Why read Psalm 7? What is the interpretation of the Psalm and what do its verses mean? You can listen online or read the text of the prayer Psalm 7 in Russian on our website.
1 Lord, my God! I trust in You; save me from all those who persecute me and deliver me,
2 Let not the enemy snatch away my soul like a lion, when there is neither one to deliver nor one to save.
3 Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is iniquity in my hands,
4 If I have repaid those who repay me with evil, then let me fall without strength from my enemies.
5 Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake me, and trample my life into the ground, and cast my glory into dust.
6 Arise, O Lord, in Thy wrath, rise above the borders of Thy enemies, and awaken, O Lord my God, according to the commandment which Thou hast commanded;
7 And the assembly of nations will surround you, and for their sake return to the heights!
8 The Lord will judge the nations; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and my goodness in me.
9 Let the wickedness of sinners end, and let You guide the righteous, O God, who searches the hearts and reins, in righteousness.
10 My help comes from God, who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge, and mighty, and slow to anger, and does not bring wrath every day.
12 If you do not turn, He will polish His sword; He bent His bow and prepared it,
13 And with him He prepared instruments of death, He made His arrows for those who were burned.
14 Behold, the wicked in torments brought forth iniquity, conceived disaster, and gave birth to iniquity;
15 He dug a ditch and dug it out, and it fell into the pit that he had made.
16 His evil will return upon his head, and his iniquity will come upon his crown.
17 I will glorify the Lord according to His righteousness and will sing praises to the name of the Lord Most High.
The History of Psalm 7
The seventh psalm is a lamentation song, of which there are quite a few in the biblical book of Psalms. In terms of its emotional content, the work should be attributed to a difficult period in the author’s life. Since most of the poetic forms were written by King David, Psalm 7 is associated with the reclusive life of the psalmist.
Pursued by the people of King Saul, who was particularly envious and hostile, the youth David was forced to wander for a long time. The future king of the Hebrew people lived in an abandoned cave in an area remote from his native land. It was here that the prophet began to have conversations with the Lord God. In his speeches, the righteous man asked for the protection and favor of the Almighty, complaining about injustice, slander and persecution.
The seventh psalm is the lament of the prophet David
Psalm 7, written in Hebrew, has the inscription “shigtayon,” the meaning of which has never been determined. Linguists give this “term” the following explanation: it was in this way that the psalmists signed emotionally complex works. Revelations and conversations with the Almighty were written mainly during difficult life situations. In the case of the prophet David - during the period of forced flight from King Saul.
Psalter of King and Prophet David
KATHISMA 7
Psalm 46
1 To fulfillment through the sons of Korah. Psalm.
2 All nations, clap your hands and shout to God with a voice of joy, 3 for the Lord Most High is awesome, a great King in all the earth. 4 He made nations subject to us and nations under our feet, 5 He chose for us His inheritance, the beauty of Jacob, which He loved. 6 God rose up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. 7 Sing to our God, sing, sing to our King, sing. 8 For God is the King of all the earth, sing wisely! 9 God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. 10 The princes of the nations gathered together to the God of Abraham, for the mighty people of God in the earth were greatly exalted.
Psalm 47
1 Psalm-song of the sons of Korah. On the second day of the week.
2 Great is the Lord and highly praised in the city of our God, in His holy mountain, 3 well established, the joy of the whole earth! The mountains of Zion, the northern slopes, are the city of the great King. 4 God is known in his palace when he helps him. 5 For behold, the kings of the earth are gathered together; 6 When they saw this, they were surprised, they were alarmed, they hesitated, 7 trembling fell upon them there, pangs like those of a woman in labor. 8 You will destroy the ships of the Tarsians with a strong wind. 9 As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God founded it forever. 10 We have received, O God, Thy mercy in the midst of Thy people; 11 As is Your name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. 12 Let Mount Zion be glad, and let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of Your judgments, O Lord. 13 Surround Zion and embrace it, tell about its towers, 14 turn your hearts to its strength, and consider its palaces, so that you can tell another generation. 15 For this is our God forever and ever, and He will shepherd us forever.
