FOR THE DIRECTOR of music. For flutes. A psalm of David.
1Give ear to my words, O LORD,
consider my sighing.
2Listen to my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
3In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.
4You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil;
with you the wicked cannot dwell.
5The arrogant cannot stand in your presence;
you hate all who do wrong.
6You destroy those who tell lies;
bloodthirsty and deceitful men
the LORD abhors.
7But I, by your great mercy,
will come into your house;
in reverence will I bow down
toward your holy temple.
8Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies—
make straight your way before me.
9Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with destruction.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongue they speak deceit.
10Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
11But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
12For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
Original Meaning
THIS PSALM IS another plea for deliverance—perhaps a morning prayer (v. 3)—grounded in the psalmist’s unshakable confidence in the nature of God (esp. vv. 4, 12) and characterized by a series of studied contrasts between those who take refuge in Yahweh (with whom the psalmist identifies) and those who oppose the psalmist and God. Following the opening plea (vv. 1–3) and the thematic characterization of God as opposing evil (v. 4), the psalm is divided into four, two-verse stanzas alternating in their focus between the rebellious wicked (vv. 5–6, 9–10) and the hopeful righteous (vv. 7–8, 11–12). The psalmist concludes with confident hope for blessing and protection (v. 12).
The Heading (5:0)
ONCE AGAIN THE psalm is attributed to David with no further attempt to clarify the context of composition. Some note the psalmist’s reference to the temple (v. 7) as an impediment to Davidic authorship of the psalm. The only new term introduced in the heading is the phrase ʾel hanneḥilot, which some take as description of a tune for accompanying the psalm (having to do with “the inheritance”), but which most commentators relate to the type of musical instrument to be used (usually “flutes”).
Opening Plea (5:1–3)
THE PSALMIST BEGINS with a trio of imperatives in synonymously parallel phrases directing God’s attention to the psalmist’s “words” (ʾamaray), “sighing” (hagigi), and “cry for help” (qol šawʿi). The second of these nouns is part of a constellation of Hebrew words based on the root hgh. The basic sense of this root seems to be quiet murmuring or whispering to oneself or others that can be heard but not understood by those around. The murmuring is most often positive (as in meditation on the things of God, cf. Pss. 1:2; 35:28; 63:6; 71:24; 77:12; 143:5), but on occasion it can be construed negatively (the plotting of enemies, cf. 2:1; 38:12; the inability of idols to utter speech, cf. 115:7). Here in 5:1 and in 39:3, the only other occurrence of this particular noun from the common root, the word emphasizes the inward nature of the psalmist’s murmuring prayer for deliverance. He calls on God to hear not only the clearly articulated and verbalized pleas but also to attend even to the inarticulate murmuring of an agonized soul.
The verbs used in this initial parallel construction support this interpretation. The first imperative calls God to “give ear” to the psalmist’s spoken plea; the second requires God to “consider” or “perceive” what is not clearly spoken but remains trapped in the psalmist’s heart; the final one demands that God carefully “listen” or pay attention to the psalmist’s utterance, whether internally or externally expressed. Note that it is only in the third parallel phrase that the true nature of the psalmist’s speech is made clear to be a “loud cry for help” (qol šawʿi) rather than any other form of quiet meditation or reflection.
My King and my God. Immediately following the third parallel phrase of pleading, the psalmist introduces the first reference in the Psalter to Yahweh as “king.” The Hebrew term melek was regularly used by Semitic-speaking peoples throughout the ancient Near East for the human monarch or ruler. In Psalm 2:2, the plural of melek refers to the “kings of the earth” who oppose Yahweh and his Anointed One. In 2:6, Yahweh terrifies his opponents by declaring, “I have installed my King [melek] on Zion,” a clear reference to the divine authorization of the Davidic dynasty of Israelite kings. The word continues to appear throughout the Psalter with similar reference to foreign kings and the kings of Israel.
