rich store of temporal goods which are under His control. They are full of children, being blessed also in this respect, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes, their children inheriting this world’s goods from them in great plenty. Thus the good fortune of the ungodly is shown to consist only in this world’s treasures, the height of their ambition being reached when money, honor, and pleasures are theirs. But the psalmist, in conclusion, places himself in direct contrast to all this earthly happiness with its attendant sins.

v. 15. As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness, as the happy possessor of the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, the most glorious treasure of the Christian; I shall be satisfied, with an everlasting satisfaction, unlike any transient enjoyment in this world, when I awake, with Thy likeness, the original image of God restored in the risen believers in the form of a perfect knowledge of God and in true righteousness and holiness, Eph 4:24; Col 3:10. That, in a word, will be the happiness of the great resurrection at the end of time, to see God face to face and to be with Him in everlasting righteousness and holiness, world without end.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

Psa 17:6 I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, [and hear] my speech.

Ver. 6. I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me ] q.d. Thou wast always wont to hear me, and therefore I presume thou wilt. Experience breeds confidence.

Incline thine ear ] See how he reinforceth his former request; as if he would wring the blessing out of God’s hands by a holy violence, and take no denial.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 17:6-12

6I have called upon You, for You will answer me, O God;

Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech.

7Wondrously show Your lovingkindness,

O Savior of those who take refuge at Your right hand

From those who rise up against them.

8Keep me as the apple of the eye;

Hide me in the shadow of Your wings

9From the wicked who despoil me,

My deadly enemies who surround me.

10They have closed their unfeeling heart,

With their mouth they speak proudly.

11They have now surrounded us in our steps;

They set their eyes to cast us down to the ground.

12He is like a lion that is eager to tear,

And as a young lion lurking in hiding places.

Psa 17:6-12 This strophe describes God’s actions toward the psalmist and his opponents’ actions.

1. God’s actions

a. he called and God answered, Psa 17:6

b. God showed His covenant love and loyalty (i.e., lovingkindness, see Special Topic: Lovingkindness )

c. God gave him refuge (see note at Psa 5:11)

d. God kept/protected the apple of my eye (an idiom of tender care for someone especially close, cf. Deu 32:10; Pro 7:2)

e. God hid him in the shadow of His wings (see Special Topic: SHADOW AS METAPHOR FOR PROTECTION AND CARE )

2. the opponent’s actions

a. they despoiled him (i.e., kill him), Psa 17:9

b. they surrounded him, Psa 17:9 b,11a

c. they closed their heart (lit. their fat [BDB 316] they have closed [BDB 688, KB 742, Qal perfect], cf. LXX; fat is used in a negative sense of people in Psa 73:4; Psa 119:70)

d. they speak proudly against him

e. they set their eyes against him

f. they tear him like a lion, Psa 17:12

What a sharp contrast!

Psa 17:6

NASB, NKJVincline Your ear to me

TEV, NJB,

JPSOAturn your ear to me

This is a Hebrew idiom, which when used in prayers, asks YHWH to turn/bend (cf. 2Ki 19:16; Isa 37:17; Dan 9:18; Psa 31:2; Psa 71:2; Psa 86:1; Psa 88:2; Psa 102:2; Psa 116:2).

YHWH, though a non-corporal spiritual being, is described in human vocabulary. See the Special Topic: God Described as Human (anthropomorphism). Humans have no vocabulary but that related to this planet and their physicalness. Human vocabulary used of God or the spiritual realm is always figurative.

Psa 17:7 This verse has a series of powerful, emotive theological terms related to YHWH’s person and mercy.

1. wondrously show BDB 811, KB 930, Hiphil imperative (see related word BDB 810 in Psa 33:22, see Special Topic: Wonderful Things )

2. lovingkindness, YHWH’s hesed BDB 338 (see Special Topic: Lovingkindness ) which denotes His covenant loyalty and steadfast love

3. O Savior BDB 446, Hiphil participle, i.e., the one who saves, cf. Psa 106:7; Psa 106:21

4. refuge BDB 340, Qal participle, YHWH is a strong and mighty fortress for those who take refuge in Him, cf. Psa 5:11; Psa 18:2

at Your right hand This phrase can be understood in several senses.