Psalm 48
1 To fulfillment, O children of Korah. Psalm.
2 Hear this, all you nations, take heed, all you who live in the world, 3 the begotten of earth and the sons of men, rich and poor together. 4 My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. 5 I will incline my ear to the parable, I will reveal my riddle in the psalter. 6 Why should I fear on the evil day? - The iniquity of my heel will surround me! 7 Those who trust in their strength and boast in the abundance of their riches! 8 Brother will not deliver. Will man deliver? He will not give a ransom to God for himself 9 or the price of the redemption of his soul, 10 even if he labored forever, so that he may live to the end and not see destruction. But he will see the wise also die, 11 and that the foolish and the foolish will also perish and leave their wealth to strangers; 12 And their graves are their dwellings forever, their abodes for generations and generations. They gave their names to their lands. 13 But the man who was in honor did not understand, and became equal to the foolish cattle and became like them. 14 This way of theirs is a stumbling block for them, but even after that they will approve it with their lips. 15 They are like sheep in hell; death feeds them; and in the morning the righteous will rule over them, and their help will be exhausted in hell, they will be cut off from their glory. 16 But God will deliver my soul from the hand of hell when He receives me. 17 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich or when the glory of his house increases, 18 for when he dies, he will take nothing, and his glory will not go away with him. 19 For his soul will be praised while he lives; he will praise you when you do good to him; 20 But he will go to the line of his fathers, and will not see the light for a century. 21 And man, who was in honor, did not understand, and became equal to foolish cattle and became like them.
Glory:
Psalm 49
1 Psalm of Asaph.
The God of gods, the Lord, spoke and called the earth from the east of the sun to the west. 2 From Zion is the splendor of His beauty. God will clearly come, 3 our God, and will not remain silent: a fire will burn before Him, and a strong storm will surround Him. 4 He will call upon the heavens above and the earth to judge between His people. 5 Gather together for Him His saints, who have made a covenant with Him regarding sacrifices. 6 And the heavens will declare His righteousness, for God is the judge. 7 “Hear, My people, and I will tell you, O Israel, and I will testify to you. I am God, your God; 8 It is not because of your sacrifices that I will rebuke you: for your burnt offerings are always before Me. 9 I will not accept bulls from your house, nor goats from your flocks. 10 For all the beasts in the forest are Mine, the cattle on the mountains and the oxen. 11 I know all the birds of the air, and the beauty of the field is with Me. 12 If I were hungry, I would not have told you: the universe is Mine, and what fills it. 13 Shall I eat the flesh of oxen or drink the blood of goats? 14 Offer a sacrifice of praise to God, and pay your vows to the Most High, 15 and call on Me in the day of your trouble, and I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me.” 16 But God said to the sinner, “Why do you preach My commandments and accept My covenant with your mouth? 17 But you hated instruction and threw My words back! 18 If he saw a thief, he fled with him, and shared his share with the adulterer; 19 Your mouth has multiplied malice, and your tongue has woven deceit. 20 You sat and slandered your brother, and caused temptation to your mother’s son. 21 You did this, and I kept silent; you thought iniquity that I would be like you. I will reprove you and bring your sins before you.” 22 Understand this, you who forget God, lest He snatch you away, and there will be no deliverer. 23 “The sacrifice of praise will glorify Me, and there is the way in which I will show him My salvation.”
