I have called on you, for you will answer me, God. Turn your ear to me. Hear my speech.
Parallel Translations
-
I have called on you, for you will answer me, God. Turn your ear to me. Hear my speech.
-
I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.
-
As for me, I call upon Thee, for Thou wilt answer me, O God; incline Thine ear unto me, hear my speech.
Cross-references (9)
Passages linked to Psalms 17:6 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Psalms 116:2 Because he has turned his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
- Psalms 86:7 In the day of my trouble I will call on you, for you will answer me.
- Psalms 66:19-20 But most certainly, God has listened. He has heard the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor his loving kindness from me.
- Psalms 88:2 Let my prayer enter into your presence. Turn your ear to my cry.
- Psalms 55:16 As for me, I will call on God. Yahweh will save me.
- Isaiah 37:17 Turn your ear, Yahweh, and hear. Open your eyes, Yahweh, and behold. Hear all of the words of Sennacherib, who has sent to defy the living God.
- Daniel 9:17-19 “Now therefore, our God, listen to the prayer of your servant, and to his petitions, and cause your face to shine on your sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. My God, turn your ear, and hear. Open your eyes, and see our desolations, and the city which is called by your name; for we do not present our petitions before you for our righteousness, but for your great mercies’ sake. Lord, hear. Lord, forgive. Lord, listen and do. Don’t defer, for your own sake, my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”
- Isaiah 37:20 Now therefore, Yahweh our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you are Yahweh, even you only.”
- Psalms 13:3-4 Behold, and answer me, Yahweh, my God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death; lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him;” lest my adversaries rejoice when I fall.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (17 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 6. I have called upon thee, etc. This verb…
6. I have called upon thee, etc. This verb being put in the past tense denotes a continued act; and, therefore, it includes the present time. The Hebrew word כי, ki, which we translate surely, often signifies because, and if it is so understood in this passage, the meaning will be, that David took encouragement to pray, because, depending upon the promise of God, he hoped that his prayers would not be in vain. But, perhaps, it may be thought preferable to change the tense of the verb as some do, so as to give this meaning, I will pray, because I have hitherto experienced that thou hast heard The Septuagint renders the verb in the past tense, “Επηκουσας μου,” “Thou hast heard me.” The Syriac and Vulgate give a similar rendering. The verb, in the Hebrew, is in the future; but it is a common thing in Hebrew to use the future tense for the past.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain He was assured that God would not refuse his…
He was assured that God would not refuse his request.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Psa 17:6 I have called upon thee, for thou…
Psa 17:6 I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, [and hear] my speech.
Ver. 6. I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me] q.d. Thou wast always wont to hear me, and therefore I presume thou wilt. Experience breeds confidence.
Read full note →
Incline thine ear] See how he reinforceth his former request; as if he would wring the blessing out of God’s hands by a holy violence, and take no denial.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain I have called upon thee; it hath been, and…
I have called upon thee; it hath been, and still is, and shall be my constant course to apply myself to thee for assistance and for deliverance.
For thou wilt hear me, O God; for though thou mayst delay for a season, I am well assured that thou wilt hear and answer me.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain I have called upon thee,.... In prayer. This had…
I have called upon thee,.... In prayer. This had been the constant practice of the psalmist, and he still continued in it;
for thou wilt hear me, O God; God is a God hearing prayer; he is used to hear his people, and they have frequent experience of it, and they may be assured that whatsoever they ask according to his will, and in the name of Christ, he will hear; and such an assurance is a reason engaging the saints to a constant calling upon God, Psa 116:2; and such confidence of being always heard Christ had, Joh 11:41;
Read full note →
incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech; meaning his prayer, which he now directed to him in full assurance of being heard, and is as follows.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 6. Incline thine ear unto me] David prayed…
Verse 6. Incline thine ear unto me] David prayed from a conviction that God would hear: but he could not be satisfied unless he received an answer. In a believer's mind the petition and the answer should not be separated.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Psa 17:6. I have called upon thee — It…
Psa 17:6. I have called upon thee — It hath been, still is, and shall be, my constant course, to apply myself to thee for assistance and deliverance. For thou wilt hear, O God — Though thou mayest delay for a season, I am well assured that thou wilt hear and answer me.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain I have called upon thee for thou wilt hear…
I have called upon thee for thou wilt hear me, O God - The meaning of this is, “I have called on thee heretofore, and will do it still, because I am certain that thou wilt hear me.” That is, he was encouraged to call upon God by the conviction that he would hear his prayer, and would grant his request. In other words, he came to God in faith; in the full belief of his readiness to answer prayer, and to bestow needed blessings. Compare Joh 11:42; Heb 11:6.
Incline thine ear unto me - See the notes at Psa 17:1.