1. the place close to YHWH where the needy seek refuge, cf. NASB, TEV

2. the means by which YHWH delivers the needy (i.e., His strong right hand, cf. NKJV, JPSOA, REB, see SPECIAL TOPIC: HAND )

3. the close association between the psalmist and his enemies (i.e., close associates, cf. NRSV)

Psa 17:9 the wicked It is hard to identify this group. It could refer to

1. covenant partners who, for their own purposes, attack the psalmist

2. covenant partners who knowingly violate YHWH’s covenant

3. the surrounding nations who ignorantly, blindly follow idols and not YHWH

Only the context of the Psalm and the individual strophe can help the identification. I am not sure the wicked realize they are such. Often they think they are serving God in their actions.

In this Psalm they seem to be wealthy, successful Israelites who see their possessions and children as a covenant sign of God’s approval.

Psa 17:11 They have now surrounded us The MT has the verb (BDB 685, KB 738) as singular but it is paralleled in the next line with a plural verb. So the Masoretic scholars put a marginal note (Qere) suggesting it be read as a plural (cf. NASB us in Psa 17:11, lines a and b).

I think the singular (MT) is best. This Psalm is an individual lament, but later came to be used liturgically for the whole community, which is so common in the Psalms.

NASB, NKJVour steps

NRSVthey track me down

NJBthey are advancing

The Hebrew of Psa 17:11 starts with our steps (BDB 81, feminine plural, ) but by a change of vowels, can become a verb, advance (BDB 80, ), which is in one Hebrew manuscript, cf. NRSV, NJB.

NASBto cast us to the ground

NKJVcrouching down to the earth

NRSVto cast me to the ground

TEVto pull me down

NJBhurl me to the ground

LXXto incline at the ground

PESHITTAto bury me in the ground

The verbal to cast (Qal infinitive construct) is literally the verb incline (BDB 639, KB 692) used in Psa 17:6, but here that translation does not fit the context. Remember words have meaning only in context! Poetry forces words to be used in unique ways.

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

hear = answer. See Structure, above.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Psa 17:6-9

Psa 17:6-9

“I have called upon thee, for thou wilt answer me, O God:

Incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.

Show thy marvelous lovingkindness,

O thou that savest by thy right hand them that take refuge in thee

From those that rise up against them.

Keep me as the apple of the eye;

Hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

From the wicked that oppress me,

My deadly enemies that compass me about.”

In these verses, David mentioned the fact that God would hear him, a truth established by countless times when God had indeed heard him (Psa 17:6), and he also mentioned God’s lovingkindness (Psa 17:7), indicating here that David’s appeal is premised and grounded, “Upon the Covenant Love of God who has time and again revealed himself as the Saviour of those who take refuge in him from their adversaries.”

“Apple of the eye … shadow of thy wings.” These figures appear in Deu 32:10-12; and Christ himself said, “How often would I have gathered thee unto myself as a hen gathereth her brood under her wings” (Luk 13:34). There is an unsurpassed beauty and tenderness in such expressions.

“My deadly enemies” (Psa 17:9). David’s enemies sought nothing less than the absolute destruction and death of the psalmist. God had called David to lead Israel, the Chosen People, in those times following the apostasy of King Saul; and David was fully conscious of the responsibility that rested upon him, feeding his confidence that God would indeed hear and protect him.

E.M. Zerr:

Psa 17:6. David always had faith in God and believed it would avail him much to pray toward the divine throne. He made another approach, therefore, and asked to be heard.

Psa 17:7. A person’s right hand would not be more able, physically, than his left in accomplishing a purpose. It is referred to figuratively, meaning the righteous power and method of the individual.

Psa 17:8. This verse is all figurative, apple meaning something that is very near of kin. If God would so regard David, he would certainly keep him from the harm intended by his enemies.

Psa 17:9. Deadly enemies were those who would destroy David had they the opportunity. He prayed for God to keep him from the grasp of such foes. They were round and about him constantly and hence the protection of the Lord was always needed.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

I have: Psa 55:16, Psa 66:19, Psa 66:20, Psa 116:2

incline: Psa 13:3, Psa 13:4, Isa 37:17, Isa 37:20, Dan 9:17-19

Reciprocal: Psa 71:2 – incline Dan 9:18 – incline

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Psa 17:6. I have called upon thee It hath been, still is, and shall be, my constant course, to apply myself to thee for assistance and deliverance. For thou wilt hear, O God Though thou mayest delay for a season, I am well assured that thou wilt hear and answer me.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

17:6 I have called upon thee, {f} for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, [and hear] my speech.

(f) He was assured that God would not refuse his request.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

2. The petition for protection 17:6-12

David asked God to keep him from the wicked in the world who are vicious and proud.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

The psalmist based his request on God’s loyal love for him as seen in His deliverance of those who take refuge in Him. He called on God to deliver him immediately.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)