Psalm 50
1 For execution. Psalm of David. 2 When Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba the wife of Uriah.
3 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy and according to the multitude of Your compassions blot out my iniquity; 4 Wash me completely from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 5 For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me. 6 I have sinned against You, the One, and done evil before You, so that you may be justified in Your words and overcome if they enter into judgment with You. 7 For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and my mother bore me in sins. 8 For behold, You have loved the truth; You have revealed to me the hidden and secret things of Your wisdom. 9 You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be cleansed; Wash me, and I will become whiter than snow; 10 You will make me hear joy and gladness, and my humble bones will rejoice. 11 Turn away Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 12 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a Right Spirit within me. 13 Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 14 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and strengthen me with the Sovereign Spirit. 15 I will teach the wicked your ways, and the wicked will turn to you. 16 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation; my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. 17 Lord, You will open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise. 18 For if You had desired sacrifice, I would have given it; you will not be pleased with burnt offerings. 19 A sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God will not despise a contrite and humble heart. 20 Bless Zion, O Lord, with Thy favor, and let the walls of Jerusalem be erected; 21 Then thou shalt accept graciously the sacrifice of righteousness, the offering and the burnt offering, and then they will lay the bullocks on Thy altar.
Glory:
Psalm 51
1 For execution. David's teaching. 2 When Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, he said to him, “David has come to the house of Abimelech.”
3 Why do you boast in anger, O mighty one, of iniquity all day long? 4 Your tongue has conceived lies, just as you have created deceit like a sharp razor. 5 You loved vice more than good, falsehood more than speaking the truth. 6 You have loved all destructive speech, a deceitful tongue. 7 Therefore God will destroy you completely; May He uproot you and remove you from your dwelling, and let your root be from the land of the living. 8 The righteous will see and fear, and will laugh at him and say: 9 “Here is a man who did not make God his helper, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth, and was strengthened by his vanity.” 10 But I, like a fruitful olive tree in the house of God, have placed my hope in the mercy of God forever and ever. 11 I will praise You forever for what You have done, and I will trust in Your name, for it is good in the sight of Your saints.
Psalm 52
1 To be performed on maleʹfa. David's teaching.
2 The fool said in his heart: “There is no God!” They became corrupt and became vile in iniquities; there is no one who does good. 3 God looked down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there was one who understood or sought after God. 4 They have all gone astray, they have become unprofitable together; there is no one who does good, not even one. 5 Shall not all the workers of iniquity recognize it? Those who eat my people as they eat bread have not called on the Lord. 6 There they were afraid of fear, where there was no fear, for God had scattered the bones of men-pleasers. They were ashamed, because God despised them. 7 Who will give salvation to Israel from Zion? When God brings back the captivity of His people, Jacob will rejoice and Israel will be glad.
Psalm 53
1 To be performed, in the manner of hymns. Teaching of Asaph. 2 When Ziph came and said to Saul, “Behold, is not David hidden among us?”
3 O God, save me in Your name and judge me in Your power. 4 God, hear my prayer, consider the words of my mouth. 5 For strangers have risen up against me, and the mighty have sought my soul, and have not set God before them. 6 But behold, God helps me, and the Lord is the protector of my soul. 7 He will turn evil on my enemies: by Your truth I will destroy them. 8 I will earnestly sacrifice to You, I will glorify Your name, O Lord, for it is good, 9 For You have delivered me from all sorrow, and my eye has looked on my enemies.
