I Take Refuge in You
Psalm 7 summary: what it means
Psalm 7 is the prayer of someone being hunted who says they have done nothing to deserve it. It opens by taking refuge in God and picturing the pursuers as a lion that would tear them apart. Then comes an unusual oath: if I have done this wrong, let the enemy catch me. From there the speaker asks God to rise up as judge, over the peoples and over this case in particular.
The second half describes what happens to the wicked. They are pictured as pregnant with trouble: they conceive mischief and give birth to falsehood. Then they fall into the pit they dug for others, and their violence comes back down on their own heads. The psalm ends with a promise to give thanks and sing praise to the LORD Most High.
Psalm 7: I Take Refuge in You
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-7
Psalm 7 commentary: explained verse by verse
LORD, my God, I take refuge in you.Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,
O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:
The psalm opens with refuge before it says anything about the trouble. The speaker asks to be saved from all those who pursue them, so this is not one enemy but several.
Also read Psalm 30:12-1, Daniel 9:4, Psalm 26:1, 1 Peter 4:19
lest they tear apart my soul like a lion,ripping it in pieces, while there is no one to deliver.
Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
The pursuers are pictured as a lion that would tear the speaker's soul to pieces. The last phrase, while there is no one to deliver, names the real fear: being attacked with nobody coming to help.
Also read Isaiah 38:13, 1 Peter 5:8, Psalm 10:9, Psalm 35:15
LORD, my God, if I have done this,if there is iniquity in my hands,
O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;
Here the prayer becomes an oath. The speaker does not claim to be sinless in general, only innocent of the particular thing referred to simply as this. Verses 4 and 5 finish the oath: if I repaid a friend with evil, let the enemy tread my life into the dust.
Also read 1 Samuel 24:9, 1 Samuel 22:8, Job 16:17-19, 1 Samuel 22:13
if I have rewarded evil to him who was at peace with me(yes, I have plundered him who without cause was my adversary),
If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:)
Also read Psalm 109:5, Genesis 44:4, 1 Samuel 24:10-15, 1 Samuel 26:24
let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it;yes, let him tread my life down to the earth,and lay my glory in the dust. Selah.
Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.
Also read Malachi 4:3, Psalm 60:12, Isaiah 10:6, Psalm 3:2
Arise, LORD, in your anger.Lift up yourself against the rage of my adversaries.Awake for me. You have commanded judgment.
Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.
Arise, LORD, in your anger is a call for God to act. The verse asks God to wake up for the speaker, as if help has been slow, and reminds him that he has already commanded judgment.
Also read 2 Samuel 17:14, Psalm 44:23, Psalm 44:26, Psalm 68:1-2
Let the congregation of the peoples surround you.Rule over them on high.
So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.
Also read Isaiah 57:15, Revelation 19:2, Psalm 48:11, Revelation 11:17-18
The LORD administers judgment to the peoples.Judge me, LORD, according to my righteousness,and to my integrity that is in me.
The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.
The speaker asks to be judged according to their own righteousness and integrity. Coming after the oath of verses 3 to 5, this reads as a request to be judged on the charge in question, where they say they are in the right.
Also read Acts 17:31, Psalm 35:24-27, Romans 14:10-12, Psalm 25:21
Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,but establish the righteous;their minds and hearts are searched by the righteous God.
Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.
Two requests sit side by side: bring the wickedness of the wicked to an end, and establish the righteous. The verse adds that the righteous God searches minds and hearts, which is why the speaker is willing to be examined.
Also read Jeremiah 17:10, Psalm 74:10-11, Psalm 26:2, Psalm 58:6
My shield is with God,who saves the upright in heart.
My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.
A short statement of confidence. God is the speaker's shield, and the verse says whom he saves: the upright in heart.
Also read Psalm 18:1-2, Psalm 112:2, Proverbs 2:21, Psalm 89:18
God is a righteous judge,yes, a God who has indignation every day.
God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
God is called a righteous judge who has indignation every day. His anger at wrong is described as constant, not occasional.
