Psalms — Chapter 5

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1For the choirmaster, to be accompanied by flutes. A Psalm of David. Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning.

2Attend to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I pray.

3In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice; at daybreak I lay my plea before You and wait in expectation.

4For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; no evil can dwell with You.

5The boastful cannot stand in Your presence; You hate all workers of iniquity.

6You destroy those who tell lies; the LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.

7But I will enter Your house by the abundance of Your loving devotion; in reverence I will bow down toward Your holy temple.

8Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make straight Your way before me.

9For not a word they speak can be trusted; destruction lies within them. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.

10Declare them guilty, O God; let them fall by their own devices. Drive them out for their many transgressions, for they have rebelled against You.

11But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever shout for joy. May You shelter them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.

12For surely You, O LORD, bless the righteous; You surround them with the shield of Your favor.

1Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.

2Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.

3My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

4For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.

5The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

6Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

7But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.

8Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.

9For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.

10Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.

11But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

12For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

1Give ear to my words, O Jehovah, Consider my meditation.

2Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God; For unto thee do I pray.

3O Jehovah, in the morning shalt thou hear my voice; In the morning will I order [my prayer] unto thee, and will keep watch.

4For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: Evil shall not sojourn with thee.

5The arrogant shall not stand in thy sight: Thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

6Thou wilt destroy them that speak lies: Jehovah abhorreth the blood-thirsty and deceitful man.

7But as for me, in the abundance of thy lovingkindness will I come into thy house: In thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.

8Lead me, O Jehovah, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; Make thy way straight before my face.

9For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; Their inward part is very wickedness; Their throat is an open sepulchre; They flatter with their tongue.

10Hold them guilty, O God; Let them fall by their own counsels; Thrust them out in the multitude of their transgressions; For they have rebelled against thee.

11But let all those that take refuge in thee rejoice, Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

12For thou wilt bless the righteous; O Jehovah, thou wilt compass him with favor as with a shield. Psalm 6 For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments, set to the Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

1For the music director, to be accompanied by wind instruments; a psalm of David. Listen to what I say, Lord! Carefully consider my complaint!

2Pay attention to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I am praying to you!

3Lord, in the morning you will hear me; in the morning I will present my case to you and then wait expectantly for an answer.

4Certainly you are not a God who approves of evil; evil people cannot dwell with you.

5Arrogant people cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who behave wickedly.

6You destroy liars; the Lord despises violent and deceitful people.

7But as for me, because of your great faithfulness I will enter your house; I will bow down toward your holy temple as I worship you.

8Lord, lead me in your righteousness because of those who wait to ambush me, remove the obstacles in the way in which you are guiding me.

9For they do not speak the truth; their stomachs are like the place of destruction, their throats like an open grave, their tongues like a steep slope leading into it.

10Condemn them, O God! May their own schemes be their downfall. Drive them away because of their many acts of insurrection, for they have rebelled against you.

11But may all who take shelter in you be happy. May they continually shout for joy. Shelter them so that those who are loyal to you may rejoice.

12Certainly you reward the godly, Lord. Like a shield you protect them in your good favor.

1Give ear to my words, Yahweh. Consider my meditation.

2Listen to the voice of my cry, my King and my God; for to you do I pray.

3Yahweh, in the morning you shall hear my voice. In the morning I will lay my requests before you, and will watch expectantly.

4For you are not a God who has pleasure in wickedness. Evil can’t live with you.

5The arrogant shall not stand in your sight. You hate all workers of iniquity.

6You will destroy those who speak lies. Yahweh abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

7But as for me, in the abundance of your loving kindness I will come into your house. I will bow toward your holy temple in reverence of you.

8Lead me, Yahweh, in your righteousness because of my enemies. Make your way straight before my face.

9For there is no faithfulness in their mouth. Their heart is destruction. Their throat is an open tomb. They flatter with their tongue.

10Hold them guilty, God. Let them fall by their own counsels; Thrust them out in the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against you.

11But let all those who take refuge in you rejoice, Let them always shout for joy, because you defend them. Let them also who love your name be joyful in you.