Psalm 54
1 To be performed, in the manner of hymns. David's teaching.
2 Hear, O God, my prayer and do not despise my supplication; 3 give ear to me and hear me. I was saddened in my grief and troubled 4 because of the voice of the enemy and because of the oppression of the sinner, for they brought iniquity against me and in anger they fought against me. 5 My heart was troubled within me, and the fear of death came upon me, 6 fear and trembling came upon me, and darkness covered me. 7 And I said, “Who will give me wings like a dove, so that I can fly and rest?” 8 Behold, I went into exile and settled in the wilderness. 9 I waited for God to save me from cowardice and from the storm. 10 Flood, O Lord, and divide their tongues, for I have seen iniquity and strife in the city. 11 Day and night they circle around its walls; iniquity and sorrow are in the midst of it, and unrighteousness, 12 and covetousness and deceit have not disappeared from its streets. 13 For if an enemy had reproached me, I would have endured it; and if my hater had magnified himself over me, I would have hidden from him. 14 But you, a man of one accord with me, my mentor and my neighbor, 15 whose fellowship has delighted my meals, we walked in the house of God in one mind! 16 Let death come upon them, and let them go down to hell alive, for wickedness is in their dwellings, in the midst of them. 17 I cried to God, and the Lord heard me; 18 In the evening, and in the morning, and at noon, I will tell and proclaim, and He will hear my voice. 19 He will deliver my soul peacefully from those who approach me, for there were many of them near me. 20 God, who was before the ages, will hear and humble them. For there is no ransom for them, for they did not fear God. 21 He stretched out His hand for retribution; they profaned His covenant. 22 His faces were divided in anger, and their hearts were drawn together; Their words have become more tender than oil, but they are arrows. 23 Cast your care on the Lord, and He will feed you, He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. 24 But you, O God, will bring them down into the well of destruction: bloodthirsty and treacherous men will not reach half their days. And I, Lord, trust in You.
Glory:
AFTER KATHISMA 7
Trisagion. Glory, and now: Most Holy Trinity: Lord, have mercy (3) . Glory, and now: Our Father:
Troparion, tone 5
With the Judge sitting and the angels standing by, / a sounding trumpet, a burning flame, / what will you do, my soul, / when they lead you to Judgment? / For then your evil deeds will appear, / and your secret sins will be revealed. / Therefore, before the end, cry to the Judge: / “God, cleanse me and save me!”
Glory: Let us all stay awake and meet Christ / with plenty of oil and bright lamps, / so that we may be worthy to enter inside the palace, / for those who remain behind the doors will cry out to God in vain: / “Have mercy on me!”
And now: Lying on the bed of many sins, / I am deprived of hope for my salvation, / for the sleep of my laziness foreshadows torment for my soul. / But You, God, born of the Virgin, / raise me up to sing to You, / so that I may glorify You.
Lord, have mercy (40) and prayer:
Lord, my God, You, as the Good One and the Lover of Mankind, have done many mercies to me, which I did not expect to see! And what shall I repay to Your goodness, O my Lord, O Lord? I thank Your constantly chanted name, I thank Your inscrutable mercy towards me, I thank Your unparalleled long-suffering. And from now on, protect me, and help me, and cover me, Master, from all troubles, so that I will no longer sin before You. For You know the tendency of my nature to fall, You know my madness, You know what I have done, consciously and out of ignorance, voluntarily and involuntarily, night and day, both in mind and in thought. Cleanse, as the Good and Humane-loving God, all this with the dew of Your mercy, Most Gracious Lord, and save us for the sake of Your holy name, in ways known to You. For You are light, and truth, and life, and to You we ascribe glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Detailed interpretation and meaning
The seventh lament song from the holy book of Psalms is of a confessional nature. The work clearly shows the physical and mental weakness of the author. The psalmist talks about persecution and unfair remarks against him. The author complains about the injustice of persecution, convinces the Almighty of his innocence, and asks for help and protection.
The first verses - from 1 to 3 - are a revelation story. The psalmist is worried and afraid of being killed by the people sent by King Saul. He compares the king to a lion, which is merciless towards its chosen victim. From the emotional delivery, it is noticeable that David feels depressed and completely defeated.
The next two lines are the author’s confession. The prophet convinces the Lord God of his innocence and unjust persecution. He turns to the Almighty with a request to carry out the judgment of God. If Jesus Christ finds David guilty of something, he is ready to be punished.
In the last verses the psalmist calls God his protector. He is convinced of His fair judgment and further protection. The work ends with words of praise and glorification of the Almighty.
Psalm 7 is confessional
Prophet David writes about his trials
The verse ends with laudatory speeches
Psalm that a person is sometimes subjected to unjust punishment and unjustified persecution
Reading the seventh Psalm is necessary for those who consider themselves right before God.