Our psalm, however, introduces a significant theme of the Hebrew Psalter: the recognition that Yahweh is both “God” and “king” of the psalmist individually and of Israel corporately.1 Human monarchy assumed an important role in the history of Israel. The kings—in particular, David and Solomon—were viewed as providing needed order and stability for life, along with protection and security from foreign powers. Israel’s appreciation of kingship and its benefits was always balanced, however, by a modicum of healthy skepticism. The abuses of royal power and position encountered during Israel’s historical experience of monarchy are described in 1 Samuel 8:11–18 and proscribed in the Deuteronomic law.2
Many psalms, beginning with this one, recognize the limited nature of human kingship and acknowledge that only Yahweh deserves to be honored as eternal king, just in all his ways.3 Yahweh’s trustworthy kingship is the foundation on which the psalmist’s cry for help is based.
In the morning. Perhaps the double reference in this verse to “morning” indicates that this psalm was intended to accompany the morning sacrifice.4 It is not clear that this is the intent, however; perhaps the reference to morning is a sign of the earnestness of the psalmist, who rises early to entreat Yahweh for deliverance. The psalmist waits “in expectation,” being confident that God will respond positively.
The Character of God (5:4–6)
THE PSALMIST FINDS the grounds of confidence to approach Yahweh in the very character of God himself. These two verses emphasize God’s absolute rejection of evil and those who commit evil acts and initiate the alternating attention to the wicked and then the righteous that structures the psalm.
You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil. The psalmist begins with a phrase that describes the essential nature of Yahweh from which human consequences flow: God is incompatible with evil. Where God is, evil cannot coexist. For this reason it is best to take the second phrase of verse 4 as “evil cannot even visit with you.” The Hebrew verb here translated “visit” (gwr; NIV “dwell”) emphasizes the most tentative and impermanent of visitations. In contrast to the Hebrew yšb (more normally translated “take up residence, dwell”), gwr is often translated “sojourn” and is used throughout the Old Testament to describe temporary, nomadic camping in tents, with an emphasis on impermanence. One who resides in the sense of gwr is a temporary alien passing through rather than a permanent resident.5 The psalmist’s point is that God is so incompatible with evil that even the most temporary coexistence is utterly impossible.
It is this understanding of the essential nature of God that informs Israel’s unique perception of the holiness of Yahweh. In general, the ancient Near Eastern concept of holiness was devoid of any essentially moral element. Holiness was defined by reference to the gods; to be holy was to be what the gods were. Morally, the ancient Near Eastern gods demonstrated no clear distinction from humans. They acted in anger, in lust, or for personal gain. They carried grudges and sought vengeance. They could lie, deceive, and manipulate. Their chief distinction from humans was that they were powerful and lived forever. Thus, they were considered the source of both good and evil in human experience. All that humans experienced—good or evil—was attributed to divine will and action, often completely unrelated to any human responsibility.
Israel’s understanding of the character of Yahweh broke with this long-standing tradition. As the psalmist’s statements imply, Yahweh’s holiness was defined by his essential character. Yahweh is eternal and powerful, but he is also essentially good and incompatible with evil. As a consequence, those who align themselves with evil will suffer the consequences of divine rejection. This forms the basis of the psalmist’s confident belief that Yahweh will act to frustrate the psalmist’s opponents. Where Yahweh is, the arrogant cannot stand. He “hates” those involved with evil deeds (v. 5). This is strong language but consistent with the psalmist’s belief that Yahweh cannot coexist with evil or condone the acts of evildoers. Yahweh destroys “those who tell lies” and abhors “bloodthirsty and deceitful” persons (v. 6).
Hope for Deliverance (5:7–8)
BUT I, BY YOUR GREAT MERCY. Yahweh’s holiness has two sides. Not only is it incompatible with evil, demonstrated by his rejection of evil and judgment of the evildoer; it is also characterized by his “relentless goodness” toward his creation and those humans who live in it. By relentless goodness I mean that from the beginning, God’s only intent was and still is to bless his creation. Judgment and mercy, therefore, are not two competing characteristics of Yahweh but are two inseparable consequences of his holiness. Relentless goodness is the flip side of incompatibility with evil. “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
God’s holiness offers sinful humanity both its greatest problem and its greatest hope. Because a holy God cannot “wink” at sin or turn a blind eye to it, sinful humans find themselves under his judgment, in need of salvation and reconciliation. But because he is also relentlessly good, he has provided a way, first through Israel and ultimately through Christ, that they can be restored to right relationship with one another and with God in order to continue to receive blessing and not judgment.