Read full note →
My speech - My prayer. The reference here, as in Psa 17:1, is to prayer “uttered” before God; and not mere mental prayer.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain wilt hear me--that is, graciously (Psa 3:4).
wilt hear me--that is, graciously (Psa 3:4).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 6. Having laid open his inmost thoughts, and protested…
6. Having laid open his inmost thoughts, and protested his innocence before God, the psalmist now resumes his prayer.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 6. I have called upon thee] I is emphatic.…
6. I have called upon thee] I is emphatic. Being such an one as I am, I have called upon Thee, in full confidence that Thou wilt answer me.
O God] El, as in Psa_16:1. See note on Psa_5:4.
Read full note →
hear] Wrongly printed in italics in many editions.
6–9. After protesting his integrity he resumes his prayer.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (6) I—is emphatic, “As for me, I,” &c.
(6) I—is emphatic, “As for me, I,” &c.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear…
I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God (comp. vers. 1, 2). Having established, as the ground of his claim to be heard of God, his own sincerity, steadfastness, and virtuous course in life (vers. 3-5), David now recurs to his original intent, and resumes his "prayer." He is sure that God will hear him, since his prayer is grounded on "right." Incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech. (comp. Psa_71:2 Psa_88:2, etc.)
Vers. 6-15. Confidence in God.
Read full note →
From the first to the fifth verse the prayer bases his confidence in God on four pleas.
1. He prays for the righteous cause.
2. In a righteous spirit.
3. On the ground of a righteous character.
4. On the ground of righteous conduct.
Now we come to other grounds upon which he urges God to save him.
I THE COMPASSION OF GOD for THOSE WHO URGENTLY CRY TO HIM. (Vers. 6, 7) He calls, because God answers him; and now he calls for a special exercise of mercy, because God saves those who find their refuge or safety in him. He was pleading according to the law of God"s nature, and had, therefore, a Divine warrant for his prayer: "If we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.
II HIS IMMINENT DANGER. (Vers. 7, 9, 11, 12) His enemies were the enemies of God (ver. 7). They would destroy him (ver. 9). They haunted his footsteps everywhere (ver. 11). He prays, therefore, to be protected as the pupil of the eye is protected, as if he could not be kept secure enough; and to be hidden under the shadow of the Divine wings, where no danger could reach him. (Deu_32:10, Deu_32:11)
III THE WICKEDNESS OF HIS ADVERSARIES.
1. Their want of sympathy and their hard pride. (Ver. 10) "Enclosed in fat" is equivalent to "have become gross and unfeeling.
2. They were bent on the ruin of others as well as themselves. (Ver. 11)
3. They were fierce and furious in their wicked efforts. (Ver. 12) Like a greedy lion, like a young vigorous lion lurking in his lair.
IV THEY WERE MEN WHO SOUGHT THEIR PORTION IN THIS PASSING LIFE; WHILE HE SOUGHT HIS IN GOD. (Vers. 13-15)
1. They were satisfied with the treasures of this world. With children and worldly substance, and were not worthy, therefore, to triumph over the righteous cause and the righteous persons. Deliver me from such worldlings.
2. He was seeking after the highest good. (Ver. 15) "In righteousness let me behold thy face; let me be satisfied, when I awake, with thine image." An echo of the eleventh verse of the previous psalm, which reveals his trust in a future life. "There is an allusion probably to such a manifestation of God as that made to Moses, (Num_12:8) where God declares that with Moses he will speak "mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches, and the similitude rather, "form," the same word as here of Jehovah shall he behold. S.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain Ver. 6. I have called upon thee, for thou…
Ver. 6. I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God. Thou hast always heard me, O my Lord, and therefore I have the utmost confidence in again approaching thine altar. Experience is a blessed teacher. He who has tried the faithfulness of God in hours of need, has great boldness in laying his case before the throne. The well of Bethlehem, from which we drew such cooling draughts in years gone by, our souls long for still; nor will we leave it for the broken cisterns of earth.
Incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech. Stoop out of heaven and put thine ear to my mouth; give me thine ear all to myself, as men do when they lean over to catch every word from their friend. The Psalmist here comes back to his first prayer, and thus sets us an example of pressing our suit again and again, until we have a full assurance that we have succeeded.
Read full note →
Ver. 6. I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me. I have cried, says the Psalmist, because thou hast heard me. One would think he should have said contrariwise; thou hast heard me because I have cried; yet, he says, I have cried because thou hast heard me; to show that crying doth not always go before hearing with God, as it doth with us; but that God will not only hear our cry, but also hear us before we cry, and will help us. T. Playfere.
