For the choirmaster, to be accompanied by flutes. A Psalm of David. Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning.
Parallel translations
- WEB For the Chief Musician, with the flutes. A Psalm by David. Give ear to my words, Yahweh. Consider my meditation.
- KJV Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
- NKJV Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my meditation.
- NASB Listen to my words, Lord, Consider my sighing.
- NLT O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning.
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 listen to his words and consider his unspoken meditation. God attends to both our spoken and silent prayers.
Overview
This morning prayer opens with David pleading that God give ear even to his sighing or whispered thoughts. He knows the Lord hears not only formed words but the groanings of the heart. This assurance frees believers to bring God their deepest, half-formed cries, knowing the Spirit Himself intercedes for us (Romans 8:26).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- 1 Jn 5:14–15And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
- Ps 54:2Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.
- Ps 19:14May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
- Ps 55:1–2For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. Listen to my prayer, O God, and do not ignore my plea.
- 1 Pet 3:12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
- Ps 64:1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Hear, O God, my voice of complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
- Ps 86:1A prayer of David. Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
- Rom 8:26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.
- Ps 17:1A prayer of David. Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer—it comes from lips free of deceit.
- 1 Sam 1:16Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; for all this time I have been praying out of the depth of my anguish and grief.”
- Ps 80:1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm of Asaph. Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth
- 1 Sam 1:13Hannah was praying in her heart, and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk
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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 5:1 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.