Psalms — Chapter 28
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1Of David. To You, O LORD, I call; be not deaf to me, O my Rock. For if You remain silent, I will be like those descending to the Pit.
2Hear my cry for mercy when I call to You for help, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.
3Do not drag me away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors while malice is in their hearts.
4Repay them according to their deeds and for their works of evil. Repay them for what their hands have done; bring back on them what they deserve.
5Since they show no regard for the works of the LORD or what His hands have done, He will tear them down and never rebuild them.
6Blessed be the LORD, for He has heard my cry for mercy.
7The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I give thanks to Him with my song.
8The LORD is the strength of His people, a stronghold of salvation for His anointed.
9Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; shepherd them and carry them forever.
1Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
2Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.
3Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.
4Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.
5Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.
6Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
7The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
8The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
9Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.
1Unto thee, O Jehovah, will I call: My rock, be not thou deaf unto me; Lest, if thou be silent unto me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
2Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, When I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.
3Draw me not away with the wicked, And with the workers of iniquity; That speak peace with their neighbors, But mischief is in their hearts.
4Give them according to their work, and according to the wickedness of their doings: Give them after the operation of their hands; Render to them their desert.
5Because they regard not the works of Jehovah, Nor the operation of his hands, He will break them down and not build them up.
6Blessed be Jehovah, Because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
7Jehovah is my strength and my shield; My heart hath trusted in him, and I am helped: Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; And with my song will I praise him.
8Jehovah is their strength, And he is a stronghold of salvation to his anointed.
9Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: Be their shepherd also, and bear them up for ever. Psalm 29 A Psalm of David.
1By David. To you, O Lord, I cry out! My Protector, do not ignore me. If you do not respond to me, I will join those who are descending into the grave.
2Hear my plea for mercy when I cry out to you for help, when I lift my hands toward your holy temple.
3Do not drag me away with evil men, with those who behave wickedly, who talk so friendly to their neighbors, while they plan to harm them.
4Pay them back for their evil deeds. Pay them back for what they do. Punish them.
5For they do not understand the Lord’s actions, or the way he carries out justice. The Lord will permanently demolish them.
6The Lord deserves praise, for he has heard my plea for mercy.
7The Lord strengthens and protects me; I trust in him with all my heart. I am rescued and my heart is full of joy; I will sing to him in gratitude.
8The Lord strengthens his people; he protects and delivers his chosen king.
9Deliver your people. Empower the nation that belongs to you. Care for them like a shepherd and carry them in your arms at all times!
1To you, Yahweh, I call. My rock, don’t be deaf to me; lest, if you are silent to me, I would become like those who go down into the pit.
2Hear the voice of my petitions, when I cry to you, when I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.
3Don’t draw me away with the wicked, with the workers of iniquity who speak peace with their neighbors, but mischief is in their hearts.
4Give them according to their work, and according to the wickedness of their doings. Give them according to the operation of their hands. Bring back on them what they deserve.
5Because they don’t respect the works of Yahweh, nor the operation of his hands, he will break them down and not build them up.
6Blessed be Yahweh, because he has heard the voice of my petitions.
7Yahweh is my strength and my shield. My heart has trusted in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoices. With my song I will thank him.
8Yahweh is their strength. He is a stronghold of salvation to his anointed.
9Save your people, and bless your inheritance. Be their shepherd also, and bear them up forever.
Summary
A lament that turns into praise. David cries out to God as his rock, fearing that silence from God would leave him no different than the dead, and lifts his hands toward the sanctuary (vv. 1-2). He asks not to be dragged away with the wicked, whose friendly words mask malice, and asks God to repay them according to their deeds since they disregard his works (vv. 3-5). The tone shifts abruptly as David blesses the LORD for hearing his plea for mercy, calling him his strength and shield in whom his heart trusts, so that he is helped and his heart leaps for joy (vv. 6-7). The psalm closes asking God to save his people and shepherd them as their inheritance forever (vv. 8-9).
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
- God's Silence Feels Like Death (v.1) — David fears that if God does not answer, he will become like those who go down to the grave. When God feels silent, do you keep crying out, or do you go quiet too?
- Beware Peaceful Words With Harmful Hearts (v.3) — David warns of people who speak kindly to their neighbors while planning mischief. Are you discerning enough to notice when someone's words do not match their intentions?
- From Trust to Joy to Praise (v.7) — David describes a sequence that begins with trust and ends in praise once God proves to be his strength. Does your trust in God consistently lead you toward joy and praise, or does it stall out along the way?
- Praying Beyond Yourself (v.9) — David moves from his personal crisis to interceding for God's people as a whole. Does your prayer life expand outward to others once your own need has been met?