Psalm 7 is the seventh psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me". In Latin, it is known as "Domine Deus meus in te speravi". Its authorship is traditionally assigned to King David. The message in the psalm is that the righteous may seem weak, but ultimately will prevail against the wicked...

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music, and has inspired hymns.

Structure The seventh psalm is a Psalm of David, and one of the Lamentations of an individual. A possible outline the psalm is as follows:. Verse 2f: calling upon God for help Verse 4–6: protestation of innocence Verse 7–10: achieving desires of the Last Judgment over his enemies Verse 11f: comforting certainty to YHWH Verse 13–17: Comparison of the wicked enemy the world court Verse 18: Vows.

Superscription A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite. This line is verse 1 in Hebrew texts.New King James Version, footnote a The Hebrew word shiggayon, which appears in the superscription, is of unknown meaning, perhaps indicating an emotional song.Wartburg Project, Footnote a at Psalm 7:1 in the Evangelical Heritage Version

Text The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the Koine Greek text in the Septuagint and the English translation from the King James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text come from different textual traditions.A 1917 translation directly from Hebrew to English by the Jewish Publication Society can be found here or here, and an 1844 translation directly from the Septuagint by L. C. L. Brenton can be found here. Both translations are in the public domain. #HebrewEnglishGreek (Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.) 1 O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: 2 Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver. 3 O LORD my God, If I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands; 4 If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:) 5 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. 6 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. 7 So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high. 8 The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me. 9 Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins. 10 My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. 11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. 12 If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready. 13 He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors. 14 Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood. 15 He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. 16 His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate. 17 I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.

Uses

Judaism Psalm 7 is recited on Purim.The Artscroll Tehillim, page 329See also Séfer Tehilim, de Rachi, XIe siècle.

In Protestant revivalism

Jonathan Edwards used some of the imagery from Psalm 7 in his 1741 sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.

Psalm 7:12–13 was used in Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God as:

A takeoff on this imagery used by the book by Brian Zahnd is Sinners in the hands of a loving God.Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God: The Scandalous Truth of the Very Good News, Brian Zahnd, 2017

The arrow imagery will occur 15 times in Psalms, of God, of His enemies and even of children of blessed people.Bible search results

Catholicism Around 530, St. Benedict of Nursia choose this psalm for the Tuesday office of Prime. According to the rule of St. Benedict, it was the first of three psalms.tradiction de Prosper Guéranger, Règle de saint Benoît, (Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Solesmes, réimpression 2007) p. 46. This tradition is still respected in a number of monasteries.

In the Liturgy of the Hours, Psalm 7 is recited during the Office of Midday on Mondays in the first week of the four weekly cycle of liturgical prayers.

Book of Common Prayer In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the evening of the first day of the month.Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, pp. 199-200

Musical settings Heinrich Schütz wrote a setting of a paraphrase of Psalm 7 in German, "Auf dich trau ich, mein Herr und Gott", SWV 103, for the Becker Psalter, published first in 1628.

Illuminated manuscripts

Notes

References

External links

in Hebrew and English - Mechon-mamre Text of Psalm 7 according to the 1928 Psalter A plaintive song of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, the Benjaminite. / LORD my God, in you I trusted text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Psalm 7:1 introduction and text, biblestudytools.com Psalm 7 – Confidence in God's Deliverance enduringword.com Psalm 7 / Refrain: Give judgement for me according to my righteousness, O Lord. Church of England Psalm 7 at biblegateway.com Hymns for Psalm 7 hymnary.org PSALMUS 07, Vatican City