Psalm 33, Sing a New Song

Psalm 33:1-3, Sing a new song!

Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; 

it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

Praise the LORD with the harp; 

make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.

Sing to him a new song; 

play skillfully, and shout for joy.

The first verse nicely echoes the last verse of the previous psalm, commanding joyful praise through song. David, the harpist, see his music as a natural outlet for praise and joy.  "Note the call ... for freshness and skill as well as fervor", writes Kidner.  I'm tempted to make a snarky comment about church services but I will just continue to quote Kidner: "... three qualities rarely found together in religious music."  Sadly, yes. The church needs new songs. (See an old favorite of mine, Larry Norman, "Why should the devil have all the good music?")

Creative art, whether music, dance, poetry or creative writing, when done with skill, energy and enthusiasm, is beautiful. Here David calls for creative and skillful worship, as God's due.

Psalm 33:4-5, Righteous love

For the word of the LORD is right and true; 

he is faithful in all he does.

The LORD loves righteousness and justice; 

the earth is full of his unfailing love.

The LORD is praised for being right and true, for loving righteousness and justice. And for acting in love. David, despite his considerable pain in past experiences, sees YHWH's acts as acts of love.

(The philosopher asks, "Then are these attributes -- righteousness, justice, love -- distinct somehow from God? Are righteousness, truth and love choices for God?" If not, then why praise God for these attributes? But if righteousness is a choice for God, then it is external to God. This philosophical conundrum is deeper than it first appears ... and so I will move on....)

Psalm 33:6-7, Stars and seas

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, 

their starry host by the breath of his mouth.

He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; 

he puts the deep into storehouses.

God's acts in creation have long been a source for praise. Here the heavens with their "starry host" are evidence of God's creative power, as is the wild ocean, where waves of water are gathered "into mounds" and the deep waters "into heaps", a picture similar to Job's declaration that only God knows the "storehouses" which hold the power of nature. (See Job 38 for an example.)

Psalm 33:8-9, The universe came to be

Let all the earth fear the LORD; 

let all the people of the world revere him.

For he spoke, and it came to be; 

he commanded, and it stood firm.

Here, as in many places, God's creative acts are equated with God's voice or speech.  ("God said ... and it was done" runs throughout the creation story of Genesis 1.)

Psalm 33:10-12, Nations' plans

The LORD foils the plans of the nations; 

he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,

the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,

 the people he chose for his inheritance.

God has a plan, involving all of humankind, running through countless generations. In the final sentence (verse 12) we are reminded of God's covenant with Israel and with David.

Psalm 33:13-15, Watching the hearts of all

From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind;

from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth--

he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.

Heaven is viewed as being up high, from where God can "look down". Yet also, God sees the hearts of all, something that is not available just from a good perch.

Psalm 33:16-19, Eyes of YHWH better than an army

No king is saved by the size of his army; 

no warrior escapes by his great strength.

A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; 

despite all its great strength it cannot save.

But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, 

on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 

to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

The things that a king (like David) might wish to use to prop up his kingdom, are seen as futile in relation to "the eyes of the LORD." Those false signs of security are a king's idols, leading him away from trusting in God.

Psalm 33:20-22, We wait

We wait in hope for the LORD; 

he is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice, 

for we trust in his holy name.

May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, 

even as we put our hope in you.

The psalm ends with a declaration of trust, forming a bookend with the opening declaration of praise.

This psalm is a song of praise and dependence, stressing the need for the nation of Israel to trust in God and not in armies, warriors, draft horses or other visible signs of strength. It begins with declarations of enthusiastic praise, then settles down to describing marvelous qualities and characteristics of God. It then ends with a declaration of trust and dependence.

Some Random Thoughts

An analysis of this psalm (with discussion questions), sponsored by the MidwestSafety Youtube channel, is here.

First published Nov 2, 2023; updated Nov 2, 2026

Psalm 32, A Moaning Mule Finds Mercy

Of David. A maskil

The unknown word "maskil" is presumably a literary term, possibly a Hebrew word implying wisdom and skill.

Psalm 32: 1-2, Happy

Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, 

whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him 

and in whose spirit is no deceit.

