Don’t hide your face from me. Don’t put your servant away in anger. You have been my help. Don’t abandon me, neither forsake me, God of my salvation.
Parallel Translations
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Don’t hide your face from me. Don’t put your servant away in anger. You have been my help. Don’t abandon me, neither forsake me, God of my salvation.
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Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
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Hide not Thy face from me; put not Thy servant away in anger; Thou hast been my help; cast me not off, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
Cross-references (20)
Passages linked to Psalms 27:9 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Psalms 69:17 Don’t hide your face from your servant, for I am in distress. Answer me speedily!
- Psalms 143:7 Hurry to answer me, Yahweh. My spirit fails. Don’t hide your face from me, so that I don’t become like those who go down into the pit.
- Psalms 102:2 Don’t hide your face from me in the day of my distress. Turn your ear to me. Answer me quickly in the day when I call.
- Isaiah 46:3-4 “Listen to me, house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, that have been carried from their birth, that have been carried from the womb. Even to old age I am he, and even to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear. Yes, I will carry, and will deliver.
- 2 Timothy 4:17-18 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear. So I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me for his heavenly Kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
- Hebrews 13:5 Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, “I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you.”
- Psalms 24:5 He shall receive a blessing from Yahweh, righteousness from the God of his salvation.
- Psalms 38:21-22 Don’t forsake me, Yahweh. My God, don’t be far from me. Hurry to help me, Lord, my salvation.
- Psalms 71:17-18 God, you have taught me from my youth. Until now, I have declared your wondrous works. Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, don’t forsake me, until I have declared your strength to the next generation, your might to everyone who is to come.
- Jeremiah 32:40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from following them, to do them good. I will put my fear in their hearts, that they may not depart from me.
- 1 Samuel 7:12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Yahweh helped us until now.”
- 1 Chronicles 28:9 You, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for Yahweh searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.
- Psalms 13:1 How long, Yahweh? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
- Psalms 44:24 Why do you hide your face, and forget our affliction and our oppression?
- Psalms 51:11 Don’t throw me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.
- Psalms 71:5-6 For you are my hope, Lord Yahweh, my confidence from my youth. I have relied on you from the womb. You are he who took me out of my mother’s womb. I will always praise you.
- Psalms 88:1 Yahweh, the God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before you.
- Psalms 119:121 I have done what is just and righteous. Don’t leave me to my oppressors.
- Isaiah 50:1 Yahweh says, “Where is the bill of your mother’s divorce, with which I have put her away? Or to which of my creditors have I sold you? Behold, you were sold for your iniquities, and your mother was put away for your transgressions.
- 2 Corinthians 1:9-10 Yes, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us out of so great a death, and does deliver; on whom we have set our hope that he will also still deliver us;
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (16 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 9. Hide not thy face from me. The Psalmist…
9. Hide not thy face from me. The Psalmist elegantly continues the same form of speech, but with a different meaning. The face of God is now employed to describe the sensible effects of his grace and favor: as if it had been said, Lord, make me truly to experience that thou hast been near to me, and let me clearly behold thy power in saving me. We must observe the distinction between the theoretical knowledge derived from the Word of God and what is called the experimental knowledge of his grace. For as God shows himself present in operation, (as they usually speak,) he must first be sought in his Word. The sentence which follows, Cast not away thy servant in thine anger, some Jewish interpreters expound in too forced a manner to mean, Suffer not thy servant to be immersed in the wicked cares of this world, which are nothing but anger and madness. I, however, prefer to translate the Hebrew word נטה, natah, as many translate it, to turn away from, or to remove. Their meaning is more probable who interpret it, Make not thy servant to decline to anger. When a person is utterly forsaken by God, he cannot but be agitated within by murmuring thoughts, and break forth into the manifestations of vexation and anger. If any one think that David now anticipates this temptation, I shall not object, for he was not without reason afraid of impatience, which weakens us and makes us go beyond the bounds of reason. But I keep to the first exposition, as it is confirmed by the two words which follow; and thus the term anger imports a tacit confession of sin; because, although David acknowledges that God might justly cast him off, he deprecates his anger. Moreover, by recalling to mind God’s former favors, he encourages himself to hope for more, and by this argument he moves God to continue his help, and not to leave his work imperfect.
