But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
Parallel translations
- WEB But don’t be far off, Yahweh. You are my help: hurry to help me.
- BSB But You, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
- NKJV But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me!
- NASB ¶But You, Lord, do not be far away; You who are my help, hurry to my assistance.
- NLT O Lord, do not stay far away! You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!
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 depths of suffering, the psalmist turns from describing his pain to urgent prayer, pleading for God to draw near and help quickly. It models faith that cries out even in abandonment.
Overview
After describing his affliction, David pivots to direct petition, addressing Yahweh as his strength and begging him not to remain distant. The cry mirrors the earlier 'why have you forsaken me,' yet still clings to God as 'my help.' This persevering faith amid felt abandonment anticipates Christ, who in his darkest hour entrusted himself to the Father.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Ps 22:11Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
- Ps 40:13Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.
- Ps 40:17But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.
- Ps 21:1The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
- Ps 10:1Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?
- Ps 70:5But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.
- Ps 18:1I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.
- Ps 69:13–18But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 22:19 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.