| Psalm 17 | |
| Subtitle: | "Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry" |
| Image Upright: | 1.2 |
| Other Name: |
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| Language: | Hebrew (original) |
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.
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies.
The following table shows the Hebrew text[2] [3] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).
| Verse | Hebrew | English translation (JPS 1917) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Prayer of David. Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry; Give ear unto my prayer from lips without deceit. | |
| 2 | Let my judgment come forth from Thy presence; Let Thine eyes behold equity. | |
| 3 | Thou hast tried my heart, Thou hast visited it in the night; Thou hast tested me, and Thou findest not That I had a thought which should not pass my mouth. | |
| 4 | As for the doings of men, by the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the ways of the violent. | |
| 5 | My steps have held fast to Thy paths, My feet have not slipped. | |
| 6 | As for me, I call upon Thee, for Thou wilt answer me, O God; Incline Thine ear unto me, hear my speech. | |
| 7 | Make passing great Thy mercies, O Thou that savest by Thy right hand From assailants them that take refuge in Thee. | |
| 8 | Keep me as the apple of the eye, Hide me in the shadow of Thy wings, | |
| 9 | From the wicked that oppress, My deadly enemies, that compass me about. | |
| 10 | Their gross heart they have shut tight, With their mouth they speak proudly. | |
| 11 | At our every step they have now encompassed us; They set their eyes to cast us down to the earth. | |
| 12 | He is like a lion that is eager to tear in pieces, And like a young lion lurking in secret places. | |
| 13 | Arise, O LORD, confront him, cast him down; Deliver my soul from the wicked, by Thy sword; | |
| 14 | From men, by Thy hand, O LORD, From men of the world, whose portion is in this life, And whose belly Thou fillest with Thy treasure; Who have children in plenty, And leave their abundance to their babes. | |
| 15 | As for me, I shall 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,[4] for example in verses 3, 4 and 14.[5]
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)."[6]
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.[7] 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.
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]
11^https://www.lyricsondemand.com/a/aoifenifhearraighlyrics/moghrthsalm17lyrics.html