Ver. 6. I have called upon thee, etc. Prayer is the best remedy in a calamity. This is indeed a true catholicon, a general remedy for every malady. Not like the empiric's catholicon, which sometimes may work, but for the most part fails, but that which upon assured evidence and constant experience hath its probatum est; being that which the most wise, learned, honest, and skilful Physician that ever was, or can be, hath prescribed, even he that teacheth us how to bear what is to be borne, or how to heal and help what hath been borne. William Gough, 1575-1653.
Ver. 6. I have called upon thee formerly, therefore, Lord, hear me now. It will be a great comfort to us if trouble, when it comes, finds the wheels of prayer going, for then may we come with the more boldness to the throne of grace. Tradesmen are willing to oblige those that have been long their customers.
Matthew Henry.
Ver. 6. Two words, both great, though little, call and hear. Two persons, one little and the other great, "I", "Thee, O God". Two tenses: past, "I have; "future, "Thou wilt." Two wonders, that we do not call more, and that God hears such unworthy prayers.
Psalms 17:7*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain David Calls upon God for Help
David Calls upon God for Help
v. 6. I have called upon Thee, namely, in the capacity in which he described himself, as a child of God who could rightfully point to the righteousness of his life, for Thou wilt hear me, O God, of this David was sure. Incline Thine ear unto me, in the attitude of most careful attention, and hear my speech.
Read full note →
v. 7. Show Thy marvelous loving-kindness, giving him a proof, an exhibition, of His grace, O Thou that savest by Thy right hand them which put their trust in Thee from those that rise up against them, this being the reason why David puts his trust in the Lord with such firm confidence.
v. 8. Keep me as the apple of the eye, this being named as a possession most dear to men; hide me under the shadow of Thy wings, as the mother-bird shelters her young in tender protection, Cf Deu 32:10-11; Psa 36:7; Mat 23:37,
v. 9. from the wicked that oppress me, greedily surrounding him for the purpose of wasting and devouring him, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about, ready to attack him from all sides.
v. 10. They are enclosed in their own fat, they are dead to all human feeling; with their mouth they speak proudly, they are insolent in their behavior, as though certain victory were near.
v. 11. They have now compassed us in our steps, so that the believers cannot make a move without their knowledge; they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth, they were eagerly watching in order to take their chance and throw down the believers to the ground, thereby completely overwhelming them;
v. 12. like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, eagerly lurking on its path, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places, cowering in his hiding-places, ready to spring upon an unsuspecting victim.
v. 13. Arise, O Lord, again David’s ringing appeal, disappoint him, going forth to meet the adversary and to anticipate his wicked move, cast him down; deliver my soul from the wicked, from all the unrighteous under the leadership of Satan, which is Thy Sword, by His almighty sword the Lord can quickly bring deliverance,
v. 14. from men which are Thy hand, rather, delivering from the wicked projects of these people with His hand, O Lord, from men of the world, whose entire interest is in this life, which have their portion, the measure of all they desire, in this life, and whose belly Thou fillest with Thy hid treasure, giving them of the rich store of temporal goods which are under His control. They are full of children, being blessed also in this respect, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes, their children inheriting this world’s goods from them in great plenty. Thus the good fortune of the ungodly is shown to consist only in this world’s treasures, the height of their ambition being reached when money, honor, and pleasures are theirs. But the psalmist, in conclusion, places himself in direct contrast to all this earthly happiness with its attendant sins.
v. 15. As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness, as the happy possessor of the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, the most glorious treasure of the Christian; I shall be satisfied, with an everlasting satisfaction, unlike any transient enjoyment in this world, when I awake, with Thy likeness, the original image of God restored in the risen believers in the form of a perfect knowledge of God and in true righteousness and holiness, Eph 4:24; Col 3:10. That, in a word, will be the happiness of the great resurrection at the end of time, to see God face to face and to be with Him in everlasting righteousness and holiness, world without end.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 turn your ear to me ... listen when I…
turn your ear to me ... listen when I speak
These phrases mean the same thing. Here "your ear" refers to God's willingness to hear someone who prays to him. AT: "pay attention to me ... listen when I speak" (See: Parallelism and Metonymy)
Read full note →
Show your covenant faithfulness in a wonderful way
The abstract noun "faithfulness" can be translated as an adjective. AT: "Show in a wonderful way that you are faithful to your covenant" (See: Abstract Nouns)
your right hand
The "right hand" refers to God's power. AT: "your mighty power" (See: Metonymy)
take refuge in you
Going to Yahweh for protection is spoken of as taking refuge in him. AT: "go to you for protection" (See: Metaphor)
translationWords
call
God
covenant faithfulness
save
right hand
refuge
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 17:6-9 This prayer for God’s care returns to the…
17:6-9 This prayer for God’s care returns to the petition begun in 17:1-2 for redemption from evil.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.