Psalm 17

Psalm 17 belongs to Book One (Psalms 1–41) of the Psalms, and its superscription reads "A Prayer of David." The preceding Psalm 16 is a song of trust confessing the LORD as the psalmist's portion and inheritance. Psalm 17 follows with the petition of a man surrounded by enemies who appeals to his innocence and asks for protection.

Structure

• Verses 1–5: The psalmist asks God to hear a prayer that goes "not out of feigned lips." He declares that God has visited him in the night and tried his heart yet found nothing against him, and he affirms that he has kept himself from the paths of the destroyer and held to God's paths.
• Verses 6–9: Confident of an answer, he calls out to God. He asks God to save him by His right hand, to keep him as the apple of the eye, and to hide him under the shadow of His wings, delivering him from the wicked who oppress him.
• Verses 10–12: The enemies are described. They are "inclosed in their own fat" and speak proudly; they surround the psalmist, intent on casting him down. He likens them to a lion eager to tear its prey.
• Verses 13–14: The psalmist asks the LORD to arise, cast down the wicked, and deliver him from "men of the world, which have their portion in this life."
• Verse 15: The psalm ends with the confession that he will behold God's face in righteousness and be satisfied, when he awakes, with God's likeness.

Key Verses

• Psalm 17:8 "Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings" — a classic image of God's attentive protection. Its imagery overlaps with Deuteronomy 32:10 and Ruth 2:12.
• Psalm 17:15 "I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness" — expresses the psalmist's hope, in contrast to those who are content with their portion in this world (v. 14).

People and Places

• David — the king of Israel named in the superscription.
• The enemies (the wicked) — unnamed adversaries likened to a lion.
• No places are mentioned.

Points for Reflection

• The claim of innocence: Many commentators do not take the words of verse 3, "thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing," as a claim to be entirely without sin. They read them instead as a protest of innocence against the charges raised by the enemies.
• The meaning of "when I awake": Some interpreters connect the phrase with the "night" of verse 3 and understand it as waking in the morning; others see it as looking forward to resurrection after death. Christian tradition often reads it together with 1 John 3:2.
• Historical setting: Some place the psalm against the background of the occasion when David, pursued by Saul, was surrounded in the wilderness of Maon (1 Samuel 23). However, neither the superscription nor the text identifies a specific event.
• Prayer for judgment on enemies: How the request for the enemies' judgment in verses 13–14 should be read alongside the New Testament teaching on love for enemies has long been debated.

In the Korean Church

The phrase "keep me as the apple of the eye" from verse 8 is often used to ask for protection in representative prayers offered on behalf of the congregation and in prayers during pastoral visitation.