He who is confident that he is doing everything right, lives a righteous life, and does not sin. Some events that have occurred seem to people like punishment or retribution for some mistakes, but they are confident that they are right and cannot understand why what happened to them happened. David is also confident that he is acting in accordance with God's commandments. But he is not afraid to tell God to check whether this is really so. And when some discrepancy with God’s plan or His will is discovered in him, the king agrees to the changes. He repents of what he did wrong and corrects his behavior and life completely. It is important for him that his actions are consistent with God. You need to understand that bad events in the life of a person who completely relies on God are not accidental. They are necessary in order to teach something, change yourself and change some things in your life. Through trials, God tests a person to see whether his words are at odds with his actions, and whether he will exactly act as he says. Difficult times in life pursue a certain goal, the result of which will only be visible in the future.
Text of Psalm 7 in Russian
1 The song of lamentation that David sang to the Lord in the cause of Hus, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 Lord, my God! in You I trust; save me from all my persecutors and deliver me;
3 Let him not, like a lion, tear out my soul, tormenting me when there is no one to deliver [and save].
4 Lord, my God! if I have done anything, if there is injustice in my hands,
5 If I repaid with evil the one who was at peace with me - I, who saved even the one who without reason became my enemy -
6 Then let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake me, let him trample my life into the ground, and cast my glory into dust.
7 Arise, O Lord, in Thy wrath; move against the fury of my enemies, awaken for me to the judgment that You commanded -
8 A crowd of people will stand around You; rise above it to a height.
9 The Lord judges the nations. Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to my integrity within me.
10 Let the wickedness of the wicked cease, and strengthen the righteous, for You test the hearts and bellies, O righteous God!
11 My shield is in God, who saves the upright in heart.
12 God is a righteous judge, [mighty and long-suffering,] and a God who is strict every day,
13 if anyone does not apply. He sharpens His sword, He bends His bow and guides it,
14 He prepares for him vessels of death, He makes His arrows burning.
15 Behold, the wicked conceived iniquity, was pregnant with malice, and gave birth to lies;
16 He dug a ditch, and dug it out, and fell into the pit that he had prepared:
17 His wickedness will turn on his head, and his wickedness will fall on his crown.
18 I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness and sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
You can read Psalm 7 in difficult life situations, as well as when starting any new business. A frank conversation with the Son of God helps to gain faith and take the right path.
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Psalm 7 read:
Psalm 7
1 Psalm to David, which the Lord sang about the words of Husha, the son of Jemen
2 O Lord my God, in Thee I have trusted, save me from all those who persecute me and deliver me: 3 lest a lion snatch away my soul; I am not the one who delivers, but the one who saves. 4 O Lord my God, if I have done these things, if wickedness is in my hand, 5 if I repay those who repay evil to me, let me then fall away from the leanness of my enemies. 6 Let the enemy marry my soul and overwhelm me, and trample my life into the ground, and place my glory in the dust. 7 Arise, O Lord, by Thy wrath, Thy enemies are exalted in the end, and arise, O Lord my God, by the commandment which Thou hast commanded. 8 And a multitude of people will go around Thee, and for this reason they will look up on high. 9 The Lord judges people: judge me, Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to my kindness towards me. 10 Let the wickedness of sinners come to an end, and correct the righteous, try hearts and bellies, O God, righteous. 11 My help comes from God, who saves the upright in heart. 12 God the judge is righteous and mighty and slow to anger, and does not cause wrath every day. 13 And if you do not turn, He will cleanse His weapon, His bow and its preparation, 14 And in it He will prepare the vessels of death, His arrows will be burned up. 15 Behold, through wickedness, sickness will be conceived, and iniquity will be born: 16 a pit, and fossils, and it will fall into the pit that it has made. 17 His sickness will come upon his head, and unrighteousness will come down upon his head. 18 Let us confess to the Lord His righteousness and sing to the name of the Lord Most High.
