Psalms 17:2
in Psalms 17May my vindication come from Your presence; may Your eyes see what is right.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; Let thine eyes look upon equity.
KJV
Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal.
⋯
This verse in Psalms 17
Commentary
4 notes on this verse"From your countenance." A judge does not pronounce a sentence unless the petition has been heard and the case examined. And therefore here he sets forth the petition and asks three things. First, the sentence. Second, the examination of the case, at "You have tested." …
This site's exposition
my righteous plea
on Psalms 17:1-2
My righteous plea asks God to hear a case and give a ruling on it, and it comes from lips free of deceit. Verse 2 asks that the vindication come from God's own presence. The psalmist wants God's eyes on what is right.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Let my sentence come forth from thy presence,.... Not of condemnation, such as came forth from God and passed on Adam and all his posterity, Rom 5:12; though such an one was executed on Christ, as he was the surety and representative of his people; but of justification, which came forth from God and passed on Christ, when he rose from the dead, and upon his people in him, 1Ti 3:
(2.) Sincerity dreads no scrutiny, no, not that of God himself, according to the tenour of the covenant of grace: Let thy eyes behold the things that are equal. God's omniscience is as much the joy of the upright as it is the terror of hypocrites, and is particularly comfortable to those who are falsely accused and in any wise have wrong done them.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
A Prayer of David. Hear right, Lord, attend unto my ringing cry: Give ear to my prayer, that goeth out of no feigned lips. – Hear my prayer, which is (uttered) in righteousness; Hear it for my mouth and heart are at one; and this is the meaning of righteousness, and of no feigned lips. The whole verse is a repetition of the one idea in different terms.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מִ֭לְּפָנֶיךָ | milefaneikha | from to before you | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| מִשְׁפָּטִ֣י | mishpati | judgment my | H4941 → | 422 times |
| יֵצֵ֑א | yetze' | may it come forth | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| עֵ֝ינֶ֗יךָ | ʾeineikha | eyes your | H5869 → | 887 times |
| תֶּחֱזֶ֥ינָה | techezeinah | may they see | H2372 → | 55 times |
| מֵישָׁרִֽים׃ | meisharim | uprightness<es> | H4339 → | 19 times |
מִ֭לְּפָנֶיךָfrom to before you
milefaneikhaH6440 →2123 times
מִשְׁפָּטִ֣יjudgment my
mishpatiH4941 →422 times
יֵצֵ֑אmay it come forth
yetze'H3318 →1067 times
עֵ֝ינֶ֗יךָeyes your
ʾeineikhaH5869 →887 times
תֶּחֱזֶ֥ינָהmay they see
techezeinahH2372 →55 times
מֵישָׁרִֽים׃uprightness<es>
meisharimH4339 →19 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jude 1:24Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy—
it leads to
- 2 Timothy 4:18
And the Lord will rescue me from every evil action and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
- Ephesians 3:20
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,
- Colossians 1:22
But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence—
- John 10:29–30
My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.
- Hebrews 13:20–21
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
- 2 Timothy 4:18
Through
Psalms 37:6He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn, your justice like the noonday sun.
it leads to
- Isaiah 54:17
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the…
- Job 11:17
Your life will be brighter than noonday; its darkness will be like the morning.
- Isaiah 58:8
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
- Isaiah 54:17
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Psalms
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Exposition on the Psalms of David.