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Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.
Psalms 35:1 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB By David. Contend, Yahweh, with those who contend with me. Fight against those who fight against me.
  • BSB Of David. Contend with my opponents, O LORD; fight against those who fight against me.
  • NKJV Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me; Fight against those who fight against me.
  • NASB Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; Fight against those who fight against me.
  • NLT O Lord, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me.

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

David asks the Lord to contend and fight against those who oppose and attack him.

Overview

This psalm opens as a cry for divine help against unjust enemies, asking God to take up David's cause. He commits his defense to the Lord rather than to personal vengeance. Such reliance on God as defender points to Christ, who entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 14

  • Ps 43:1Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.
  • Jer 51:36Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry.
  • Ps 119:154Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word.
  • Isa 49:25But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
  • Prov 23:11For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.
  • Prov 22:23For the LORD will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.
  • Lam 3:58O LORD, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
  • 1 Sam 24:15The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand.
  • Acts 5:39But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.
  • Exod 14:25And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.
  • Mic 7:9I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness.
  • Acts 23:9And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.
  • Neh 4:20In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us.
  • Josh 10:42And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 35:1YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 35:1 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.