A meditation by David, which he sang to Yahweh, concerning the words of Cush, the Benjamite. Yahweh, my God, I take refuge in you. Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,
Parallel translations
- KJV O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:
- BSB A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite. O LORD my God, I take refuge in You; save me and deliver me from all my pursuers,
- NKJV O Lord my God, in You I put my trust; Save me from all those who persecute me; And deliver me,
- NASB O Lord my God, in You I have taken refuge; Save me from all those who pursue me, and rescue me,
- NLT I come to you for protection, O Lord my God. Save me from my persecutors—rescue 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 takes refuge in the Lord his God and asks to be saved from all who pursue him. In danger, God Himself is the believer's hiding place.
Overview
Facing slander and pursuit, David's first and settled response is to shelter in God rather than to retaliate. 'I take refuge in you' is the heartbeat of the whole psalm. This trust models the believer's flight to God in every threat, finding in Christ a sure and unfailing refuge.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 29
- Ps 31:15My times are in your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.
- Hab 3:1A prayer of Habakkuk, the prophet, set to victorious music.
- 1 Pet 4:19Therefore let them also who suffer according to the will of God in doing good entrust their souls to him, as to a faithful Creator.
- Ps 35:1–3By David. Contend, Yahweh, with those who contend with me. Fight against those who fight against me.
- Ps 18:2Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
- Jer 20:11But Yahweh is with me as an awesome mighty one. Therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail. They shall be utterly disappointed, because they have not dealt wisely, even with an everlasting dishonor which shall never be forgotten.
- 2 Sam 16:1–23When David was a little past the top, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of donkeys saddled, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, and one hundred clusters of raisins, and one hundred summer fruits, and a bottle of wine.
- Ps 43:4Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my exceeding joy. I will praise you on the harp, God, my God.
- Ps 17:7–9Show your marvelous loving kindness, you who save those who take refuge by your right hand from their enemies.
- Ps 26:1By David. Judge me, Yahweh, for I have walked in my integrity. I have trusted also in Yahweh without wavering.
- Jer 31:18“I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus, ‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised, as an untrained calf: turn me, and I shall be turned; for you are Yahweh my God.
- Ps 30:2Yahweh my God, I cried to you, and you have healed me.
- Jer 15:15Yahweh, you know; remember me, and visit me, and avenge me of my persecutors. You are patient, so don’t take me away. Know that for your sake I have suffered reproach.
- Zech 14:5You shall flee by the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel; yes, you shall flee, just like you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Yahweh my God will come, and all the holy ones with you.
- Dan 9:4I prayed to Yahweh my God, and made confession, and said, Oh, Lord, the great and dreadful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with those who love him and keep his commandments,
- Ps 13:5But I trust in your loving kindness. My heart rejoices in your salvation.
- Ps 30:12To the end that my heart may sing praise to you, and not be silent. Yahweh my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
- Isa 50:10Who among you fears Yahweh, and obeys the voice of his servant? He who walks in darkness, and has no light, let him trust in Yahweh’s name, and rely on his God.
- Ps 11:1For the Chief Musician. By David. In Yahweh, I take refuge. How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain!”
- Ps 18:28For you will light my lamp, Yahweh. My God will light up my darkness.
- Ps 13:3Behold, and answer me, Yahweh, my God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death;
- Ps 146:3–6Don’t put your trust in princes, each a son of man in whom there is no help.
- Ps 32:10Many sorrows come to the wicked, but loving kindness shall surround him who trusts in Yahweh.
- Ps 89:26He will call to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation!’
- Dan 9:19–20Lord, hear; Lord, forgive; Lord, listen and do; don’t defer, for your own sake, my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.
- Ps 3:7Arise, Yahweh! Save me, my God! For you have struck all of my enemies on the cheek bone. You have broken the teeth of the wicked.
- Ps 25:2My God, I have trusted in you. Don’t let me be shamed. Don’t let my enemies triumph over me.
- 1 Pet 1:21who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God.
- Josh 14:8Nevertheless, my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; but I wholly followed Yahweh my God.
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 7:1 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.