Psalms — Chapter 141

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1A Psalm of David. I call upon You, O LORD; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to You.

2May my prayer be set before You like incense; my uplifted hands, like the evening offering.

3Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.

4Do not let my heart be drawn to any evil thing or take part in works of wickedness with men who do iniquity; let me not feast on their delicacies.

5Let the righteous man strike me; let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion. It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. For my prayer is ever against the deeds of the wicked.

6When their rulers are thrown down from the cliffs, the people will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.

7As when one plows and breaks up the soil, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

8But my eyes are fixed on You, O GOD the Lord. In You I seek refuge; do not leave my soul defenseless.

9Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, and from the lures of evildoers.

10Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.

1LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.

2Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

3Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

4Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.

5Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.

6When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.

7Our bones are scattered at the grave’s mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.

8But mine eyes are unto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.

9Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.

10Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.

1Jehovah, I have called upon thee; make haste unto me: Give ear unto my voice, when I call unto thee.

2Let my prayer be set forth as incense before thee; The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

3Set a watch, O Jehovah, before my mouth; Keep the door of my lips.

4Incline not my heart to any evil thing, To practise deeds of wickedness With men that work iniquity: And let me not eat of their dainties.

5Let the righteous smite me, [it shall be] a kindness; And let him reprove me, [it shall be as] oil upon the head; Let not my head refuse it: For even in their wickedness shall my prayer continue.

6Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock; And they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.

7As when one ploweth and cleaveth the earth, Our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

8For mine eyes are unto thee, O Jehovah the Lord: In thee do I take refuge; leave not my soul destitute.

9Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me, And from the gins of the workers of iniquity.

10Let the wicked fall into their own nets, Whilst that I withal escape. Psalm 142 Maschil of David, when he was in the cave; a Prayer.

1A psalm of David. O Lord, I cry out to you. Come quickly to me. Pay attention to me when I cry out to you.

2May you accept my prayer like incense, my uplifted hands like the evening offering.

3O Lord, place a guard on my mouth. Protect the opening of my lips.

4Do not let me have evil desires or participate in sinful activities with men who behave wickedly. I will not eat their delicacies.

5May the godly strike me in love and correct me. May my head not refuse choice oil. Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds.

6They will be thrown over the side of a cliff by their judges. They will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.

7As when one plows and breaks up the soil, so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

8Surely I am looking to you, O Sovereign Lord. In you I take shelter. Do not expose me to danger.

9Protect me from the snare they have laid for me and the traps the evildoers have set.

10Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I escape.

1Yahweh, I have called on you. Come to me quickly! Listen to my voice when I call to you.

2Let my prayer be set before you like incense; the lifting up of my hands like the evening sacrifice.

3Set a watch, Yahweh, before my mouth. Keep the door of my lips.

4Don’t incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice deeds of wickedness with men who work iniquity. Don’t let me eat of their delicacies.

5Let the righteous strike me, it is kindness; let him reprove me, it is like oil on the head; don’t let my head refuse it; Yet my prayer is always against evil deeds.

6Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock. They will hear my words, for they are well spoken.

7“As when one plows and breaks up the earth, our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.”

8For my eyes are on you, Yahweh, the Lord. In you, I take refuge. Don’t leave my soul destitute.

9Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me, from the traps of the workers of iniquity.

10Let the wicked fall together into their own nets, while I pass by.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

David asks the LORD to hear him quickly and to receive his prayer like incense and his lifted hands like an evening offering (vv. 1-2). He asks God to guard his mouth and keep him from being drawn toward evil or the delicacies of wrongdoers (vv. 3-4). He welcomes correction from the righteous as a kindness rather than an injury, even while facing his enemies' schemes (vv. 5-7). David keeps his eyes fixed on the LORD as his refuge, asking to be kept from the snares laid for him and praying that the wicked would fall into their own nets while he escapes (vv. 8-10).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Individual Lament / Evening Prayer
Attributed Author: David (superscription: "A Psalm of David")
Key Themes: Prayer as incense, guarding the mouth, welcoming righteous correction, refusing the enticements of the wicked, evening worship
Historical Context: Psalm 141 is David's evening prayer (paired with Psalm 5, his morning prayer). The imagery of prayer rising like incense and lifted hands like the evening sacrifice (v.2) has made this one of the most important psalms in Christian liturgy for vespers (evening worship). The psalm reveals David's awareness of two dangers: (1) his own tongue needing a guard (v.3), and (2) the temptation to join the wicked (v.4). He asks for both external protection and internal discipline.
Let My Prayer Be Set Forth as Incense (vv.1-2): LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me. The urgency is in the second clause and the psalm never quite loses it. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. The comparison is to the daily offering at dusk, which is why this has been the evening psalm of the Church since at least the fourth century, and it makes a claim worth noticing: private prayer is offered as the equivalent of the temple ritual, by someone who is not at the temple.
Keep the Door of My Lips (vv.3-4): Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Most laments ask for protection from other people's speech; this one asks for protection from its own, and the images are of a sentry and a gate. Incline not my heart to any evil thing. Then a request about company and appetite together, let me not eat of their dainties, since sharing a table was the ordinary way of joining a faction.
Let the Righteous Smite Me (v.5): Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head. The verse asks for correction and calls a blow from the right person a favor, setting it against the dainties of the previous verse: bad company feeds you and a friend hits you. Oil that does not break the head is anointing rather than injury, and Proverbs 27:6 makes the same comparison.
Let the Wicked Fall into Their Own Nets (vv.6-10): When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet. Verses 6 and 7 are among the most obscure in the psalter and no confident translation exists; our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth is a literal rendering of a text whose subject and situation are both unclear, and any smooth version of it has been guessed at. What is plain is where the psalm goes next, but mine eyes are unto thee, O GOD the Lord. Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity, which is the vocabulary of Psalm 140. And the last line asks only for the traps to work the other way, let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Psalm 141 - No Compromise
David Guzik

Psalm 141 | Lives as Offerings | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Prayer as an Offering (vv.1-2) — David asks that his urgent prayer rise before God like incense and his lifted hands be received like an evening sacrifice. Do you treat your prayers as something valuable being offered to God, or as a last resort when nothing else works?
  • Asking God to Guard Your Mouth (vv.3-4) — David prays specifically for a watch over his lips and for his heart not to be drawn toward evil, however tempting it looks. What specific words or temptations do you need to ask God to guard before they slip out or pull you in?
  • Welcoming Correction as a Kindness (v.5) — David says a righteous rebuke should be received like oil on the head, something to be welcomed rather than resented. When someone corrects you in love, is your first reaction defensiveness or gratitude?
  • Trusting God While Surrounded by Danger (vv.6-10) — Even while describing real threats around him, David keeps his eyes fixed on the Lord as his refuge. When you're surrounded by real trouble, does your attention stay fixed on God, or does it get pulled entirely toward the threat?