Rules for reading sacred tests
You can read the sacred text at different times (morning, evening). The exception is the week of Bright Week. For seven days after Easter one must refrain from saying a psalm. The rest of the year you can praise the Lord. Other recommendations:
- you need to retire to concentrate on the words written in the prayer book;
- turning to the Lord must be sincere;
- the text is read in front of a lit church candle or lamp;
- You can turn to God in front of the icon of Jesus Christ;
- the text must be chanted, this helps to tune in to a certain mood when reading the prayer;
- they recite psalms while sitting or standing; there are no strict restrictions on this, in addition, it is believed that kathismas can be read while sitting by all believers;
- the song is read aloud, but the voice should not be too loud or harsh;
- You can turn to the prayer book when a spiritual need arises or regularly when performing a morning or evening prayer rule.
There are no specific norms regulating who should recite the sacred text. The psalm helps everyone who sincerely turns to the Lord through it. You can recite it in a temple or at home. The result of prayer will be the same. You are allowed to read Psalm 7 in Russian or choose earlier versions. In Orthodoxy this is also not regulated by any canons. It is written that anyone can pray and glorify the Lord if he does it sincerely.
“Psalm of David 7”: history, meaning, interpretation
King Saul received into his palace the future ruler (secretly anointed to the kingdom by God) - David. He would be young, handsome, and have many talents, including playing a musical instrument. Saul was in sorrow at that time, and therefore needed entertainment. Therefore, he called David, who later approached the ruler thanks to his intelligence.
Gradually the young man won the love of the people to a greater extent,
than himself, which angered Saul.
Later, David lost the favor of the ruler. If earlier he was his assistant, then he became a military leader, because he defeated Goliath. Later, the young man married one of the king’s daughters. However, after jealousy flared up in Saul's heart, David found himself in danger. He miraculously escaped death and imprisonment, after which he decided to escape.
David wandered for a very long time; it was during this period that the saddest psalms were written, which belong to the texts of the “song-lament” form. David remained alone for a long time, lived in a cave, and then he began to turn to the Lord with prayers for help and mercy, since he did not commit atrocities either before the ruler Saul or before the Heavenly Father himself.
Throughout the entire period of wandering on the run
the future king David did not harm his father-in-law.
He avoided situations where he would have to decide whether Saul should live or die. Once finding himself in a cave where the ruler was resting alone, David did not harm him, but only cut off part of Saul’s cloak to provide proof of his presence, as well as the fact that the young husband was not dangerous to the ruler. But this did not calm the heart of the hard-hearted man. He continued the persecution, gave David's wife to another, and committed many atrocities. The fugitive's wanderings and difficult trials continued until the death of the ruler.
Interpretation of the song:
- 7.1: the first verse makes it clear what the story is about, the essence of the psalm is revealed further;
- 7.2: a plea for salvation is voiced, David calls on the Lord to deliver him from his pursuers;
- 7.3: the hope is expressed that none of the enemies will be able to kidnap the soul of the person praying;
- 7.4-7.6: David declares that if he became the cause of persecution (sinned), then may God crush him, then the enemy will be able to overtake the fugitive and take his soul, trample life into the ground, trample on glory (symbolic description of the shame and death of the body, soul) ;
- 7.7-7.8: David calls on the Lord to bring judgment on him, so that everyone can see who is guilty, whether there are violations of God’s covenant, whether David is the villain that Saul made of him, forcing him to go on the run;
- 7.9: the one praying asks to judge him, for the Lord is just;
- 7.10: turns to God with a request to pacify the persecutors, but to strengthen the spirit of the righteous (David);
- 7.11: may David receive God’s help, if the Almighty so decides;
- 7.12-7.14: The Lord is just, but if the wicked do not stop their evil deeds and do not return to God, then the Almighty will direct burning arrows and a sharp sword at them;
- 7.157.17: the wicked himself goes to destruction: he digs a ditch for himself, he gave birth to one lie, which led him to the grave, sudden death or serious illness - everyone will receive what he deserves from his atrocities;
- 7.18: The name of God is glorified, David prayed for this.