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.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Psa 27:9 Hide not thy face [far] from me;…
Psa 27:9 Hide not thy face [far] from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
Ver. 9. Hide not thy face far from me] For then it will be to no purpose for me to seek it; eclipse not thy favour, withhold not thy succour, but meet me; yea, prevent me with thy loving kindness. Tantum velis, et Deus tibi praeoccurret, saith an ancient.
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Put not thy servant away in anger] Thy servant I am, though a sinful servant, and such as provoketh thee to displeasure; nevertheless reject me not, as thou hast done Saul, and sundry others, for their misdoings. 2Sa 24:10, "Take away the iniquity of thy servant"; and to prove himself so, he addeth, "for I have done foolishly"; as some godly learned think, hereby intimating, that if he deserved not to be called God’s servant in regard of his late sin, yet in regard of his latter service of confession. God puts away many in anger for their supposed goodness, but not any at all for their confessed badness.
Thou hast been my help, leave me not, &c.] It is a good note that one giveth upon these words: The godly many times have such earnest affections in prayers, that they can hardly content themselves with any words to express their minds withal.
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 Hide not thy face; which I in obedience to…
Hide not thy face; which I in obedience to thy command am now seeking.
Put not thy servant away, to wit, from thy face or presence, or from the place of thy worship, from which he either now was or formerly had been driven. Two ways God and he might be parted; either by God’s departure or withdrawing from him, which he might do even in the place of his worship; or by God’s putting him away from his presence. Against the first he seems to direct his prayer in the first clause, and against the latter in this.
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 Hide not thy face far from me,.... Yea, not…
Hide not thy face far from me,.... Yea, not at all from him; for the word "far" is not in the text: this is sometimes the case of the best of men, and was of the psalmist at times, and might be now, notwithstanding his strong expressions of faith and joy in the preceding verses; for frames are very changeable things; and this case is consistent with the everlasting and unchangeable love of God to his people; though they are ready to impute it to wrath and anger, and is what is very cutting and grievous to them; and therefore deprecate it as the psalmist does here,
put not thy servant away in anger; either cast him not away from thy presence, as being angry with him, though there is just reason for it; or suffer him not to go away angry, fretting and murmuring: he makes mention of his relation to God as a servant, as he was; not only by creation as a man, and by his office as a king, but by efficacious grace as a converted man; and this only as descriptive of himself, and as acknowledging his dependence on the Lord, and his obligation to him; but not as a reason why he should be regarded by him, for he knew he was but an unprofitable servant;
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thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me: which request, as the rest, he might put up in faith; for God will not leave his people destitute of his presence finally and totally; nor to themselves and the corruptions of their hearts, nor to the temptations of Satan; nor will he forsake the work of his hands, the work of grace upon their hearts; or so forsake them as that they shall perish: and that the Lord would not leave nor forsake him in such sense, the psalmist had reason to conclude; since he had been his help in times past, a present help in time of trouble; and his arm was not shortened, his power was the same to help as ever, and so were his inclination and will; since he could also call unto him, and upon him, as follows:
O God of my salvation; the author both of his temporal, spiritual, and eternal salvation; and what might he not hope for from him? salvation includes all blessings, both for soul and body, for time and eternity.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Away - From thy face or presence, or from…
Away - From thy face or presence, or from the place of thy worship.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 9. Hide not thy face - from me]…
Verse 9. Hide not thy face - from me] As my face is towards thee wheresoever I am, so let thy face be turned towards me. In a Persian MS. poem entitled [Persic] Shah we Gudda, "The King and the Beggar," I have found a remarkable couplet, most strangely and artificially involved, which expresses exactly the same sentiment: -
[Persic]
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[Persic]
One meaning of which is: -
OUR face is towards THEE in all our ways;
THY face is towards US in all our intentions. Something similar, though not the same sentiment is in Hafiz, lib. i., gaz. v., cap. 2:-
[Arabic]
[Arabic]
How can we with the disciples turn our face towards
the kaaba,
When our spiritual instructer turns his face towards
the wine-cellar?
