A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer. I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy.
Parallel translations
- WEB A contemplation by David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer. I cry with my voice to Yahweh. With my voice, I ask Yahweh for mercy.
- KJV I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication.
- NKJV I cry out to the Lord with my voice; With my voice to the Lord I make my supplication.
- NASB I cry out with my voice to the Lord; With my voice I implore the Lord for compassion.
- NLT I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
In the cave, David cries aloud to Yahweh and pleads for mercy. It opens a desperate prayer from a place of distress and hiding.
Overview
This contemplation, set when David hid in a cave fleeing Saul, shows him pouring out his voice to God in crisis. Even in isolation, prayer is his first resort. The pattern of crying to God from the depths is fulfilled in Christ, who in His distress prayed to the Father (Hebrews 5:7).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Ps 57:1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul into the cave. Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy, for in You my soul takes refuge. In the shadow of Your wings I will take shelter until the danger has passed.
- Ps 30:8To You, O LORD, I called, and I begged my Lord for mercy:
- Ps 141:1A Psalm of David. I call upon You, O LORD; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to You.
- 1 Chr 4:10And Jabez called out to the God of Israel, “If only You would bless me and enlarge my territory! May Your hand be with me and keep me from harm, so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted the request of Jabez.
- 1 Sam 24:3Soon Saul came to the sheepfolds along the road, where there was a cave, and he went in to relieve himself. And David and his men were hiding in the recesses of the cave.
- Ps 77:1–2For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. I cried out to God; I cried aloud to God to hear me.
- Ps 28:2Hear my cry for mercy when I call to You for help, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.
- Ps 32:1Of David. A Maskil. Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
- Ps 54:1For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. When the Ziphites went to Saul and said, “Is David not hiding among us?” Save me, O God, by Your name, and vindicate me by Your might!
- Heb 11:38The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and hid in caves and holes in the ground.
- 1 Sam 22:1–2So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 142:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.