📖 Psalms — Chapter 17 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
Psalms 17:1 RHear Tthe right, O LORD, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth Tnot out of feigned lips.
Psalms 17:2 RLet my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal.
Psalms 17:3 Thou hast Rproved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
Psalms 17:4 Concerning the Rworks of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.
Psalms 17:5 RHold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps Tslip not.
Psalms 17:6 RI have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.
Psalms 17:7 RShew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest Tby thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.
Psalms 17:8 Keep me as the Rapple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
Psalms 17:9 From the wicked that RToppress me, from Tmy deadly enemies, who compass me about.
Psalms 17:10 RThey are inclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly.
Psalms 17:11 They have now Rcompassed us in our steps: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth;
Psalms 17:12 RTLike as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion Tlurking in secret places.
Psalms 17:13 RArise, O LORD, Tdisappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, Twhich is thy sword:
Psalms 17:14 From men Twhich are thy hand, O LORD, from Rmen of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: Tthey are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.
Psalms 17:15 As for me, RI will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 17:1–5 — Prayer with an examined heart
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The speaker asks for a just hearing and declares that his prayer does not arise from false lips. He remembers God's testing and asks that his footsteps be upheld. His appeal concerns integrity in the conflict before him, not a claim that he has no need of grace or guidance.
Key Truth: Seek God's justice with honesty and dependence.
Check What You Remember
1. What kind of lips does the prayer avoid? (Psalms 17:1)
Find it in Psalms 17:1 (KJV).
2. What has God proved? (Psalms 17:3)
Find it in Psalms 17:3 (KJV).
3. What does the speaker ask not to slip? (Psalms 17:5)
Find it in Psalms 17:5 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 17:6–12 — Shelter amid surrounding enemies
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The speaker asks for God's lovingkindness and protection as the apple of the eye and beneath divine wings. Opponents surround him with pride and predatory intent. The tender protection images answer the threatening lion image, directing fearful prayer toward God's attentive care.
Key Truth: God's care offers refuge amid threatening circumstances.
Check What You Remember
1. What kindness does the speaker ask God to show? (Psalms 17:7)
Find it in Psalms 17:7 (KJV).
2. What part of the eye pictures protection? (Psalms 17:8)
Find it in Psalms 17:8 (KJV).
3. What animal describes the enemy? (Psalms 17:12)
Find it in Psalms 17:12 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 17:13–15 — A different source of satisfaction
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The speaker asks God to confront the wicked and contrasts their portion in this life with his desire to behold God's face. Material abundance is not his final satisfaction. The closing hope points toward righteousness and likeness to God, without reducing the poem to a precise timetable of future events.
Key Truth: The deepest satisfaction is found in God.
Check What You Remember
1. Whom does he ask to arise? (Psalms 17:13)
Find it in Psalms 17:13 (KJV).
2. Where do worldly people have their portion? (Psalms 17:14)
Find it in Psalms 17:14 (KJV).
3. With what does the speaker expect satisfaction? (Psalms 17:15)
Find it in Psalms 17:15 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Matthew 5:8 — Jesus connects purity of heart with seeing God.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
Where are you seeking lasting satisfaction, and how might this prayer reshape that desire?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. How does the opening connect prayer with integrity?
2. What joins avoidance of the destroyer’s paths with a plea for steady feet?
3. How do the eye and wings images express protection?
4. How is the enemy’s concealed appetite portrayed?
5. What contrast separates worldly portion from the speaker’s satisfaction?
Notes
Write what you want to remember, questions to explore, or Scriptures to look up later. Your saved notes are private to your account.
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