TRV
Translation
Young's Literal Translation
Set, O Jehovah, a watch for my mouth, Watch Thou over the door of my lips.
In the KJVVerse 16,280 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Psalms 141 verses 1–4
1 ¶ A Psalm of David. LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.
2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
3 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
4 Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.
Mercy to accept what we do well, and grace to keep us from doing ill, are the two things which we are here taught by David's example to pray to God for.
I. David loved prayer, and he begs of God that his prayers might be heard and answered, Psa 141:1, Psa 141:2. David cried unto God. His crying denotes fervency in prayer; he prayed as one in earnest. His crying to God denotes faith and fixedness in prayer. And what did he desire as the success of his prayer? 1. That God would take cognizance of it: "Give ear to my voice; let me have a gracious audience." Those that cry in prayer may hope to be heard in prayer, not for their loudness, but their liveliness. 2. That he would visit him upon it: Make haste unto me. Those that know how to value God's gracious presence will be importunate for it and humbly impatient of delays. He that believes does not make haste, but he that prays may be earnest with God to make haste. 3. That he would be well pleased with him in it, well pleased with his praying and the lifting up of his hands in prayer, which denotes both the elevation and enlargement of his desire and the out-goings of his hope and expectation, the lifting up of the hand signifying the lifting up of the heart, and being used instead of lifting up the sacrifices which were heaved and waved before the Lord. Prayer is a spiritual sacrifice; it is the offering up of the soul, and its best affections, to God. Now he prays that this may be set forth and directed before God as the incense which was daily burnt upon the golden altar, and as the evening sacrifice, which he mentions rather than the morning sacrifice, perhaps because this was an evening prayer, or with an eye to Christ, who, in the evening of the world and in the evening of the day, was to offer up himself a sacrifice of atonement, and establish the spiritual sacrifices of acknowledgement, having abolished all the carnal ordinances of the law. Those that pray in faith may expect it will please God better than an ox or bullock. David was now banished from God's court, and could not attend the sacrifice and incense, and therefore begs that his prayer might be instead of them. Note, Prayer is of a sweet-smelling savour to God, as incense, which yet has no savour without fire; nor has prayer without the fire of holy love and fervour.
II. David was in fear of sin, and he begs of God that he might be kept from sin, knowing that his prayers would not be accepted unless he took care to watch against sin. We must be as earnest for God's grace in us as for his favour towards us. 1. He prays that he might not be surprised into any sinful words (Psa 141:3): "Set a watch, O Lord! before my mouth, and, nature having made my lips to be a door to my words, let grace keep that door, that no word may be suffered to go out which may in any way tend to the dishonour of God or the hurt of others." Good men know the evil of tongue-sins, and how prone they are to them (when enemies are provoking we are in danger of carrying our resentment too far, and of speaking unadvisedly, as Moses did, though the meekest of men), and therefore they are earnest with God to prevent their speaking amiss, as knowing that no watchfulness or resolution of their own is sufficient for the governing of their tongues, much less of their hearts, without the special grace of God. We must keep our mouths as with a bridle; but that will not serve: we must pray to God to keep them. Nehemiah prayed to the Lord when he set a watch, and so must we, for without him the watchman walketh but in vain. 2. That he might not be inclined to any sinful practices (Psa 141:4): "Incline not my heart to any evil thing; whatever inclination there is in me to sin, let it be not only restrained, but mortified, by divine grace." The example of those about us, and the provocations of those against us, are apt to stir up and draw out corrupt inclinations. We are ready to do as others do, and to think that if we have received injuries we may return them; and therefore we have need to pray that we may never be left to ourselves to practise any wicked work, either in confederacy with or in opposition to the men that work iniquity. While we live in such an evil world, and carry about with us such evil hearts, we have need to pray that we may neither be drawn in by any allurement nor driven on by any provocation to do any sinful thing. 3. That he might not be ensnared by any sinful pleasures: "Let me not eat of their dainties. Let me not join with them in their feasts and sports, lest thereby I be inveigled into their sins." Better is a dinner of herbs, out of the way of temptation, than a stalled ox in it. Sinners pretend to find dainties in sin. Stolen waters are sweet; forbidden fruit is pleasant to the eye. But those that consider how soon the dainties of sin will turn into wormwood and gall, how certainly it will, at last, bite like a serpent and sting like an adder, will dread those dainties, and pray to God by his providence to take them out of their sight, and by his grace to turn them against them. Good men will pray even against the sweets of sin.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–4. Public domain.
Copy as
JeromeAD 420
LETTER 125.19
When a person is advanced in years, you must not be too ready to believe evil of him; his past life is itself a defense, and so also is his rank as an elder. Still, since we are but human and sometimes in spite of the ripeness of our years fall into the sins of youth, if I do wrong and you wish to correct me, accuse me openly of my fault: do not backbite me secretly. “Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness, and let him reprove me; but let not the oil of the sinner enrich my head.” For what does the apostle say? “Whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.” By the mouth of Isaiah the Lord speaks thus: “O my people, they who call you happy cause you to err and destroy the way of your paths.” How do you help me by telling my misdeeds to others? You may, without my knowing of it, wound some one else by the narration of my sins or rather of those which you slanderously attribute to me; and while you are eager to spread the news in all quarters, you may pretend to confide in each individual as though you had spoken to no one else. Such a course has for its object not my correction but the indulgence of your own failing. The Lord commands that those who sin against us are to be arraigned privately or else in the presence of a witness and that if they refuse to hear reason the matter is to be laid before the church, and those who persist in their wickedness are to be regarded as heathens and publicans.