I shall subjoin a higher authority than either: -
Ὁτι οφθαλμοι Κυριου επι δικαιους,
Και ωτα αυτου εις δεησις αυτων·
Προσωπον δε Κυριου επι ποιουντας κακα.
1Pe 3:12.
For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous;
And his ears to their supplication:
And the face of the Lord is upon the workers of evil.
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 27:9. Hide not thy face far from me…
Psa 27:9. Hide not thy face far from me — Which, in obedience to thy command, I am now seeking. Let me never want the reviving sense of thy favour; love me, and give me to know that thou lovest me. Put not thy servant away in anger — Namely, from thy face or presence, or from the place of thy worship. Two ways God and he might be parted, either by God’s withdrawing himself from him, which he might do even in the place of his worship; or by God’s putting him away from the place of his worship. Against the first he seems to pray in the first clause, and against the latter in this.
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 Hide not thy face far from me - Compare…
Hide not thy face far from me - Compare the notes at Psa 4:6. To “hide the face” is to turn it away with displeasure, as if we would not look on one who has offended us. The favor of God is often expressed by “lifting the light of his countenance” upon anyone - looking complacently or “pleasedly” upon him. The reverse of this is expressed by hiding the face, or by turning it away. The word “far” introduced by the translators does not aid the sense of the passage.
Put not thy servant away in anger - Do not turn me off, or put me away in displeasure. We turn one away, or do not admit him into our presence, with whom we are displeased. The psalmist prayed that he might have free access to God as a Friend.
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Thou hast been my help - In days that are past. This he urges as a reason why God should still befriend him. The fact that He had shown mercy to him, that He had treated him as a friend, is urged as a reason why He should now hear his prayers, and show him mercy.
Leave me not - Do not abandon me. This is still a proper ground of pleading with God. We may refer to all His former mercies toward us; we may make mention of those mercies as a reason why He should now interpose and save us. We may, so to speak, “remind” him of His former favors and friendship, and may plead with Him that He will complete what He has begun, and that, having once admitted us to His favor, He will never leave or forsake us.
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 Hide not, &c.-- (Psa 4:6; Psa 22:24). Against rejection…
Hide not, &c.-- (Psa 4:6; Psa 22:24). Against rejection he pleads former mercy and love.
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 9. The petitions and deprecations of this verse seem…
9. The petitions and deprecations of this verse seem urged by a conscious dread of judgment now possible in view of past sin, and may have a silent pointing back to the one great offence of David’s life, recorded 2 Samuel 11
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 9. Hide not thy face from me (R.V.). A…
9. Hide not thy face from me (R.V.). A prayer grounded on the divine promise which he has obeyed. Cp. Psa_22:14.
put not &c.] Or, turn not, like the unjust judge who turns the needy from his right (Job_24:4; Isa_10:2; Luk_18:1 ff.).
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in anger] See note on Psa_6:1.
thou hast been my help] An appeal to past experience. Surely God cannot have changed.
leave me not] R.V., cast me not off (Psa_94:14; 1Ki_8:57).
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 (9) Far.—This is unnecessary and misleading.
(9) Far.—This is unnecessary and misleading.
