Psalms — Chapter 27
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1Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?
2When the wicked came upon me to devour my flesh, my enemies and foes stumbled and fell.
3Though an army encamps around me, my heart will not fear; though a war breaks out against me, I will keep my trust.
4One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple.
5For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will set me high upon a rock.
6Then my head will be held high above my enemies around me. At His tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.
7Hear, O LORD, my voice when I call; be merciful and answer me.
8My heart said, “Seek His face.” Your face, O LORD, I will seek.
9Hide not Your face from me, nor turn away Your servant in anger. You have been my helper; do not leave me or forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.
11Teach me Your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path, because of my oppressors.
12Do not hand me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.
13Still I am certain to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
14Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!
1The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
4One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
5For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
6And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.
7Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.
9Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.
11Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
12Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
13I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
14Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
1Jehovah is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? Jehovah is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
2When evil-doers came upon me to eat up my flesh, [Even] mine adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.
3Though a host should encamp against me, My heart shall not fear: Though war should rise against me, Even then will I be confident.
4One thing have I asked of Jehovah, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of Jehovah, And to inquire in his temple.
5For in the day of trouble he will keep me secretly in his pavilion: In the covert of his tabernacle will he hide me; He will lift me up upon a rock.
6And now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me. And I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto Jehovah.
7Hear, O Jehovah, when I cry with my voice: Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8[When thou saidst], Seek ye my face; My heart said unto thee, Thy face, Jehovah, will I seek.
9Hide not thy face from me; Put not thy servant away in anger: Thou hast been my help; Cast me not off, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10When my father and my mother forsake me, Then Jehovah will take me up.
11Teach me thy way, O Jehovah; And lead me in a plain path, Because of mine enemies.
12Deliver me not over unto the will of mine adversaries: For false witnesses are risen up against me, And such as breathe out cruelty.
13[I had fainted], unless I had believed to see the goodness of Jehovah In the land of the living.
14Wait for Jehovah: Be strong, and let thy heart take courage; Yea, wait thou for Jehovah. Psalm 28 [A Psalm] of David.
1By David. The Lord is my light and my salvation. I fear no one. The Lord protects my life. I am afraid of no one.
2When evil men attack me to devour my flesh, when my adversaries and enemies attack me, they stumble and fall.
3Even when an army is deployed against me, I do not fear. Even when war is imminent, I remain confident.
4I have asked the Lord for one thing— this is what I desire! I want to live in the Lord’s house all the days of my life, so I can gaze at the splendor of the Lord and contemplate in his temple.
5He will surely give me shelter in the day of danger; he will hide me in his home. He will place me on an inaccessible rocky summit.
6Now I will triumph over my enemies who surround me. I will offer sacrifices in his dwelling place and shout for joy. I will sing praises to the Lord.
7Hear me, O Lord, when I cry out. Have mercy on me and answer me.
8My heart tells me to pray to you, and I do pray to you, O Lord.
9Do not reject me. Do not push your servant away in anger. You are my deliverer. Do not forsake or abandon me, O God who vindicates me.
10Even if my father and mother abandoned me, the Lord would take me in.
11Teach me how you want me to live, Lord; lead me along a level path because of those who wait to ambush me.
12Do not turn me over to my enemies, for false witnesses who want to destroy me testify against me.
13Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience the Lord’s favor in the land of the living?
14Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!
1Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?
2When evildoers came at me to eat up my flesh, even my adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.
3Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war should rise against me, even then I will be confident.
4One thing I have asked of Yahweh, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in Yahweh’s house all the days of my life, to see Yahweh’s beauty, and to inquire in his temple.
5For in the day of trouble, he will keep me secretly in his pavilion. In the secret place of his tabernacle, he will hide me. He will lift me up on a rock.
6Now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me; I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tent. I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to Yahweh.
7Hear, Yahweh, when I cry with my voice. Have mercy also on me, and answer me.
8When you said, “Seek my face,” my heart said to you, “I will seek your face, Yahweh.”
9Don’t hide your face from me. Don’t put your servant away in anger. You have been my help. Don’t abandon me, neither forsake me, God of my salvation.
10When my father and my mother forsake me, then Yahweh will take me up.
11Teach me your way, Yahweh. Lead me in a straight path, because of my enemies.
12Don’t deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen up against me, such as breathe out cruelty.
13I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of Yahweh in the land of the living.
14Wait for Yahweh. Be strong, and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for Yahweh.
Summary
A psalm of trust and longing for God's presence. David declares that with the LORD as his light and salvation he has nothing to fear, even if an army surrounds him or war breaks out (vv. 1-3). His single request is to dwell in God's house all his days, gazing on his beauty and seeking him in his temple, confident that God will shelter him and set him safely on a rock in times of trouble (vv. 4-5). He anticipates offering sacrifices with shouts of joy (v. 6), then pleads for God to hear him, not hide his face, and not abandon him even if his own parents were to forsake him (vv. 7-10). He asks to be taught God's way and protected from his adversaries, closing with the encouragement to wait for the LORD and take heart (vv. 11-14).
Authorship & Background
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
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
- Fear Loses Its Grip When God Is Your Light (v.1) — David reasons that if the LORD is his light and salvation, there is nothing left to legitimately fear. When fear grips you, have you reminded yourself of exactly who God is to you?
- Reducing Life to One Thing (v.4) — Despite many needs and enemies, David names a single dominant desire: to dwell in God's presence. If you had to name the one thing you most want from God, what would it be?
- God Receives the Abandoned (v.10) — David trusts that even if his own parents forsook him, the LORD would take him in. Is there a relational wound where you need to trust that God will not abandon you the way people have?
- Expecting Goodness in This Life (v.13) — David believes he will see God's goodness in the land of the living, not only after death. Are you looking for evidence of God's goodness now, or only hoping for it someday?
- Waiting, Reinforced by Repetition (v.14) — The command to wait on the LORD is repeated, acknowledging how hard waiting actually is. What are you currently waiting on God for, and are you strengthening your heart while you wait?