Psalms 28:1
in Psalms 28To You, O LORD, I call; be not deaf to me, O my Rock. For if You remain silent, I will be like those descending to the Pit.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Unto thee, O Jehovah, will I call: My rock, be not thou deaf unto me; Lest, if thou be silent unto me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
KJV
Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
⋯
This verse in Psalms 28
Commentary
5 notes on this verseFrequently, in Scripture, the righteous are said to have called out to God. Each one tries to beseech God with a cry, and I may say with an unusual cry. He goes to his bedroom closet, locks the door and calls out to God: "Do not be silent before me." It was written of Moses, Aaron and Joshua the son of Nun. Indeed, they were the worthy ones to whom God spoke. He spoke through the prophets whenever the people stood before God.
This site's exposition
To You, O LORD, I call
on Psalms 28:1-2
David calls on the LORD as his Rock and asks him not to stay silent. If God is silent, David is like those descending to the Pit, already counted among the dead. He lifts his hands toward the holy sanctuary.
The record, by era
The Reformation1 voice
Unto thee, O Jehovah! will I cry. The Psalmist begins by declaring that he would betake himself to the help of God alone, which shows both his faith and his sincerity.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
on Psalms 28:1-2
That was a type of Christ, and it is to him that we must lift up our eyes and hands, for through him all good comes from God to us. It was also a figure of heaven ( Heb. ix. 24 ); and from God as our Father in heaven we are taught to expect an answer to our prayers.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Unto thee will I cry, O Lord, my rock. A cry is the natural expression of sorrow, and is a suitable utterance when all other modes of appeal fail us; but the cry must be alone directed to the Lord, for to cry to man is to waste our entreaties upon the air.
The words behind it
14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֵ֘לֶ֤יךָ | ʾeleikha | to you | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יְהוָ֨ה׀ | yahweh | O Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֶקְרָ֗א | ʾekra' | I call out | H7121 → | 733 times |
| צוּרִי֮ | tzuri | O rock my | H6697 → | 78 times |
| אַֽל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תֶּחֱרַ֪שׁ | techerash | you be deaf | H2790 → | 74 times |
| מִ֫מֶּ֥נִּי | mimeni | from me | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| פֶּן־ | pen- | lest | H6435 → | 133 times |
| תֶּֽחֱשֶׁ֥ה | techesheh | you should be silent | H2814 → | 16 times |
| מִמֶּ֑נִּי | mimeni | from me | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| וְ֝נִמְשַׁ֗לְתִּי | venimshalti | and I will be equal | H4911 → | 16 times |
| עִם־ | ʾim- | with | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| י֥וֹרְדֵי | yordei | [those who] go down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| בֽוֹר׃ | vor | <of> [the] pit | H953 → | 66 times |
אֵ֘לֶ֤יךָto you
ʾeleikhaH413 →5510 times
יְהוָ֨ה׀O Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֶקְרָ֗אI call out
ʾekra'H7121 →733 times
צוּרִי֮O rock my
tzuriH6697 →78 times
אַֽל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
תֶּחֱרַ֪שׁyou be deaf
techerashH2790 →74 times
מִ֫מֶּ֥נִּיfrom me
mimeniH4480 →1188 times
פֶּן־lest
pen-H6435 →133 times
תֶּֽחֱשֶׁ֥הyou should be silent
techeshehH2814 →16 times
מִמֶּ֑נִּיfrom me
mimeniH4480 →1188 times
וְ֝נִמְשַׁ֗לְתִּיand I will be equal
venimshaltiH4911 →16 times
עִם־with
ʾim-H5973 →1050 times
י֥וֹרְדֵי[those who] go down
yordeiH3381 →381 times
בֽוֹר׃<of> [the] pit
vorH953 →66 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
Psalms 18:2The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
it leads to
- Psalms 144:2
He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. He is my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.
- Psalms 62:7
My salvation and my honor rest on God, my strong rock; my refuge is in God.
- Psalms 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
- Proverbs 18:10
The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
- Psalms 91:2
I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
- Psalms 144:2
Through
Psalms 143:7Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide Your face from me, or I will be like those who descend to the Pit.
it leads to
- Psalms 69:17
Hide not Your face from Your servant, for I am in distress. Answer me quickly!
- Psalms 27:9
Hide not Your face from me, nor turn away Your servant in anger. You have been my helper; do not leave me or forsake me, O God of my salvation.
- Psalms 69:17
Through
Proverbs 1:12let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole like those descending into the Pit.
it leads to
- Psalms 124:3
when their anger flared against us, then they would have swallowed us alive,
- Psalms 124:3
About Psalms
This page draws on Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Origen of Alexandria, SELECTIONS FROM THE PSALMS 28:1.