This is a penitential psalm, like Psalms 6, 51, 102, 130 and 143. In many of David's songs, he claims righteousness; he claims to stand on the side of justice; he fights deception, corruption and oppression. But in the penitential psalms, David admits he is selfish and sinful and has no claim to God's love. It is possible that these are the prayer songs of a more mature, sober man, humbled by events such as his affair with Bathsheba.

The word "blessed" here smacks, to me, of religiosity, of words reserved for a church setting. But the word simply means, "happy", says Kidner and indeed, "happy" is probably a better word.

The New Testament apostle Paul quotes the first two verses in Romans 4:6-8.

Psalm 32: 3-5, Silent and wasting

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; 

my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.

Selah.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. 

I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- 

and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Selah.

Stubborn resistance to confession and to forgiveness is debilitating. David is nauseous, weak; he cannot sleep. His energy is sapped as if he were under the July Texas sun (or the Palestinian sun.) And so he is forced, slowly, to conclude that he needs to go to God and confess. That confession then leads to forgiveness.

Psalm 32: 6-7, My hiding place

Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; 

surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.

You are my hiding place; 

you will protect me from trouble 

and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Selah.

And now, as the darkness clears and David experiences forgiveness, he encourages those around him to seek the same forgiveness. Like the rocks and crags of Judea, God is a "hiding place" for the desperate and distraught.

Now that David can hear God, God responds:

Psalm 32: 8-9, YHWH responds

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; 

I will counsel you and watch over you.

Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding 

but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

Our relationship with God involves a conversation, negotiation, understanding. (Often called "free will.") We are not to be like domestic animals that are pulled around by the leash, without understanding. David implies that his time of departure from God's path was a time of animal stubbornness. He was a mule fighting the bit and bridle.

Psalm 32: 10-11, Unfailing love

Many are the woes of the wicked, 

but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.

Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; 

sing, all you who are upright in heart!

In this psalm, David's troubles are his own fault and he knows it. Yet he finds forgiveness, love and joy.

Some Random Thoughts

An analysis of this psalm (with discussion questions), sponsored by the MidwestSafety Youtube channel, is here.

First published Nov 1, 2023; updated Oct 31, 2026

Psalm 31, Rescue, Rock, Refuge, Fortress

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Psalm 31:1-4, Rock and fortress

In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; 

let me never be put to shame; 

deliver me in your righteousness.

Turn your ear to me, 

come quickly to my rescue; 

be my rock of refuge, 

a strong fortress to save me.

Since you are my rock and my fortress, 

for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

Free me from the trap that is set for me, 

for you are my refuge.

David equates God with the rocks and strongholds he experienced in the mountains of Judea, hiding from Saul. He repeats his plea for help with slight modifications at each step.

These first three verses occur again, with very minor changes, in the first three verses of Psalm 71.

Psalm 31:5-8, Statement of trust

Into your hands I commit my spirit; 

redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.

I hate those who cling to worthless idols; 

I trust in the LORD.

I will be glad and rejoice in your love, 

for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.

You have not handed me over to the enemy 

but have set my feet in a spacious place.

The first sentence of verse 5 was quoted by Jesus on the cross. Verse 6 ("I hate those who cling to worthless idols...") is similar to Jonah 2:8, in Jonah's own song of despair and trust.

The plea for help folllowed by a statement of trust will now rise in a longer, more detailed plea for help and statement of trust.

Psalm 31:9-13, Years of groaning

Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; 

my eyes grow weak with sorrow, 

my soul and my body with grief.

My life is consumed by anguish 

and my years by groaning; 

my strength fails because of my affliction,

and my bones grow weak.

Because of all my enemies, 

I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; 

I am a dread to my friends -- 

those who see me on the street flee from me.

I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; 

I have become like broken pottery.

For I hear the slander of many; 

there is terror on every side; 

they conspire against me and plot to take my life.

David describes in detail his pain and weakness. The torment is physical; the psalmist's body, bones, eyes are weak and hurting. Yet the torment is also political and social; conspirators slander David and attack him.

Psalm 31:14-16, Again, trust

But I trust in you, O LORD; 

I say, "You are my God."

