Psalm 17

Psalm 17 is the 17th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry". In the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, it is psalm 16 in a slightly different numbering system, "Exaudi Domine iustitiam meam".[1] Its authorship is traditionally assigned to King David.

This article is about Psalm 17 in Hebrew (Masoretic) numbering. For Psalm 17 in Greek Septuagint or Latin Vulgate numbering, see Psalm 18.
"Ps 17" redirects here. Not to be confused with Public School 17.
Psalm 17
"Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry"
Verse 15 at the Michaelerkirche in Vienna
Other name
  • Psalm 16
  • Exaudi Domine iustitiam meam
LanguageHebrew (original)
Psalm 17
BookBook of Psalms
Hebrew Bible partKetuvim
Order in the Hebrew part1
CategorySifrei Emet
Christian Bible partOld Testament
Order in the Christian part19

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies.

Text

Hebrew Bible version

The following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 17:[2]

Verse Hebrew
1 :תְּפִלָּה, לְדָוִד

.שִׁמְעָה יְהוָה, צֶדֶק-- הַקְשִׁיבָה רִנָּתִי, הַאֲזִינָה תְפִלָּתִי; בְּלֹא, שִׂפְתֵי מִרְמָה

2 .מִלְּפָנֶיךָ, מִשְׁפָּטִי יֵצֵא; עֵינֶיךָ, תֶּחֱזֶינָה מֵישָׁרִים
3 ;בָּחַנְתָּ לִבִּי, פָּקַדְתָּ לַּיְלָה-- צְרַפְתַּנִי בַל-תִּמְצָא

.זַמֹּתִי, בַּל-יַעֲבָר-פִּי

4 .לִפְעֻלּוֹת אָדָם, בִּדְבַר שְׂפָתֶיךָ-- אֲנִי שָׁמַרְתִּי, אָרְחוֹת פָּרִיץ
5 .תָּמֹךְ אֲשֻׁרַי, בְּמַעְגְּלוֹתֶיךָ; בַּל-נָמוֹטּוּ פְעָמָי
6 .אֲנִי-קְרָאתִיךָ כִי-תַעֲנֵנִי אֵל; הַט-אָזְנְךָ לִי, שְׁמַע אִמְרָתִי
7 .הַפְלֵה חֲסָדֶיךָ, מוֹשִׁיעַ חוֹסִים-- מִמִּתְקוֹמְמִים, בִּימִינֶךָ
8 .שָׁמְרֵנִי, כְּאִישׁוֹן בַּת-עָיִן; בְּצֵל כְּנָפֶיךָ, תַּסְתִּירֵנִי
9 .מִפְּנֵי רְשָׁעִים, זוּ שַׁדּוּנִי; אֹיְבַי בְּנֶפֶשׁ, יַקִּיפוּ עָלָי
10 .חֶלְבָּמוֹ סָּגְרוּ; פִּימוֹ, דִּבְּרוּ בְגֵאוּת
11 .אַשֻּׁרֵינוּ, עַתָּה סבבוני (סְבָבוּנוּ); עֵינֵיהֶם יָשִׁיתוּ, לִנְטוֹת בָּאָרֶץ
12 .דִּמְיֹנוֹ--כְּאַרְיֵה, יִכְסוֹף לִטְרֹף; וְכִכְפִיר, יֹשֵׁב בְּמִסְתָּרִים
13 ;קוּמָה יְהוָה-- קַדְּמָה פָנָיו, הַכְרִיעֵהוּ

.פַּלְּטָה נַפְשִׁי, מֵרָשָׁע חַרְבֶּךָ

14 :מִמְתִים יָדְךָ יְהוָה, מִמְתִים מֵחֶלֶד--

חֶלְקָם בַּחַיִּים, וצפינך (וּצְפוּנְךָ) תְּמַלֵּא בִטְנָם .יִשְׂבְּעוּ בָנִים-- וְהִנִּיחוּ יִתְרָם, לְעוֹלְלֵיהֶם

15 .אֲנִי--בְּצֶדֶק, אֶחֱזֶה פָנֶיךָ; אֶשְׂבְּעָה בְהָקִיץ, תְּמוּנָתֶךָ

King James Version
  1. Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.
  2. Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal.
  3. Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
  4. Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.
  5. Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
  6. I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.
  7. Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.
  8. Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
  9. From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.
  10. They are inclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly.
  11. They have now compassed us in our steps: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth;
  12. Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.
  13. Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:
  14. From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.
  15. As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

Commentator C. S. Rodd notes that the text is uncertain in a number of places, making the exact meaning doubtful,[3] for example in verses 3, 4 and 14.[4]

Analysis

Charles and Emilie Briggs summarize this psalm as follows: "Psalm 17 is a prayer for divine interposition on behalf of the righteous (v. 1-7). The psalmist has been tested by God in mind and conduct and approved (v. 3-4a); he has kept the divine ways and avoided wicked deeds (v. 4b-5), therefore he invokes God with confidence (v. 6a). He prays again that his Saviour may show kindness and keep him as the pupil of the eye (v. 6b-8a); that he may be sheltered from his greedy and arrogant enemies (v. 8b-10), who surround him to prey upon him (v. 11-12). Again he prays for divine interposition and deliverance by the slaying of the wicked (v. 13-14a); that penalty may be visited on them to the third generation, but that he himself may enjoy the divine presence (v. 14b-15)."[5]

The Briggs believe Psalm 17 to have been written in the Persian period, after Zerubbabel but before Ezra's reforms, possibly by the same author as Psalm 16.[6] Rodd suggests that the context could possibly be a declaration on innocence made before the supreme temple tribunal in accordance with the directive on difficult cases in Deuteronomy 17:8–13.[3]

Uses

Judaism

Christianity

Musical settings

Heinrich Schütz set Psalm 17 in a metred version in German, "Herr Gott, erhör die Grechtigkeit", SWV 113, as part of the Becker Psalter. Willy Burkhard composed in 1937 a setting for unison voices and organ, as his opus 49.The Irish hymn "mo ghrá Thu" is based on Psalm 17 [11]

References
  1. "Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 16". Archived from the original on 2017-09-30. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  2. "Psalms Chapter 17 תְּהִלִּים". mechon-mamre.org. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  3. Rodd, C. S., 18. Psalms in Barton, J. and Muddiman, J. (2001), The Oxford Bible Commentary, p. 372
  4. Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc. (1970), Footnote a to Psalm 17 in the New American Bible Revised Edition
  5. Charles Augustus Briggs; Emilie Grace Briggs (1960) [1906]. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms. International Critical Commentary. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T & T Clark. p. 127.
  6. Charles Augustus Briggs; Emilie Grace Briggs (1960) [1906]. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms. International Critical Commentary. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T & T Clark. p. 112.
  7. The Complete Artscroll Machzor for Rosh Hashanah, page 349
  8. The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 293
  9. "Night Prayer (Compline)". The Church of England. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  10. Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, pp. 196ff

11^https://www.lyricsondemand.com/a/aoifenifhearraighlyrics/moghrthsalm17lyrics.html

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