JeromeAD 420
HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS 51
“Let not my heart incline to evil words, to make excuses in sins.” O unhappy race of human beings! We seek excuse for sin by saying, “Nature got the better of me,” and all the while it has been in our power to sin or not to sin. We are always justifying ourselves and saying, I did not want to sin, but lust overwhelmed me; that woman came to me; she made the advances; she touched me; she said this or that to me; she called me; and while we ought to be doing penance and crying, “Lord, I have sinned,” we excuse ourselves instead, and yoke sins to sin. We all have the same kind of body, but with our own particular difficulties. “God is not a respecter of persons.” Would you know that we have the same bodies as the saints? Paul the apostle says, “I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and making me prisoner to the law of sin that is in my members”;23 and again, “But I chastise my body and bring it into subjection, lest perhaps after preaching to others I myself should be rejected.” Later, he says, “Unhappy man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death?” We all have our own struggles, therefore, and it is in proportion to his struggles that each one receives his reward.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 141
..."Set, O Lord, a watch before my mouth, and a door of restraint around my lips" [Psalm 141:3]. He said not a barrier of restraint, but "a door of restraint." A door is opened as well as shut. If then it be a "door," let it be both opened and shut; opened, to confession of sin; closed, to excusing sin. So will it be a "door of restraint," not of ruin. For what does this "door of restraint" profit us? What does Christ pray in the name of His Body? "That Thou turn not aside My heart to wicked words" [Psalm 141:4]. What is, "My heart"? The heart of My Church; the heart, that is, of My Body....
Augustine of HippoAD 430
SERMON 29:3
But of course it is also true that the confession of sins is equally salutary. That is why we heard in the psalm that was read first, “Set a guard, Lord, on my mouth, and a door of restraint around my lips, and do not incline my heart to words of malice, to excusing my sins with excuses.” He asks God to put a guard on his mouth. And he goes on to explain what it is a guard against. There are people, you see, and plenty of them, who as soon as they are blamed for anything rush to make excuses. Now to make excuses is to look for reasons and to adduce pretexts why a sin should not be regarded as belonging to you. One says, “The devil did it for me”; another says, “My luck did it for me”; another, “I was forced to it by fate”; no one blames himself.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
SERMON 20:2
Of course, what we have to set our minds on first and foremost is not to sin, in case we get on fairly familiar and friendly terms with sin, as a serpent. In fact, of course, it slays the sinner with its poisonous fangs and is not at all the sort of thing to make friends with. But if it should happen to catch you in its coils when you are weak, or creep up on you when you are getting careless, or grab you when you have lost your way or trick you into losing it again, then you must not let it irk you to confess and to accuse yourself instead of looking for excuses. That is what he prayed about in some psalm or other when he said, “Lord, set a guard on my mouth and a door of self-restraint around my lips, and do not turn aside my thoughts to ill-natured words, to excuse on excuse for sins.”
Augustine of HippoAD 430
On Continence 1:2-2:3
Unless one thinks that God requires only self-restraint in terms of the desires of the inferior parts of one’s flesh, the following is also sung in the psalm: “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth and a door of continence round about my lips.” Now, in this testimony of divine eloquence if we understand “mouth” as we ought to understand it, the watch placed there is continence, inasmuch as we understand it as a gift of God. Surely, it is a slight matter to restrain the mouth of the body lest something that is not expedient come forth from it through the sound of the voice. Within is the mouth of the heart where he who said those words and directed us to say them desired that a guard and gate of continence be set for him by God. There are many things that we do not speak from the mouth of the body but shout from the heart. Yet, no word of any thing proceeds from the mouth of that body in whose heart there is silence. Thus, whatever does not emanate from there does not sound outside, but what does emanate from there, if it is evil—even though it does not move the tongue—defiles the soul. Continence, therefore, must be placed there where the conscience, even of those who are outwardly silent, speaks.And so that he might more clearly indicate the interior mouth that he signified by those words when he said, “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and a door of continence round about my lips,” he immediately added, “Incline not my heart to evil words.” This inclination of the heart, what is it if not consent? For, he has not yet spoken who has not yet consented by an inclination of the heart to the onrushing suggestions in his heart of any act whatsoever. If, however, he consented, he has already spoken in his heart even though he has not made a sound with his mouth. Even though he has not done the deed with his hand or any other part of his body, he has committed it because he has determined in his mind to do it, and he is guilty of the act, by the laws of God even though it remains concealed from the sight of people—the word being spoken in the heart though no act be committed in the body.