My times are in your hands; 

deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.

Let your face shine on your servant; 

save me in your unfailing love.

David earlier plea is countered by his statement of trust and a further request to see God's unfailing love.

Psalm 31:17-18, Shame

Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, 

for I have cried out to you; 

but let the wicked be put to shame

and lie silent in the grave.

Let their lying lips be silenced, 

for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

David fears shame and dishonor. Those attributes should fall on the wicked, who should be silenced in the grave. 

David combines statements of trust with pleas for help, cycling through request, then statement, then request.

Psalm 31:19-21, Goodness stored up

How great is your goodness, 

which you have stored up for those who fear you, 

which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.

In the shelter of your presence you hide them from the intrigues of men; 

in your dwelling you keep them safe from accusing tongues.

Praise be to the LORD, for he showed his wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city.

David's request are based on God's righteousness -- on God's goodness as opposed to his own. He asks to be part of God's long term plans.

Psalm 31:22, Alarm and mercy

In my alarm I said, "I am cut off from your sight!" 

Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.

Verse 22 acts as a summary of the entire psalm.

Psalm 31:23-24, Be strong and take heart

Love the LORD, all his saints! 

The LORD preserves the faithful, 

but the proud he pays back in full.

Be strong and take heart, 

all you who hope in the LORD.

In resolution, David turns to his audience with summary and conclusion: "Be strong and take heart!"

This is a long song of despair and faith, of crying out to God combined with cyclical statements of decision and trust.

The Imprecatory Psalms (Do We Ask God to Destroy Our Enemies?)

The 150 psalms in the book of Psalms express a myriad of emotions, from desperation, doubt and despair, through ecstasy, praise and confidence. We enjoy the psalmists' honest prayers and often use them as models of our own prayer and worship. But certain passages and emotions give readers pause.

In Psalm 3: 7 David writes "Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked." David wants significant violence against his enemies!

In Psalm 7: 14-16 is this passage:

Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.

Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made.

The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads.

Here David wants his enemies to receive the violence that they have planned; he wants evil to boomerang back on his enemies and destroy them. There are other similar passages, in Psalms 35, 52, 58, 59, 69, 79, 83, and 140, for example. 

In Psalm 55: 15 David wants his enemies dead and pulled alive into Sheol:

Let death take my enemies by surprise; 

let them go down alive to the realm of the dead, 

for evil finds lodging among them.

In a number of these passages, David clearly wants God to kill his enemies. Worse yet is the cry of the psalmist exiled to Babylon: Psalm 137: 8-9:

"Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us. Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks."

Here the enemies are not only to be killed but their smallest children brutally murdered! Are these good models for our prayers?

The imprecatory psalms

In a variety of places, the psalmists curse their enemies, begging God to destroy them.  These psalms are often called "imprecatory psalms"; some psalms, although not devoted to these attacks, have "imprecatory passages."  ("Imprecatory" is a fancy word for "cursing.")

Given the perspective of the New Testament, should Christians pray these imprecatory passages?

There have been a number of theological approaches to these passage. Some argue that, No, one should not pray these imprecatory passages. One should not ask God to curse their enemies. C. S. Lewis, in Reflections on the Psalms, argues that with the viewpoint of Jesus and the New Testament, we should rise above these passages and not ask God to destroy our enemies. Lewis mentions Psalm 109; we note especially Psalm 109: 6-15, where David seeks this for his enemy:

May his days be few; ... May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.... 

May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes.... 

May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation.... 

May their sins always remain before the Lord, that he may blot out their name from the earth.

The passage is worth reading in its entirety.

Lewis also mentions Psalm 137 and Psalm 143. Psalm 139, a psalm Jan and I once memorized, has this passage: Psalm 139: 19-22. 