Thus, when rightly viewed, Yahweh’s holiness is not just the basis for his judgment on sin but is at the same time the foundation for his work of salvation. The key to what humans receive from God—judgment or mercy—is not the character of God but the nature of how humans relate themselves to him. Arrogant evildoers, who rebelliously align themselves with evil, receive the consequences of God’s incompatibility with evil: judgment and rejection. But those who “fear the LORD”—and by this phrase Israel means to acknowledge absolute dependence for survival on the merciful holiness of God—receive spiritual restoration and blessing.6
Verses 7–8 contrast the psalmist’s anticipation of divine grace with the divine rejection depicted in the preceding verses. Because of Yahweh’s abundant mercy, he dares to enter into the very presence of God in the temple, while the arrogant evildoers cannot even hope to visit with God. The psalmist desires to be led in ways made straight by a merciful God; the wicked, however, can only anticipate divine rejection and destruction. The contrast developed in these verses is reminiscent of Psalm 1, which maintains a similar tension between God’s protection of the righteous and rejection of the wicked.
Because of my enemies. In addition to the description of the “straight . . . way” of blessing prepared by a merciful Yahweh for those who fear him, these verses provide transition to the next segment of the psalm with this brief mention of “my enemies.” It is because of the enemies that the psalmist must rely especially on divine mercy and guidance. Because of their opposition the psalmist’s path has become twisted and unsure.
Judgment on the Enemies (5:9–10)
IT SEEMS CLEAR from the phrases used to describe the offense of the enemies that the psalmist is suffering malicious attacks and false accusations. The opening phrase can be rendered, “Nothing reliable exists in their mouth.”7 The word interpreted “can be trusted” in the NIV means “that which is firmly established, grounded.”
Their heart is filled with destruction. This phrase is difficult, and the NIV is somewhat misleading. The normal Hebrew word for “heart” (leb) is not used here. In its place we find a noun of the root qrb. One noun of this root (qereb) describes the inward parts of a human or an animal, sometimes considered the seat of emotion or thought. Those who understand qereb to be the noun in this context assume it implies destructive anger or plotting on the part of the enemies.
An alternative is possible, and perhaps better. The same root qrb is most often related to spatial nearness or approach, with verbal forms expressing “draw near, approach”; at least one noun (qerab) carries the meaning “hostile approach” or “battle.” In the context of this verse, it may well be preferable to translate the phrase “their approach is destruction.” If so, the psalmist is not so much criticizing the inward character or plotting of the opponents as expressing dread at their very approach, for whenever they appear, destruction follows in their wake.
The last two phrases of verse 9 continue this unflattering portrait of the psalmist’s enemies. Their throat is an open grave through which those they slander are brought to ruin and even death.8 Their tongue is skillfully adept at smoothing the rough edges of falsehood so that it becomes palatable.9 What powerful images of the deadly consequences of slander!
It is interesting to note in the Hebrew of these verses that while the psalmist refers to the enemies with plural pronouns, they are consistently viewed as sharing a single body part. They have only one mouth, one heart, one throat, and one tongue. This feature is irregular enough that it seems obvious the psalmist is seeking to portray his multiple enemies as a single entity acting in concert.10
Declare them guilty, O God! Having established the grounds for a case against the opponents before Yahweh, the psalmist, like some modern-day prosecuting attorney summing up before jury and judge, now demands a verdict appropriate to their offense. The psalmist desires that the enemies’ slanderous attacks and rebellious plans will turn back on them.
