Lead Me to the Rock
Psalm 61 summary: what it means
Psalm 61 is a short prayer from someone far away and overwhelmed. The speaker calls from the end of the earth and asks to be led to the rock that is higher than I, a safe place he cannot reach alone. He remembers that God has been a refuge and a strong tower before. He wants to live in God's tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of his wings.
Verse 5 says God has heard his vows. The psalm then prays for the king, asking for long life, a reign lasting generations, and loving kindness and truth to guard him. It ends where it began, with the speaker himself, promising to sing praise forever and keep his vows day by day.
Psalm 61: Lead Me to the Rock
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-61
Psalm 61 commentary: explained verse by verse
Hear my cry, God.Listen to my prayer.
Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.
The prayer begins with two plain requests: hear my cry, listen to my prayer. There is no praise first and no preamble, only the need to be heard.
Also read Psalm 64:1, Psalm 55:1-2, Psalm 28:2, Psalm 86:6
From the end of the earth, I will call to you when my heart is overwhelmed.Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
The speaker is calling from the end of the earth, and his heart is overwhelmed. He asks to be led to the rock that is higher than I. The rock is out of his reach, which is why he needs to be led there.
Also read Mark 14:33-34, Psalm 43:5, Psalm 143:4, Psalm 42:6
For you have been a refuge for me,a strong tower from the enemy.
For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
The request rests on memory. God has already been a refuge and a strong tower against the enemy, so the speaker asks him to be that again.
Also read 2 Corinthians 1:10, Proverbs 18:10, Psalm 116:2, Psalm 140:7
I will dwell in your tent forever.I will take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah.
I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.
Two images of safety sit together: living in God's tent forever, and taking refuge in the shelter of his wings. One is a home, the other is shelter under wings.
Also read Psalm 91:1, Ruth 2:12, Psalm 27:4, Psalm 15:1
For you, God, have heard my vows.You have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.
The speaker says God has heard his vows and given him the heritage of those who fear his name. It is the first place in the psalm where the speaker says God has heard him.
Also read Psalm 56:12, Psalm 115:13, Acts 10:35, Malachi 3:16-18
You will prolong the king’s life.His years will be for generations.
Thou wilt prolong the king’s life: and his years as many generations.
The prayer turns to the king, asking God to prolong his life so that his years last for generations. The psalm does not explain how the speaker and the king are connected.
Also read Psalm 21:4, Isaiah 53:10, Psalm 72:15-17, Psalm 89:36-37
He shall be enthroned in God’s presence forever.Appoint your loving kindness and truth, that they may preserve him.
He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.
The king is to be enthroned in God's presence forever. The speaker asks God to appoint loving kindness and truth to preserve him, as if they were guards.
Also read Luke 1:33, Genesis 32:10, Genesis 24:27, Isaiah 9:6-7
So I will sing praise to your name forever,that I may fulfill my vows daily.
So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.
The psalm ends with a promise to sing praise to God's name forever. Praise is tied to daily practice, fulfilling vows day by day.
Also read Psalm 145:1-2, Psalm 66:13-16, Psalm 30:12, Psalm 79:13
A prayer from Psalm 61
God, hear my cry and listen to my prayer. When my heart is overwhelmed, even from the end of the earth, I call to you. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. You have been a refuge for me, a strong tower from the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. You have heard my vows. You appoint loving kindness and truth to preserve the king, and I ask to be kept by them too. So I will sing praise to your name, and keep my vows day by day. Amen.
Psalm 61 Bible study questions
- In verse 2, the writer calls from the end of the earth when his heart is overwhelmed; what does he ask God to do?
- What pictures of safety does the psalm use in verses 3 and 4, and how are they different from one another?
- What might a rock that is higher than I mean to someone who feels overwhelmed today?
- In verses 6 and 7 the prayer turns to the king; why might a personal prayer widen to include a leader?
- Psalm 62:2 also calls God a rock and a fortress; how does that picture compare with the rock in Psalm 61:2?
Questions about Psalm 61
What does Psalm 61 mean?
It is the prayer of someone far away and overwhelmed who asks God to lead him to safety, remembers God as a refuge, prays for the king, and promises daily praise.
Who wrote Psalm 61?
The heading attributes it to David and marks it for the Chief Musician on a stringed instrument.
What does Psalm 61:2 mean?
The speaker, calling from the end of the earth with an overwhelmed heart, asks God to lead him to a rock higher than himself, a place of safety he cannot reach on his own.
What do Psalm 61:1-4 say?