Also read Nahum 1:6, Psalm 50:6, Psalm 140:12-13, Nahum 1:2
If a man doesn’t repent, he will sharpen his sword;he has bent and strung his bow.
If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.
Also read Jeremiah 31:18-19, Deuteronomy 32:41, Ezekiel 18:30, Ezekiel 21:23
He has also prepared for himself the instruments of death.He makes ready his flaming arrows.
He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.
Also read Revelation 16:6, Psalm 64:3, Lamentations 3:12-13, Habakkuk 3:13
Behold, he travails with iniquity.Yes, he has conceived mischief,and brought out falsehood.
Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.
The wicked man is described as being in labor with iniquity. He conceives mischief and brings out falsehood, so the lie at the end has a whole process behind it. The picture is of wrongdoing that is planned and carried through, not stumbled into.
Also read James 1:15, Job 15:35, Job 15:20, Isaiah 59:4-5
He has dug a hole,and has fallen into the pit which he made.
He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.
The one who dug a pit falls into the hole he made himself. This is the psalm's picture of justice: harm returns along the route it was sent.
Also read Proverbs 5:22, Jeremiah 18:20, Psalm 9:15-16, Psalm 57:6
The trouble he causes shall return to his own head.His violence shall come down on the crown of his own head.
His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.
The same idea in plainer terms. The trouble he causes comes back on his own head, and his violence lands on the crown of his own head.
Also read Psalm 36:4, 1 Samuel 23:9, Esther 9:25, Malachi 2:3-5
I will give thanks to the LORD according to his righteousness,and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.
I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.
The psalm ends with thanks rather than with the enemy's fall. The speaker praises the LORD according to his righteousness, the same quality the whole prayer has been appealing to.
Also read Psalm 98:2, Daniel 4:34, Psalm 92:1, Psalm 9:2
A prayer from Psalm 7
LORD my God, I take refuge in you. Save me from those who pursue me. You are the righteous God who searches minds and hearts, so search mine. If there is wrong in my hands, show it to me. Where I have been wronged, I leave the judgement with you, for you are a righteous judge. Let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, and establish those who do right. You are my shield, and you save the upright in heart. I will give thanks for your righteousness and sing praise to your name, LORD Most High. Amen.
Psalm 7 Bible study questions
- In verses 3 to 5, what does the speaker say should happen to him if he has done the wrong he is accused of?
- Verses 15 and 16 describe a man who digs a pit; what happens to him, and to the trouble he causes?
- The speaker asks to be judged according to his integrity in verse 8; how comfortable would you be making the same request?
- The speaker brings his accusers before God as judge in verses 6 to 8; what do you tend to do when you feel falsely accused?
- Psalm 7:15 and Psalm 9:15 both picture people falling into a pit they made; how do the two verses compare?
Questions about Psalm 7
Who wrote Psalm 7?
The heading attributes it to David and calls it a meditation which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, the Benjamite. The psalm itself says nothing more about who Cush was.
What is Psalm 7 about?
It is a prayer from someone who says they are being pursued and wrongly accused. They ask God to act as judge, describe the wicked falling into their own trap, and end by giving thanks.
What does Psalm 7:14 mean?
It describes the wicked as being in labor with iniquity: they conceive mischief and bring out falsehood. Verses 15 and 16 then show that harm coming back on them.
What does Psalm 7:2 mean?
It pictures the enemies as a lion that would tear the speaker apart while no one is there to deliver them. It explains why verse 1 asks so urgently to be saved.
What do Psalm 7:9 and 10 say?
Verse 9 asks God to end the wickedness of the wicked and establish the righteous, since he searches minds and hearts. Verse 10 calls God the speaker's shield, who saves the upright in heart.
How does the King James Version word Psalm 7:1?
The KJV reads "O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me". Where the World English Bible says I take refuge in you, the KJV says in thee do I put my trust.