If only you, God, would slay the wicked! ... Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

How does a Christian respond if he/she believes that all Scripture is inspired by God? An online paper on imprecatory psalms, An Overview of the Study of Imprecatory Psalms, by Daniel Simango; P. Paul Krüger. quotes one view:

"[Peter] Craigie views imprecations as "not the oracles of God" but as "Israel's response to God's revelation" in the context of suffering, pain, and suffering. Therefore he sees the imprecatory psalms as "expressions of vindictiveness" and he does not regard them as "holy." Clive Staple Lewis, in a similar vein, writes that the language of imprecatory psalms breathes of "refined malice" and borders on being "devilish." William Holladay echoes the same point when he argues that the imprecations display "a very different spirit" to the teaching of the New Testament. The New Testament exhorts believers to love their enemies, but the psalmists hate their enemies and their sin instead of distinguishing the sinner from sin."

However, others disagree. Some identify the imprecatory passages with God's covenants with Abraham and with Moses, placing them within the Old Testament blessings and curses (see Deuteronomy 28.) In Old Testament times, unlike New Testament  times, God's plan revolved around a single nation, a single people.  The success of the nation of Isreal was associated with His success and it was natural to equate military victory (always violent!) with God's plan. Here, again, is Simango:

Laney argues that the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen 12:1-3) promised blessing on those who blessed Abraham's posterity, and cursing on those who would curse." Since the psalmist was Abraham's posterity he had the right to pray curses on Israel's enemies. Therefore, the imprecations in the psalms are "appeals for Yahweh" to judge those who curse his people. Judgment comes on Israel's enemies "in accordance with the provisions of the Abrahamic covenant."

Others see the imprecatory psalms as part of the prophetic messaging of the Psalter. Consider Psalm 109: 16-20 which begins

For he never thought of doing a kindness, but hounded to death the poor and the needy and the brokenhearted. He loved to pronounce a curse— may it come back on him....

Is this prophetic, predictive of a future judgement? So argued St. Augustine, among others. In Romans 11: 9-11, Paul quotes Psalm 69: 22-23.  For some, these passages suggest that one purpose of the imprecatory passages is to be prophetic passages for the Messiah. 

Rhys Laferty, the author of this blog post Why Lewis And Keller Are Wrong About The Imprecatory Psalms, disagrees with Lewis, worried that his approach dismisses some important scripture and falls upon a slippery slope. And, as others point out, some of these imprecatory passages as quoted in the New Testament! In Acts 1: 20, the disciple Peter quotes from imprecatory passages Psalm 69: 25 and Psalm 109: 8. This should give pause to a Christian who seeks to dismiss the imprecatory passages!

My opinion

I don't think I've ever been bothered by the imprecatory passages. 

The rebound of evil back onto the evildoer is a common theme. In Psalm 109, mentioned above, David points out all the things his opponent has done and asks, in Psalm 109: 17: 

He loved to pronounce a curse— may it come back on him.

If one reads the Psalms after reading 1 & 2 Samuel, after seeing the bloodiness of David's campaigns, I completely sympathize with David. Saul threw spears at David and did everything he could to kill him. Saul sent men to camp outside his house and ambush David. In a series of battles in the hills of Judea, surely Saul killed some of David's men, relatives and friends. Why not plead to God to kill these men of Saul? David merely asks that the evil planned for him rebound on his enemies!

I have prayed this. I have, in the past, been betrayed. To undercut me and destroy my career, someone told lies about me. I prayed that they receive the same treatment -- that they experience the effect of a lying campaign. I did not want them dead -- definitely not! -- but I wanted their arrogant confidence, confidence in their campaign of lies, to be shattered.

In our modern times, we rarely deal with the bloodshed of David's day. But if I were a Ukrainian soldier in the trenches of eastern Ukraine, aware of the horrible brutality of the Russian missile campaigns against my family, I would be comfortable asking God to kill my enemies. (After all, why else would I be holding a rifle?) Amongst the recent attacks against Israeli kibbutzes, I understand the angry prayers of parents gathering bodies of their children, massacred by Hamas. 

The transparency of the psalms is encouraging to me.  

In the second song of Moses, Deuteronomy 32: 35-43, YHWH claims that vengeance is His, not ours:

"It is mine to avenge; I will repay. 

In due time their foot will slip; 

their day of disaster is near 

and their doom rushes upon them.” 

The Lord will vindicate his people... 