12For you will bless the righteous. Yahweh, you will surround him with favor as with a shield.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

A morning prayer for help against enemies. David asks God to hear his cry and consider his words as he lays his requests before him at daybreak (vv. 1-3), noting that God takes no pleasure in wickedness and that the arrogant cannot stand in his presence (vv. 4-6). In contrast, David will enter God's house through his abundant mercy and worship with reverence (v. 7), asking to be led in righteousness because of his enemies' deceit and corruption (vv. 8-9). He prays for their downfall because of their rebellion (v. 10), then closes with confidence that those who take refuge in the LORD will rejoice, and that he blesses and shields the righteous (vv. 11-12).

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 / Morning Prayer
Attributed Author: David — "To the chief Musician upon Nehiloth, A Psalm of David"
Key Themes: Morning prayer, God's holiness vs. wickedness, deceitful enemies, worship in reverence, divine protection as shield and favor
Historical Context: This is a morning prayer psalm (v.3), forming a liturgical sequence with Psalms 3 (morning) and 4 (evening). "Nehiloth" likely refers to flute instruments. David faces enemies characterized not by physical violence but by speech — flattery, lies, and deceit. The psalm contrasts two approaches to God: the wicked who cannot stand in His presence, and the righteous who enter through mercy. David does not claim personal merit but "the multitude of thy mercy" (v.7) as his access to worship. The psalm anticipates Paul's quotation of v.9 in Romans 3:13 as evidence of universal human depravity.
In the Morning Will I Direct My Prayer (vv.1-3): Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. The time of day is stated twice, my voice shalt thou hear in the morning, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and the verb direct is the one used of laying out a sacrifice on the altar, so the morning prayer is being described as the morning offering. And the last clause is about expectation rather than petition, and will look up.
Thou Hatest All Workers of Iniquity (vv.4-6): For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with thee. The language is stronger than most readers expect from a psalm, thou hatest all workers of iniquity, thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing. What the passage is doing is establishing that the singer's case rests on God's character rather than on his own standing, which is why it comes before the request.
I Will Come into Thy House (vv.7-8): But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy. The contrast with the previous section turns on the ground of access, which is named as mercy rather than merit, and the posture is specified, and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. Then the petition, lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness, make thy way straight before my face.
There Is No Faithfulness in Their Mouth (vv.9-10): For there is no faithfulness in their mouth, their inward part is very wickedness, their throat is an open sepulchre, they flatter with their tongue. Paul quotes the open sepulchre in Romans 3:13 in his chain of texts on universal guilt. And the petition against them is put as a request for consistency, cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against thee, so the offence named is against God rather than against the singer.
Let All Those That Put Their Trust in Thee Rejoice (vv.11-12): But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice, let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them. The psalm closes by widening from the individual to a category, and the last image is military equipment used as weather, for thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous, with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. The shield surrounds rather than being carried.

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

The Shield of God’s Favor - Psalm 5:11-12
David Guzik

Psalm 5 | Their Throat is an Open Grave | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalm 5 - A Morning Prayer
David Guzik

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

  • An Intentional Morning Prayer (v.3) — David directs his prayer to God at daybreak and then watches expectantly for an answer. Does your day begin with deliberate prayer, or do you drift into it without seeking God first?
  • Approaching God Through Mercy, Not Merit (v.7) — David enters God's house not because he has earned it but because of God's abundant mercy. Are you trying to approach God on your own performance instead of resting in His mercy?
  • Deceptive Speech Reveals the Heart (v.9) — David describes enemies whose flattering words hide destructive hearts. Where do you need to guard against smooth words, whether spoken to you or by you?
  • Joy for Those Who Take Refuge (v.11) — The psalm turns from describing danger to celebrating the gladness of those who trust in God. Is your default posture toward hardship refuge in God, or anxious self-reliance?
  • Surrounded by Favor (v.12) — David pictures God's blessing as a shield that covers him completely, not partially. Do you experience God's protection as a full covering, or only in the areas you remember to ask about?