Psalm 7 KJV: the King James Version
O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:1
Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.2
O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;3
If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:)4
Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.5
Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.6
So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.7
The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.8
Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.9
My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.10
God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.11
If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.12
He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.13
Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.14
He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.15
His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.16
I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.17
Psalm 7 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 שִׁגָּי֗וֹן לְדָ֫וִ֥ד אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֥ר לַיהוָ֑ה עַל־דִּבְרֵי־כ֝֗וּשׁ בֶּן־יְמִינִֽי׃
2 יְהוָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהַי בְּךָ֣ חָסִ֑יתִי הוֹשִׁיעֵ֥נִי מִכָּל־רֹ֝דְפַ֗י וְהַצִּילֵֽנִי׃
3 פֶּן־יִטְרֹ֣ף כְּאַרְיֵ֣ה נַפְשִׁ֑י פֹּ֝רֵ֗ק וְאֵ֣ין מַצִּֽיל׃
4 יְהוָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהַי אִם־עָשִׂ֣יתִי זֹ֑את אִֽם־יֶשׁ־עָ֥וֶל בְּכַפָּֽי׃
5 אִם־גָּ֭מַלְתִּי שֽׁוֹלְמִ֥י רָ֑ע וָאֲחַלְּצָ֖ה צוֹרְרִ֣י רֵיקָֽם׃
6 יִֽרַדֹּ֥ף אוֹיֵ֨ב ׀ נַפְשִׁ֡י וְיַשֵּׂ֗ג וְיִרְמֹ֣ס לָאָ֣רֶץ חַיָּ֑י וּכְבוֹדִ֓י ׀ לֶעָפָ֖ר יַשְׁכֵּ֣ן סֶֽלָה׃
7 ק֘וּמָ֤ה יְהוָ֨ה ׀ בְּאַפֶּ֗ךָ הִ֭נָּשֵׂא בְּעַבְר֣וֹת צוֹרְרָ֑י וְע֥וּרָה אֵ֝לַ֗י מִשְׁפָּ֥ט צִוִּֽיתָ׃
8 וַעֲדַ֣ת לְ֭אֻמִּים תְּסוֹבְבֶ֑ךָּ וְ֝עָלֶ֗יהָ לַמָּר֥וֹם שֽׁוּבָה׃
9 יְהוָה֮ יָדִ֪ין עַ֫מִּ֥ים שָׁפְטֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֑ה כְּצִדְקִ֖י וּכְתֻמִּ֣י עָלָֽי׃
10 יִגְמָר־נָ֬א רַ֨ע ׀ רְשָׁעִים֮ וּתְכוֹנֵ֪ן צַ֫דִּ֥יק וּבֹחֵ֣ן לִ֭בּ֗וֹת וּכְלָי֗וֹת אֱלֹהִ֥ים צַדִּֽיק׃
11 מָֽגִנִּ֥י עַל־אֱלֹהִ֑ים מ֝וֹשִׁ֗יעַ יִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב ׃
12 אֱ֭לֹהִים שׁוֹפֵ֣ט צַדִּ֑יק וְ֝אֵ֗ל זֹעֵ֥ם בְּכָל־יֽוֹם׃
13 אִם־לֹ֣א יָ֭שׁוּב חַרְבּ֣וֹ יִלְט֑וֹשׁ קַשְׁתּ֥וֹ דָ֝רַ֗ךְ וַֽיְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ׃
14 וְ֭לוֹ הֵכִ֣ין כְּלֵי־מָ֑וֶת חִ֝צָּ֗יו לְֽדֹלְקִ֥ים יִפְעָֽל׃
15 הִנֵּ֥ה יְחַבֶּל־אָ֑וֶן וְהָרָ֥ה עָ֝מָ֗ל וְיָ֣לַד שָֽׁקֶר׃
16 בּ֣וֹר כָּ֭רָֽה וַֽיַּחְפְּרֵ֑הוּ וַ֝יִּפֹּ֗ל בְּשַׁ֣חַת יִפְעָֽל׃
17 יָשׁ֣וּב עֲמָל֣וֹ בְרֹאשׁ֑וֹ וְעַ֥ל קָ֝דְקֳד֗וֹ חֲמָס֥וֹ יֵרֵֽד׃
18 אוֹדֶ֣ה יְהוָ֣ה כְּצִדְק֑וֹ וַ֝אֲזַמְּרָ֗ה שֵֽׁם־יְהוָ֥ה עֶלְיֽוֹן׃
Psalm 7 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 7 there.