If vengeance belongs to God, it is surely better to ask God to enact vengeance, instead of seeking vengeance ourselves! By asking God to make one's enemies to experience their own evil, we release that responsibility to God.

Other Resources

Some of my investigation into imprecatory psalms includes:

• The Gospel Coalition has this online article, What C. S. Lewis Got Wrong About the Cursing Psalms, which is closer to my approach to the Psalms.
• This article at gotquestions.org argues that the imprecatory passages come out of a call for God to enact justice.
• Shepherds Theological Seminary has this article on imprecatory psalms. It argues that the passages rise out of the Old Testament covenant for Israel and provide instruction for us. We can pray for our enemies to be punished but leave that to God. (Obviously this is a good article since it seems to agree with me! 😁)
• Wikipedia has a short article on this topic.

As we work through the Psalter, I will point out the variations on these "imprecations" as they occur.

Psalm 30, Weeping for a Night – Joy in the Morning!

A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. 

Of David.

David did not build the temple, so if this psalm is by David, it presumably is for the dedication of his palace? Or a dedication of the tabernacle/tent that housed the ark?

Psalm 30:1-3, Spared from the grave

I will exalt you, O LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths 

and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.

O LORD, you brought me up from the grave; 

you spared me from going down into the pit.

David is ecstatic that he has been healed and is now victorious. His victory could be a military/political victory (over his enemy, Saul?) or victory over a serious disease. Regardless of the enemy, David's imagery portrays the pit/grave as a deep well from which God reached down and pulled him up.

Psalm 30:4-5, Weeping then rejoicing

Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; 

praise his holy name.

For his anger lasts only a moment,

but his favor lasts a lifetime; 

weeping may remain for a night, 

but rejoicing comes in the morning.

There is some pain in following God, indeed there is pain in all of life. Here Weeping arrives to stay the night but Rejoicing shows up in the morning, kicking Weeping out the door.

Psalm 30:6-7, Stand firm

When I felt secure, I said, "I will never be shaken."

O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; 

but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.

A common refrain... joy is equated with God's active presence.

Psalm 30:8-9, Will the dust praise You?

To you, O LORD, I called; 

to the Lord I cried for mercy:

"What gain is there in my destruction, 

in my going down into the pit? 

Will the dust praise you? 

Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

A common refrain of David's: I can't praise you from the grave!  Keep me alive so that I can praise you! (This is a fairly blatant negotiation!  "Don't You need me alive to praise You?")

Psalm 30:10-12, Wailing into dancing

Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; 

O LORD, be my help."

You turned my wailing into dancing; 

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. 

O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

David reviews God's mercy and goodness to him, how pain and despair gave way to joy and dancing.

Sackcloth is a sign of despair, a physical acting out of grief and despondency. God has removed David's sackcloth and dressed him again, trading the sackcloth for the garment "joy".

There is an ABA envelope (chiasmus) to this passage:  "I praise You," "Don't let me fail!" "I praise You!"

Some Random Thoughts

An analysis of this psalm (with discussion questions), sponsored by the MidwestSafety Youtube channel, is here.

First published Oct 30, 2023; updated Oct 29, 2026

Psalm 29, The Voice of the Lord

A psalm of David.

Psalm 29:1-2, Ascribe

Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, 

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; 

worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

What does "ascribe" mean? David answers that question by modeling this type of praise. The Hebrew word yahab  (יָהַב) means "to assign, testify, give quality to"  and in the next few verses David actively describes characteristics of God and urges others to join him in this description.

As David speaks out here, in parallel, he emphasizes God's actions as attributed to God's "voice." This passage certainly recalls the creative voice of God ("and God said...") from Genesis 1. A number of these verses are reminiscent of the creation story, building land and life out of the chaotic waters.

The "mighty ones" in verse 1 may represent the "angels", divine beings around God.

The command "worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness" could also be translated "because of His holiness"; regardless, the worshipper is immersed in God's character and surrounded by God's righteousness and splendor.

Psalm 29:3-4, Voice of YHWH

The voice of the LORD is over the waters; 

the God of glory thunders, 

the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.

The voice of the LORD is powerful; 

the voice of the LORD is majestic.

