Christianity

Psalms 17Hide Me Under Thy Wings

Summary

Psalm 17 is a prayer of David for vindication against ruthless enemies who track him like a lion. He invites God to test his heart, insisting his lips are free of deceit and his steps have held to God's paths. He asks to be kept as the apple of the eye and hidden under the shadow of God's wings. It ends contrasting people whose portion is this life with the hope of seeing God's face.

Key verse

“Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,”

Psalms 17:8

Themes

Vindication
Divine Protection
Integrity
Seeing God's Face

Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.

Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal.

Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.

Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.

I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.

Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.

Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.

They are inclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly.

They have now compassed us in our steps: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth;

Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:

From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.

As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.

Across traditions

Christianity
Deuteronomy 32: The Apple of His Eye
The Song of Moses says God kept Israel as the apple of his eye and spread his wings like an eagle (32:10 to 11), the same pair of images Psalm 17:8 uses.
Judaism
Tehillim 17 in the JPS 1917 Tanakh
The image of sheltering under the wings of God reappears in Jewish prayer, notably in the memorial prayer El Malei Rachamim, which asks rest under the wings of the Divine Presence.

Questions about Psalms 17

What does apple of the eye mean in Psalm 17?

It refers to the pupil, the most protected part of the eye. Asking to be kept as the apple of the eye means asking for God's most careful protection.

What does I shall be satisfied when I awake mean?

Psalm 17:15 hopes to wake to God's likeness. Some read it as waking each morning in God's presence; others, especially Christian interpreters, see a hint of resurrection.