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1 The psalm of David which he sung to the Lord for the words of Chusi the son of Jemini. 2 Kings 16
2 O Lord my God, in thee have I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me.
3 Lest at any time he seize upon my soul like a lion, while there is no one to redeem me, nor to save.
4 O Lord my God, if I have done this thing, if there be iniquity in my hands:
5 If I have rendered to them that repaid me evils, let me deservedly fall empty before my enemies.
6 Let the enemy pursue my soul, and take it, and tread down my life on the earth, and bring down my glory to the dust.
7 Rise up, O Lord, in thy anger: and be thou exalted in the borders of my enemies. And arise, O Lord my God, in the precept which thou hast commanded:
8 And a congregation of people shall surround thee. And for their sakes return thou on high.
9 The Lord judgeth the people. Judge me, O Lord, according to my justice, and according to my innocence in me.
10 The wickedness of sinners shall be brought to nought: and thou shalt direct the just: the searcher of hearts and reins is God.
11 Just is my help from the Lord: who saveth the upright of heart.
12 God is a just judge, strong and patient: is he angry every day?
13 Except you will be converted, he will brandish his sword: he hath bent his bow and made it ready.
14 And in it he hath prepared the instruments of death, he hath made ready his arrows for them that burn.
15 Behold he hath been in labour with injustice; he hath conceived sorrow, and brought forth iniquity.
16 He hath opened a pit and dug it; and he is fallen into the hole he made.
17 His sorrow shall be turned on his own head: and his iniquity shall comedown upon his crown.
18 I will give glory to the Lord according to his justice: and will sing to the name of the Lord the most high.
Psalm 7 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 7.
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1 Psalmus David, quem cantavit Domino pro verbis Chusi, filii Jemini.
2 Domine Deus meus, in te speravi; salvum me fac ex omnibus persequentibus me, et libera me:
3 nequando rapiat ut leo animam meam, dum non est qui redimat, neque qui salvum faciat.
4 Domine Deus meus, si feci istud, si est iniquitas in manibus meis,
5 si reddidi retribuentibus mihi mala, decidam merito ab inimicis meis inanis.
6 Persequatur inimicus animam meam, et comprehendat; et conculcet in terra vitam meam, et gloriam meam in pulverem deducat.
7 Exsurge, Domine, in ira tua, et exaltare in finibus inimicorum meorum: et exsurge, Domine Deus meus, in præcepto quod mandasti,
8 et synagoga populorum circumdabit te: et propter hanc in altum regredere:
9 Dominus judicat populos. Judica me, Domine, secundum justitiam meam, et secundum innocentiam meam super me.
10 Consumetur nequitia peccatorum, et diriges justum, scrutans corda et renes, Deus.
11 Justum adjutorium meum a Domino, qui salvos facit rectos corde.
12 Deus judex justus, fortis, et patiens; numquid irascitur per singulos dies?
13 Nisi conversi fueritis, gladium suum vibrabit; arcum suum tetendit, et paravit illum.
14 Et in eo paravit vasa mortis, sagittas suas ardentibus effecit.
15 Ecce parturiit injustitiam; concepit dolorem, et peperit iniquitatem.
16 Lacum aperuit, et effodit eum; et incidit in foveam quam fecit.
17 Convertetur dolor ejus in caput ejus, et in verticem ipsius iniquitas ejus descendet.
18 Confitebor Domino secundum justitiam ejus, et psallam nomini Domini altissimi.
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Psalm 7 at a glance
| Verses | 17 |
| Heading in the text | A meditation by David, which he sang to the LORD, concerning the words of Cush, the Benjamite. |
| Attributed to | The heading attributes it to David and says he sang it to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, the Benjamite. |
| Type | Lament and Trust |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 7, the same |
Read Psalm 7 when you are facing
Psalm 7 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 7 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 7 belongs
Psalms of DavidBook 1 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