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 Hide not thy face far from me. It would…
Hide not thy face far from me. It would he useless for David to "seek God"s face," if God should determine to "hide his face" from him. David felt from time to time as if God"s face was hidden from him, as we see in other psalms; (Psa 10: 50:13:1 69:17, etc.) and so also did other saints. (Psa_44:24 Psa_88:14) In most instances, probably, God sends the feeling as a chastisement, that the heart may turn with more sincerity to him. Put not thy servant away in anger; i.e. reject me not cast me not off. The verb used is very strong and emphatic. Thou hast been my Help. Ever in the past I have had thee for Helper. (comp. Psa_3:3-7 Psa_4:1 Psa_6:8-10 Psa_18:2, etc.) God"s goodness to us in the past must ever be our chief ground of confidence in him for the future. Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. (comp. Psa_94:14)
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. 9. Hide not thy face far from me.…
Ver. 9. Hide not thy face far from me. The word "far" is not in the original, and is a very superfluous addition of the translators, since even the least hiding of the Lord's face is a great affliction to a believer. The command to seek the Lord's face would be a painful one if the Lord, by withdrawing himself, rendered it impossible for the seeker to meet with him. A smile from the Lord is the greatest of comforts, his frown the worst of ills. Put not thy servant away in anger. Other servants had been put away when they proved unfaithful, as for instance, his predecessor Saul; and this made David, while conscious of many faults, most anxious that divine long suffering should continue him in favour. This is a most appropriate prayer for us under a similar sense of unworthiness. Thou hast been my help. How truly can we join in this declaration; for many years, in circumstances of varied trial, we have been upheld by our God, and must and will confess our obligation. "Ingratitude, "it is said, "is natural to fallen man, "but to spiritual men it is unnatural and detestable. Leave me not, neither forsake me. A prayer for the future, and an inference from the past. If the Lord had meant to leave us, why did he begin with us? Past help is but a waste of effort if the soul now be deserted. The first petition, "leave me not, "may refer to temporary desertions, and the second word to the final withdrawal of grace, both are to be prayed against; and concerning the second, we have immutable promises to urge. O God of my salvation. A sweet title worthy of much meditation.
Ver. 9. Hide not thy face far from me. When I seek thy face, vouchsafe, O God, not to hide thy face from me; for to what purpose should I seek it if I cannot find it? and what hope of finding it if thou be bent to hide it? Sir Richard Baker.
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Ver. 9. Put not thy servant away in anger. God puts away many in anger for their supposed goodness, but not any at all for their confessed badness. John Trapp.
Ver. 9. Thy servant. It is a blessed and happy thing to be God's true "servant." Consider what the Queen of Sheba said of Solomon's servants 1Ki 10:8: "Happy are these thy servants, "&c. Now Christ Jesus is greater than Solomon, Mt 12:42, and so a better Master. Good earthly masters will honour good servants, as Pr 27:18, "He that waiteth on his master shall be honoured; " Pr 17:2, "A wise servant shall have a portion, or inheritance, among the brethren." But however some earthly masters may be Nabals and Labans, yet God will not be so: Joh 12:26: "Where I am, there shall also my servant be." "If any man serve me, him will my father honour, "see Lu 12:37. The watchful servants are blessed; their master will make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them, as Mt 25:21, 23: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Thomas Pierson.
Ver. 9. Thou hast been my help; leave me not, etc. One act of mercy engages God to another. Men argue thus: I have showed you kindness already, therefore trouble me no more; but because God has shown mercy he is more ready still to show mercy; his mercy in election makes him justify, adopt, glorify. Thomas Watson.
Ver. 9. Leave me not; rather, "dismiss me not; ""let not go thy hold of me." This is the proper sense of the Hebrew verb (vjn), to set a thing loose, to let it go, to abandon it. Samuel Horsley.
Ver. 9.
1. Desertion deprecated in all its forms.
2. Experience pleaded.
3. Divine aid implored.
Ver. 9. The horror of saints at the hell of sinners. James Scot.
Psalms 27:10*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain Hide not Thy face far from me.
Psa_27:9
Hide not Thy face far from me.