Verses 1 to 4 ask God to hear, ask to be led to a high rock, remember God as a refuge and strong tower, and look forward to living in his tent and sheltering under his wings.
How does the King James Version word Psalm 61:2?
The KJV reads "From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I."
Psalm 61 KJV: the King James Version
Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.1
From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.2
For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.3
I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.4
For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.5
Thou wilt prolong the king’s life: and his years as many generations.6
He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.7
So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.8
Psalm 61 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 לַמְנַצֵּ֬חַ ׀ עַֽל־נְגִינַ֬ת לְדָוִֽד׃
2 שִׁמְעָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים רִנָּתִ֑י הַ֝קְשִׁ֗יבָה תְּפִלָּתִֽי׃
3 מִקְצֵ֤ה הָאָ֨רֶץ ׀ אֵלֶ֣יךָ אֶ֭קְרָא בַּעֲטֹ֣ף לִבִּ֑י בְּצוּר־יָר֖וּם מִמֶּ֣נִּי תַנְחֵֽנִי׃
4 כִּֽי־הָיִ֣יתָ מַחְסֶ֣ה לִ֑י מִגְדַּל־עֹ֝֗ז מִפְּנֵ֥י אוֹיֵֽב׃
5 אָג֣וּרָה בְ֭אָהָלְךָ עוֹלָמִ֑ים אֶֽחֱסֶ֨ה בְסֵ֖תֶר כְּנָפֶ֣יךָ סֶּֽלָה׃
6 כִּֽי־אַתָּ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים שָׁמַ֣עְתָּ לִנְדָרָ֑י נָתַ֥תָּ יְ֝רֻשַּׁ֗ת יִרְאֵ֥י שְׁמֶֽךָ׃
7 יָמִ֣ים עַל־יְמֵי־מֶ֣לֶךְ תּוֹסִ֑יף שְׁ֝נוֹתָ֗יו כְּמוֹ־דֹ֥ר וָדֹֽר׃
8 יֵשֵׁ֣ב ע֭וֹלָם לִפְנֵ֣י אֱלֹהִ֑ים חֶ֥סֶד וֶ֝אֱמֶ֗ת מַ֣ן יִנְצְרֻֽהוּ׃
9 כֵּ֤ן אֲזַמְּרָ֣ה שִׁמְךָ֣ לָעַ֑ד לְֽשַׁלְּמִ֥י נְדָרַ֗י י֣וֹם ׀ יֽוֹם׃
Psalm 61 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 60 there.
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1 Unto the end, in hymns, for David.
2 Hear, O God, my supplication: be attentive to my prayer,
3 To thee have I cried from the ends of the earth: when my heart was in anguish, thou hast exalted me on a rock. Thou hast conducted me;
4 For thou hast been my hope; a tower of strength against the face of the enemy.
5 In thy tabernacle I shall dwell for ever: I shall be protected under the covert of thy wings.
6 For thou, my God, hast heard my prayer: thou hast given an inheritance to them that fear thy name.
7 Thou wilt add days to the days of the king: his years even to generation and generation.
8 He abideth for ever in the sight of God: his mercy and truth who shall search?
9 So will I sing a psalm to thy name for ever and ever: that I may pay my vows from day to day.
Psalm 61 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 60.
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1 In finem. In hymnis David.
2 Exaudi, Deus, deprecationem meam; intende orationi meæ.
3 A finibus terræ ad te clamavi, dum anxiaretur cor meum; in petra exaltasti me. Deduxisti me,
4 quia factus es spes mea: turris fortitudinis a facie inimici.
5 Inhabitabo in tabernaculo tuo in sæcula; protegar in velamento alarum tuarum.
6 Quoniam tu, Deus meus, exaudisti orationem meam; dedisti hæreditatem timentibus nomen tuum.
7 Dies super dies regis adjicies; annos ejus usque in diem generationis et generationis.
8 Permanet in æternum in conspectu Dei: misericordiam et veritatem ejus quis requiret?
9 Sic psalmum dicam nomini tuo in sæculum sæculi, ut reddam vota mea de die in diem.
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Psalm 61 at a glance
| Verses | 8 |
| Heading in the text | For the Chief Musician. For a stringed instrument. By David. |
| Attributed to | The heading attributes it to David, addresses it to the Chief Musician, and marks it for a stringed instrument. |
| Type | Prayer and Trust |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 60 |
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Psalm 61 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 61 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 61 belongs
Psalms of DavidBook 2 of the Psalms
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source