Psalms 17:6
in Psalms 17I call on You, O God, for You will answer me. Incline Your ear to me; hear my words.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
I have called upon thee, for thou wilt answer me, O God: Incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.
KJV
I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.
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This verse in Psalms 17
Commentary
11 notes on this verse"I." Above, the Psalmist asked to be established in good; here he asks to be delivered from evil. And concerning this he does three things. First, he asks to be heard in his petition. Second, he sets it forth, at "Make your mercies wonderful." Third, …
This site's exposition
I call on You, O God
on Psalms 17:6-7
I call on You, O God is prayer made in the certainty that God will answer. The wonders asked for are His loving devotion made visible, and He saves by His right hand those who take refuge from their foes.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
"I have cried out, for You have heard Me, O God" [Psalm 17:6]. With a free and strong effort have I directed My prayers unto You: for that I might have this power, You have heard Me when praying more weakly. "Incline Your ear to Me, and hear My words." Let not Your hearing forsake My humiliation.
Human weakness is not strong enough to reach the Father on its own. For when he hears, he graciously shows his indulgence, and he bestows his mercy in advance so that he is able to accept the prayers of those who implore him.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
I have called upon thee,.... In prayer.
That he was sincere, and did not dissemble with God in his prayer: It goeth not out of feigned lips. He meant as he spoke, and the feelings of his mind agreed with the expressions of his mouth. Feigned prayers are fruitless; but, if our hearts lead our prayers, God will meet them with his favour.
Tradesmen are willing to oblige those that have been long their customers. That he was encouraged by his faith to expect God would take notice of his prayers: "I know thou wilt hear me, and therefore, O God, incline thy ear to me. " Our believing dependence upon God is a good plea to enforce our desires towards him.
4 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
"I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God." Thou hast always heard me, O my Lord, and therefore I have the utmost confidence in again approaching thine altar. Experience is a blessed teacher. He who has tried the faithfulness of God in hours of need, has great boldness in laying his case before the throne. The well of Bethlehem, from which we drew such cooling draughts in years gone by, our souls long for still; nor will we leave it for the broken cisterns of earth. "Incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech."
"I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God." Thou hast always heard me, O my Lord, and therefore I have the utmost confidence in again approaching thine altar. Experience is a blessed teacher. He who has tried the faithfulness of God in hours of need, has great boldness in laying his case before the throne. The well of Bethlehem, from which we drew such cooling draughts in years gone by, our souls long for still; nor will we leave it for the broken cisterns of earth. "Incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech." Stoop out of heaven and put thine ear to my mouth; give me thine ear all to myself, as men do when they lean over to catch every word from their friend. The Psalmist here comes back to his first prayer, and thus sets us an example of pressing our suit again and again, until we have a full assurance that we have succeeded.
Incline thine ear unto me - David prayed from a conviction that God would hear: but he could not be satisfied unless he received an answer. In a believer’s mind the petition and the answer should not be separated.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
I have called upon thee for thou wilt hear me, O God - The meaning of this is, “I have called on thee heretofore, and will do it still, because I am certain that thou wilt hear me.” That is, he was encouraged to call upon God by the conviction that he would hear his prayer, and would grant his request. In other words, he came to God in faith; in the full belief of his readiness to answer prayer, and to bestow needed blessings. Compare Joh 11:42; Heb 11:6. Incline thine ear unto me - See the notes at Psa 17:1. My speech - My prayer. The reference here, as in Psa 17:1, is to prayer “uttered” before God; and not mere mental prayer.
The words behind it
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֲנִֽי־ | ʾani- | I | H589 → | 874 times |
| קְרָאתִ֣יךָ | keraticha | I call out to you | H7121 → | 733 times |
| כִֽי־ | khi- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| תַעֲנֵ֣נִי | taaneni | you will answer me | H6030 → | 331 times |
| אֵ֑ל | ʾel | O God | H410 → | 241 times |
| הַֽט־ | hat- | incline | H5186 → | 214 times |
| אָזְנְךָ֥ | ʾazenekha | ear your | H241 → | 187 times |
| לִ֝֗י | li | to me | ||
| שְׁמַ֣ע | shema' | hear | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| אִמְרָתִֽי׃ | ʾimrati | utterance my | H565 → | 37 times |
אֲנִֽי־I
ʾani-H589 →874 times
קְרָאתִ֣יךָI call out to you
keratichaH7121 →733 times
כִֽי־for
khi-H3588 →4482 times
תַעֲנֵ֣נִיyou will answer me
taaneniH6030 →331 times
אֵ֑לO God
ʾelH410 →241 times
הַֽט־incline
hat-H5186 →214 times
אָזְנְךָ֥ear your
ʾazenekhaH241 →187 times
לִ֝֗יto me
li
שְׁמַ֣עhear
shema'H8085 →1159 times
אִמְרָתִֽי׃utterance my
ʾimratiH565 →37 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 86:7In the day of my distress I call on You, because You answer me.
it leads to
- Psalms 50:15
Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jonah 2:2
saying: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice.
- Psalms 34:4–6
I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.
- Psalms 50:15
Through
Psalms 116:2Because He has inclined His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.
it leads to
- Psalms 145:18–19
The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth.
- Psalms 40:1
I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry.
- Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Psalms 55:16–17
But I call to God, and the LORD saves me.
- Luke 18:1
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:
- Psalms 145:18–19
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Psalms
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 17; Cassiodorus, EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 17:6; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 1; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; 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.