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Hide not Thy face from me
1. The surpassing worth and excellence of Gods special favour, whereof he would not be deprived (Psa_30:5; Psa_63:3).
2. He knew the displeasure of God was a most heavy and grievous thing, which no creature is able to bear (Psa_76:7).
3. He knew his own guilt of sin, both original (Psa_51:5) and actual (Psa_51:3-4).
4. He was not ignorant of Gods sovereignty over all, whereby He may, even for trial of grace, hide His face, and seem angry with His dearest servants. Uses--
1. For instruction.
(1) See in David what the godly think of the want of Gods favour: that it is a most grievous and bitter thing; as if a father should put away a child in anger, leave him and forsake him.
(2) See here that the true child of God may, for a time, want the feeling of Gods special favour, and remain under the sense of His displeasure (Psa_38:1-2).
(3) See that prayer is a blessed and sanctified means whereby the child of God may comfortably wait for the blessing of Gods favour.
2. For admonition.
(1) That we examine ourselves, how our hearts esteem the want of feeling Gods special love and favour in Christ.
(2) Learn not to be dismayed for the temporary hiding of Gods face or sustaining of His anger. (T. Pierson.)
Thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me.--
A mighty plea
In times of distress it is not well always to have a choice of helpers. For while we are selecting, our danger may have overtaken us. While the fox was considering which way to run, the hounds had seized him; while the sick man was selecting the physician, his disease carried him off. It is well to be shut up to one help, if that help is all we need; as the old proverb hath it: Hobsons choice, that or none. Now, this is the believers condition. And it is well in going to God to have a good plea, such as is provided for us here: Thou hast been my help. A soul in sore distress is in no fit condition to puzzle itself over deep, dark reasonings; it wants a childs plea, just as Dr. Guthrie, when dying, wanted bairns hymns. It is told of a famous Hebrew scholar, Dr. John Duncan of Edinburgh, that he was easily imposed upon; but the imposition never moved him, and he was willing to submit to it for the chance of doing good. He said, I find they know how to get round me; they say, You helped me before ; and I never can resist that: it teaches me how to pray. And do we not like to help our old pensioners? and they know we do. Now, in our text we have:
I. experience gratefully telling her tale. How many of us can and must say, O God, Thou hast been my help? Go over the history of David, and see how often he had cause to say this.
II. necessity pleading experience. She pleads, It is consistent with Thy holiness; it is within Thy power; it is fitting to Thy wisdom; or else all that Thou hast done will be thrown away. Thou art the unchanging God, and to Thy love I appeal. It is the plea of a child to a father, Father, thou hast always fed me: wilt thou let me starve?
III. experience instructing faith. To trust, because God has been your help for so long; and so constantly and so singularly; and with glory to Himself. (C. H Spurgeon.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Do not hide your face from me
Do not hide your face from me
The face here represents Yahweh's attention, and hiding the face represents rejecting someone. AT: "Do not reject me" or "Do not stop taking care of me" (See: Metonymy and Metaphor)
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do not turn your servant away in anger
David said "your servant" to refer to himself in a humble way. AT: "do not be angry with me" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)
forsake me or abandon me
The words "forsake" and "abandon" mean the same thing. The writer is emphasizing that he does not want God to leave him. (See: Doublet)
or abandon me
The words "and do not" are understood. AT: "and do not abandon me" or "and do not leave me" (See: Ellipsis)
God of my salvation
The abstract noun "salvation" can be stated as "saves." AT: God who saves me" or "because you are the God who saves me" (See: Abstract Nouns)
Even if my father and my mother forsake me
"Even if my father and my mother were to forsake me." He is not saying that they actually have done this or that they would do it. His point is that even if they did that, God would not abandon him. (See: Hypothetical Situations)
Yahweh will take me in
"Yahweh will keep me" or "Yahweh will take care of me"
translationWords
servant
anger
forsake
God
save
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.