An interesting contrast is created through the use of a phrase literally translated “in the multitude of,” both here (v. 10) and earlier in verse 7. Here the opponents are to be judged by God “in [because of] the multitude of their sins.” By contrast, in verse 7 the psalmist has hopes to enter the presence of God “in [because of] the multitude of your [Yahweh’s] faithful mercy.” The use of the same phrase in such different ways heightens the contrast the psalmist is establishing between the rebellious enemies and the righteous sufferer.
The appropriateness of the judgment the psalmist seeks is obvious from the use of the imperative “banish them.” Together the enemies present a powerful opposing force. Not only does he desire that they fall prey to their own destructive plans, but he hopes Yahweh will destroy their ability to act in unity and thus blunt the effectiveness of their attack.
The psalmist concludes this plea for judgment against the enemies by characterizing their offense as more than a simple personal attack against him or a case of misunderstanding. The opponents are sinners, and their deeds are open rebellion against God himself. When evildoers falsely accuse the righteous, they violate the very nature of Yahweh (cf. vv. 4–5) and thus deserve the judgment that proceeds from God’s incompatibility with evil. In other words, the psalmist’s demand for judgment is not so much a call for vengeance for a personal affront as it is a desire for the harmonious covenant relationship intended by Yahweh to be affirmed and established against all attack.
The Benefit of the Righteous (5:11–12)
THE PSALMIST INTRODUCES the final contrast with a description of the joyous response to deliverance by “all who take refuge” in Yahweh.11 While the enemies will fall under the weight of their own rebellious plotting, those who revere Yahweh (v. 7) and make him their refuge (v. 11) will “be glad” and “ever sing for joy.”
The theme of taking refuge in Yahweh is an important one in the Psalter and has already been initiated in the blessing that concludes Psalm 2: “Blessed are all who take refuge in [Yahweh]” (2:12). The immediate image evoked by these terms is that of fleeing to a fortress or place of security in time of trouble. Such trust is more than a temporary desire for protection or security. It evidences a willingness to commit one’s whole destiny to God. As such this phrase is an appropriate equivalent of the more familiar “all who fear the LORD,” for both communicate an awareness of one’s absolute dependence on God’s characteristic holy mercy—a mercy that is not deserved, cannot be presumed, and yet constitutes sinful humanity’s only hope, no matter how firmly established they may be among “the righteous” (v. 12).
As the psalmist’s imperative demands for judgment against his opponents in verse 10 follow a description of their character as grounds of judgment (v. 9), so here his description of the enduring joy of those who take refuge in Yahweh is followed by a request for divine protection. The image the psalmist presents has several possible antecedents. The NIV’s “Spread your protection over them” is a rather expansive rendering of the much briefer underlying Hebrew tasek ʾalemo, which is more literally translated, “Cover over them.” First Kings 8:7 uses the same words to describe the cherubim at the ends of the ark of the covenant in the Most Holy Place of the temple as spreading their wings to “cover over” the ark. The psalmist in Psalm 17:8 asks Yahweh to hide the one seeking refuge in him “in the shadow of your wings.” In 91:4 we hear that Yahweh “will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.” The occurrence in these contexts of several parallel expressions and words—especially “take/seek refuge” (5:11; 17:7; 91:2, 4, 9) and “shield” (ṣinnah rather than the more common magen; cf. 5:12; 91:4)—makes this an attractive connection.
Verse 12 returns to a sense of certainty and hope grounded in the character of God. As in verse 4, where the psalmist takes God’s incompatibility with evil as grounds to anticipate divine judgment of the wicked, so here hope for blessing and protection of the righteous are grounded in the certainty that Yahweh is a God who blesses the righteous and surrounds them with favor like a shield. These two descriptions of the character of God (vv. 4, 12) bracket the core contrasts of the psalm (vv. 5–11) at the beginning and end as a sort of variation on the inclusio. It is this core understanding of Yahweh that stands at the heart of this psalm, and indeed of all the lament psalms. If there is any primary message here, it is that who God essentially is and how humans respond to that essence determine what humans ultimately receive from his hand.