The word translated LORD throughout this passage (in the NIV version) is the Hebrew word Yahweh (YHWH). It is emphasized through repetition.

Psalm 29:5-6, The land skips

The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; 

the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, 

Sirion like a young wild ox.

Sirion is apparently Mt. Hermon. Alter suggests that as the cedars of Lebanon were on the northern border of Israel and the desert of Kadesh (see verse 8 below) were in the south, David sees God's Voice sweeping over Israel.

Psalm 29:7-9, "Glory!"

The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning.

The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; 

the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. 

And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"

"Twists the oaks" in verse 9 is an attempt at interpreting an unclear Hebrew phrase.

Psalm 29:10-11, Enthroned

The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; 

the LORD is enthroned as King forever.

The LORD gives strength to his people; 

the LORD blesses his people with peace.

David ends the psalm, as he often does, with a thought that extends beyond himself, to the Jewish nation that he rules.

This psalm is reminiscent of other Old Testament songs, the Song of Moses in Exodus 15 and the Song of Deborah in Judges 5.  It is a song of repetitive, building praise, in which God's name, YHWH, is a drumbeat of adoration.

Some Random Thoughts

An analysis of this psalm (with discussion questions), sponsored by the MidwestSafety Youtube channel, is here.

First published Oct 28, 2023; updated Oct 28, 2026

Psalm 28, Rock & Fortress

Of David.

"Of David" is part of the ancient Hebrew text. Presumably this psalm was written by David (or possibly written for David).

Psalm 28:1, YHWH, my rock

To you I call, O LORD my Rock; 

do not turn a deaf ear to me. 

For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.

A common Davidic metaphor for God: "my Rock." See Psalm 18:1-3 for another example of this metaphor; see 1 Samuel 23:26-28 for a literal example of God saving David as David hid among the rocks, fleeing Saul. The same metaphor, in "fortress" reappears in verse 8.

The "pit" may be Sheol, the grave.

Psalm 28:2-3, Those who speak cordially but...

Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, 

as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.

Do not drag me away with the wicked, 

with those who do evil, 

who speak cordially with their neighbors 

but harbor malice in their hearts.

This psalm is the third in a string of similar psalms, Psalms 26, 27, 28, in which David describes dwelling with God and pleads for safety and more time in God's presence.

Regarding verse 3: how often have we had some one speak cordially to us, but with malice in their hearts? Sadly, this is a common human phenomenon.

Psalm 28:4-5, Back upon them what they deserve

Repay them for their deeds 

and for their evil work; 

repay them for what their hands have done 

and bring back upon them what they deserve.

Since they show no regard for the works of the LORD

 and what his hands have done, 

he will tear them down 

and never build them up again.

This is another standard David refrain, "I plea for help!  I have been righteous (mostly) while they seek evil!"

Psalm 28:6-9, Heart leaps

Praise be to the LORD, 

for he has heard my cry for mercy.

The LORD is my strength and my shield; 

my heart trusts in him, 

and I am helped. 

My heart leaps for joy 

and I will give thanks to him in song.

The LORD is the strength of his people, 

a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

Save your people and bless your inheritance; 

be their shepherd and carry them forever.

In verse 7 David responds in song, expressing his thanks in music. In verse 8, he relies on his covenant with God, reminding God that David (and his descendants) are "anointed", part of a messianic plan (Indeed the Greek word, "Christ", simply means "the Anointed One," that is, the one promised by David.)

Throughout this passage, David's past experiences -- both as a shepherd in his youth and later, as a leader of men, hiding among the rocks and hills -- drive the metaphors for his dependence on God.

The last verse serves as an appropriate blessing, "May God bless your inheritance, be your Shepherd, and carry you forever."  Amen!

Some Random Thoughts

Regarding verse 3: how often have we had some one speak cordially to us, but with malice in their hearts?  I fear this is especially common in Texas, where southern gentility requires that one say, "Good morning!" or "Good day!" regardless of one's real motives.

An analysis of this psalm (with discussion questions), sponsored by the MidwestSafety Youtube channel, is here.

First published Oct 27, 2023; updated Oct 27, 2026