Valerian of CimiezAD 460
HOMILY 5:2
But the blow inflicted by the tongue is incurable. The tongue strikes lightly, but it always stirs up deep sighs in the chest through the sorrow it causes. The prophet no doubt knew how great was the evil of the tongue when he cried out, “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and a door about my lips, that my heart may not turn to evil words.” Therefore, if anyone is wise, let him set a guard before his mouth, and let him put the bond of silence on his lips.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as
Continue studying Psalms 141:3 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Psalm 141:3 is a profound and urgent prayer by David, appealing to the sovereign LORD for divine intervention in the governance of his speech. Recognizing the inherent human struggle to control the tongue, the psalmist implores God to establish a vigilant guard over his mouth and to secure the gateway of his lips. This petition is a testament to David's deep awareness of the tongue's potential for both great good and devastating harm, seeking God's active preservation from uttering rash, sinful, or unedifying words, particularly amidst personal distress or temptation. It underscores a complete reliance on God's power to maintain spiritual integrity in communication.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalm 141:3 is rich in Imagery and Metaphor, transforming the abstract concept of speech control into a concrete, visual scenario. The mouth is metaphorically presented as a "door" and a strategic position requiring a "watch" or guard. This vivid imagery evokes a sense of fortification and protection, akin to guarding a city gate against enemy incursions. The lips are further personified as having a "door," emphasizing their role as the final barrier for spoken words. The entire verse functions as a Supplication, a direct and earnest prayer to God, demonstrating David's complete reliance on divine intervention for personal spiritual discipline. The Parallelism between "Set a watch... before my mouth" and "keep the door of my lips" reinforces the central plea, adding poetic rhythm and emphasizing the comprehensive nature of the desired divine control over speech, highlighting both the internal source (mouth) and the external expression (lips).
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This prayer for divine control over speech resonates deeply with the broader biblical theology concerning the immense power and inherent peril of the tongue. The Bible consistently teaches that words are not neutral; they are powerful instruments that reflect the condition of the heart and possess the capacity to build up or tear down, to bless or curse, to bring life or death. David's plea acknowledges human frailty in this area and underscores the absolute necessity of God's grace and active intervention for righteous living, particularly in an area as volatile and influential as verbal communication. It highlights that true self-control, especially over the tongue, is ultimately a fruit of the Spirit, enabled by divine power, rather than being achievable solely through human effort or willpower. This reliance on God for speech control is a testament to the comprehensive nature of salvation and sanctification, where even our words are brought under divine dominion.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalm 141:3 offers a timeless and profoundly relevant prayer for every believer in every generation. In an age saturated with instant communication, where words can be disseminated globally in seconds through social media, texts, and various digital platforms, the temptation to speak impulsively, critically, carelessly, or even maliciously is ever-present and amplified. David's prayer serves as a vital reminder that our words carry immense power to shape relationships, influence perceptions, build or destroy reputations, and ultimately reflect our spiritual state. It calls us to a posture of profound humility, recognizing our inherent weakness in controlling the tongue, and prompting us to actively seek God's daily, moment-by-moment intervention. This prayer encourages us to be intentional about our speech, considering its potential impact on others and its reflection on Christ, striving for words that are edifying, truthful, gracious, and glorifying to God, rather than those that sow discord, spread gossip, criticize unjustly, or tear down. It's a call to cultivate a heart so aligned with God that its overflow, our words, would consistently be a blessing to others, a source of peace, and a clear testimony to His transforming power within us.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why is controlling the tongue so important in the Bible?
Answer: Controlling the tongue is crucial because the Bible consistently teaches that words are not merely sounds but powerful expressions of the heart, capable of immense good or destructive evil. As Proverbs 18:21 states, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." Our words possess the capacity to build up, encourage, heal, and bring life, or they can tear down, slander, deceive, and cause deep wounds. Furthermore, Jesus taught that our words reveal the true condition of our hearts, declaring, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34). The book of James dedicates an entire chapter to the untamable nature and destructive potential of the tongue, highlighting that it is a "restless evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8). Therefore, mastering the tongue is presented as a sign of spiritual maturity and a vital aspect of living a life that honors God and blesses others.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalm 141:3 finds its ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who perfectly embodied the principle of controlled, righteous, and life-giving speech. Unlike fallen humanity, whose mouths often speak from a heart prone to sin and self-interest, Jesus's words consistently flowed from a heart perfectly aligned with the Father's will and purpose. He was the Word made flesh, whose every utterance was truth, grace, and eternal life. He spoke with unparalleled authority, silenced His accusers with wisdom, and never uttered a careless, sinful, or deceitful word, even under the most extreme provocation and suffering (1-peter/2-23). Through His atoning sacrifice on the cross, Christ not only redeems our sinful hearts but also empowers us by His indwelling Holy Spirit to bring our speech into conformity with His own perfect example. The Holy Spirit, given to believers, enables us to "set a watch" over our mouths and "keep the door of our lips," transforming our communication from being a potential source of sin and discord to an instrument of grace, truth, edification, and evangelism, thereby reflecting the very character of the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.