Bridging Contexts
PSALM 5 EMPHASIZES two concepts that contemporary humans—particularly those living in the decidedly Western context of the United States—have difficulty relating to: monarchy and divine holiness. This psalm presents these two themes (esp. the latter) as essential foundations for appropriate human understanding of and response to God.
The kingship of God. Those of us who have been shaped by the modern experience of democracy often have a difficult time understanding and appreciating monarchical rule. We prize individual freedom and choice and have a strong suspicion regarding any authority that is imposed or established without our consent. As enshrined in our foundational documents, authority to govern is conferred by those governed and is to be exercised for the benefit of those who confer it. If governance fails to provide the protections and benefits expected, the governed have the right to change the governing authority—whether peacefully by an elective process or violently by rebellion.
Ancient monarchy, by contrast, often seems grounded in autocratic, authoritarian, and unilateral rule by force. Dynastic rule eliminated any choice on the part of the governed, relying on heredity rather than ability, charisma, or promise of benefit. In ancient Egypt of the Old Kingdom, the king (or pharaoh) was believed to be divine—Horus, the son of the god Osiris, who ruled directly over humans. To resist his rule was to resist the cohesive order of the universe (know as Maʿat) and was consequently not only unwise but ultimately wicked.
At the opposite end of the Fertile Crescent in Mesopotamia, kings rarely considered themselves divine. They were viewed nevertheless as endowed with authority to rule, not by the people they governed but by the gods themselves. Although this might seem autocratic and oppressive—and it certainly lent itself to abuse on occasion—kingship in Mesopotamia always understood that part of its divine authorization was based on an expectation of benefit to be provided to those governed. In royal records, stelae, reliefs, and other documents, the kings often felt constrained to describe their reigns in terms of the benefit provided to the people and kingdom—even though annexed by military conquest. Key issues were order and justice, security (both national and personal), economic prosperity, and appropriate respect to religious shrines and worship—not too different from our contemporary expectations of government.
Israel’s view of human kingship was not far removed from that of her contemporaries. In 1 Samuel we learn that Yahweh permitted kingship in response to needs expressed by the people. Kings were authorized by Yahweh and anointed as a sign of their choosing by God’s prophet. They were expected to lead the people in the ways of Yahweh and had limits placed on their royal powers and freedoms.12 Abuse of their prerogatives brought condemnation and punishment, as David’s adultery with Bathsheba and Ahab’s seizing of Naboth’s vineyard both illustrate.
Thus, while the Israelite kings were not considered gods, they were divinely installed and authorized, and their responsibility was to God for the benefit of the people, not vice versa. Israel’s ultimate experience of monarchy, however, was that human kings could not be relied upon to produce consistently the kind of security, prosperity, and spiritual balance that had been anticipated. Psalm 146:3–4 encapsulates the limitations of kingship Israel came to understand:
Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortal men, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Kings abuse their power, and even the best of them die, leaving their people an inheritance of turmoil and insecurity.
The way Israel came to resolve the problems generated by the failings of human kings was to shift their hope and trust to the divine rule of Yahweh. Psalm 146:5, 10 exclaims:
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God. . . .
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
As Psalm 5:2 already acknowledges, Yahweh is both God and eternal King.13 As king, he is able to do what human kings ultimately fail to accomplish—rule justly and righteously forever.
Responding to divine holiness. God’s holiness can be a fearsome thing. Humans who come suddenly or unaware into the divine presence are shaken and must take precautionary action. Moses removed his sandals at the burning bush (Ex. 3); Jacob built an altar after realizing Yahweh was in the place he had spent the night (Gen. 28).
Throughout the Hebrew Bible Yahweh’s holiness confronts sinful humans (and all are sinful!) with threat. After Moses desired the opportunity to see the defining essence of Yahweh (“Show me your glory,” Ex. 33:18), God declined on the grounds that such full disclosure would destroy Moses (“No one may see me and live,” 33:20). Isaiah had much the same experience when he saw Yahweh in the temple, surrounded by seraphim proclaiming God’s holiness: “Woe to me! . . . I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips . . . and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty” (Isa. 6:5). Thus, as I suggested previously, God’s holiness—his incompatibility with evil—presents sinful humans with their greatest problem: the destructive consequences of sin in the presence of holy God.
But judgment is not holy God’s final word. At the burning bush Moses was not destroyed but provided a way to stand before Yahweh’s holiness unharmed. God even answered Moses’ later request to see God’s glory as much as was possible: “When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen” (Ex. 33:22–23).
Isaiah had a similar experience. Certain of imminent destruction, he experienced instead divine redemption and cleansing. His “unclean lips” were purified by a coal from the altar, and he was allowed to stand in the divine presence—even commissioned to do the divine will. This experience of unexpected, undeserved redemption by holy Yahweh provides shape to the whole book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 1–39, God’s holiness is advanced as the basis of judgment against rebellious Israel. Isaiah’s most frequent title for Yahweh, “the Holy One of Israel,” is regularly associated with oracles of judgment in these chapters, emphasizing his incompatibility with evil.
When, however, the reader crosses the boundary represented by Isaiah 40, a remarkable change occurs in how Yahweh’s holiness is perceived. In chapters 40–66, the Holy One of Israel is connected with hope for redemption and oracles of salvation. “Your Redeemer [is] the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 41:14).14 It is attractive to connect this understanding of holy Yahweh as both judge and redeemer with Isaiah’s own experience in the temple (Isa. 6:1–9), where he anticipated the judgment he knew he deserved but received instead redemption and grace.
It is this experience of divine holiness associated with redemption, grace, and salvation that drives home the inadequacy of a negative view of holiness as divine judgment against sin. It is that, of course, but Yahweh’s holiness is so much more. In his holiness, God’s relentless goodness toward all he has made is working itself out in benefit and blessing. That is why divine holiness remains not only sinful humanity’s greatest problem, but it is at one and the same time its greatest hope. The Holy One who judges is also the Holy One who redeems! Israel comes ultimately to stake her life on that fact.
Contemporary Significance
PERHAPS THE MOST important lesson contemporary humans can take from this psalm is that human hope is grounded in the essential character of God—a character that is constant and does not change regardless of the ebb and flow of human circumstances. The righteous—those who take refuge in God—find hope in God’s holiness both because he is incompatible with evil and because he is relentlessly good.
We hope in God and find refuge there because, despite the rampant evil that characterizes our world and even gains a foothold in our own lives, God is not unconcerned with evil or injustice. Even less is he their author. That is why the faithful throughout the ages, when faced with the implacable evil of pain, suffering, oppression, and injustice, are able to call confidently on God for redress, as the psalmist does here. As Christians we may be somewhat disconcerted by the harsh imprecations heaped on the enemy by the righteous. We feel constrained to moderate our anger and sense of injustice after the words of Jesus, “Bless those who curse you” (Luke 6:28; cf. Rom. 12:14). But the psalmist’s words call us to remember that Jesus was never afraid to call evil what it was or to take a firm stance of condemnation against all its forms. We too must take evil seriously, aligning ourselves with God’s essential character of holiness.
We must also trust and proclaim the relentless goodness of God that will never allow evil to have the last word. The biblical message is consistent in affirming that the world as we know it is broken and does not represent the full intention of the creator. God is not the author of the evil we experience, nor is he unconcerned or unable to respond. The mystery of continued suffering and evil does not undermine the psalmist’s confidence that God’s full intent and purpose for humanity and all creation is good and blessing. Even Job ultimately confessed that the God he encountered was sovereign over the creation and worth holding on to despite the clamoring voices of pain and suffering.
In the final analysis, the psalmist sides with Job. His hope is grounded not in the swirling press of circumstance but on the unchanging sovereignty of holy Yahweh. Yahweh is the psalmist’s king and God (v. 2), as he is ours. He is the king who establishes justice and security. He is the sovereign who leads us in the paths of righteousness and divine blessing. Let all who take refuge in him be glad!