TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions.
Complete Jewish Bible
Adonai, how much longer will you look on? Rescue me from their assaults, save the one life I have from the lions!
Berean Standard Bible
How long, O Lord, will You look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, my precious life from these lions.
American Standard Version
Lord, how long wilt thou look on? Rescue my soul from their destructions, My darling from the lions.
World English Bible Messianic
Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue my soul from their destruction, my precious life from the lions.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Lord, how long wilt thou beholde this? deliuer my soule from their tumult, euen my desolate soule from the lions.
Young's Literal Translation
Lord, how long dost thou behold? Keep back my soul from their desolations, From young lions my only one.
In the KJVVerse 14,428 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Psalms 35 verses 17–28
17 ¶ Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions.
18 I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people.
19 Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.
20 For they speak not peace: but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land.
21 Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.
22 This thou hast seen, O LORD: keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me.
23 Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.
24 Judge me, O LORD my God, according to thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me.
25 Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up.
26 Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me.
27 Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
28 And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.
In these verses, as before,
I. David describes the great injustice, malice, and insolence, of his persecutors, pleading this with God as a reason why he should protect him from them and appear against them. 1. They were very unrighteous; they were his enemies wrongfully, for he never gave them any provocation: They hated him without a cause; nay, for that for which they ought rather to have loved and honoured him. This is quoted, with application to Christ, and is said to be fulfilled in him. Joh 15:25, They hated me without cause. 2. They were very rude; they could not find in their hearts to show him common civility: They speak not peace; if they met him, they had not the good manners to give him the time of day; like Joseph's brethren, that could not speak peaceably to him, Gen 37:4. 3. They were very proud and scornful (Psa 35:21): They opened their mouth wide against me; they shouted and huzzaed when they saw his fall; they bawled after him when he was forced to quit the court, "Aha! aha! this is the day we longed to see." 4. They were very barbarous and base, for they trampled upon him when he was down, rejoiced at his hurt, and magnified themselves against him, Psa 35:26. Turba Remi sequitur fortunam, ut semper, et odit damnatos - The Roman crowd, varying their opinions with every turn of fortune, are sure to execrate the fallen. Thus, when the Son of David was run upon by the rulers, the people cried, Crucify him, crucify him. 5. They set themselves against all the sober good people that adhered to David (Psa 35:20): They devised deceitful matters, to trepan and ruin those that were quiet in the land. Note, (1.) It is the character of the godly in the land that they are the quiet in the land, that they live in all dutiful subjection to government and governors, in the Lord, and endeavour, as much as in them lies, to live peaceably with all men, however they may have been misrepresented as enemies to Caesar and hurtful to kings and provinces. I am for peace, Psa 120:7. (2.) Though the people of God are, and study to be, a quiet people, yet it has been the common practice of their enemies to devise deceitful matters against them. All the hellish arts of malice and falsehood are made use of to render them odious or despicable; their words and actions are misconstrued, even that which they abhor is fathered upon them, laws are made to ensnare them (Dan 6:4, etc.), and all to ruin them and root them out. Those that hated David thought scorn, like Haman, to lay hands on him alone, but contrived to involve all the religious people of the land in the same ruin with him.
II. He appeals to God against them, the God to whom vengeance belongs, appeals to his knowledge (Psa 35:22): This thou hast seen. They had falsely accused him, but God, who knows all things, knew that he did not falsely accuse them, nor make them worse than really they were. They had carried on their plots against him with a great degree of secresy (Psa 35:15): "I knew it not, till long after, when they themselves gloried in it; but thy eye was upon them in their close cabals and thou art a witness of all they have said and done against me and thy people." He appeals to God's justice: Awake to my judgment, even to my cause, and let it have a hearing at thy bar, Psa 35:23. "Judge me, O Lord my God! pass sentence upon this appeal, according to the righteousness of thy nature and government," Psa 35:24. See this explained by Solomon, Kg1 7:31, Kg1 7:32. When thou art appealed to, hear in heaven, and judge, by condemning the wicked and justifying the righteous.
III. He prays earnestly to God to appear graciously for him and his friends, against his and their enemies, that by his providence the struggle might issue to the honour and comfort of David and to the conviction and confusion of his persecutors. 1. He prays that God would act for him, and not stand by as a spectator (Psa 35:17): "Lord, how long wilt thou look on? How long wilt thou connive at the wickedness of the wicked? Rescue my soul from the destructions they are plotting against it; rescue my darling, my only one, from the lions. My soul is my only one, and therefore the greater is the shame if I neglect it and the greater the loss if I lose it: it is my only one, and therefore ought to be my darling, ought to be carefully protected and provided for. It is my soul that is in danger; Lord, rescue it. It does, in a peculiar manner, belong to the Father of spirits, therefore claim thy own; it is thine, save it. Lord, keep not silence, as if thou didst consent to what is done against me! Lord, be not far from me (Psa 35:22), as if I were a stranger that thou wert not concerned for; let not me beheld afar off, as the proud are." 2. He prays that his enemies might not have cause to rejoice (Psa 35:19): Let them not rejoice over me (and again, Psa 35:24); not so much because it would be a mortification to him to be trampled upon the abjects, as because it would turn to the dishonour of God and the reproach of his confidence in God. It would harden the hearts of his enemies in their wickedness and confirm them in their enmity to him, and would be a great discouragement to all the pious Jews that were friends to his righteous cause. He prays that he might never be in such imminent danger as that they should say in their hearts, Ah! so would we have it (Psa 35:25), much more that he might not be reduced to such extremity that they should say, We have swallowed him up; for then they will reflect upon God himself. But, on the contrary, that they might be ashamed and brought to confusion together (Psa 35:26, as before, Psa 35:4); he desires that his innocency might be so cleared that they might be ashamed of the calumnies with which they had loaded him, that his interest might be so confirmed that they might be ashamed of their designs against him and their expectations of his ruin, that they might either be brought to that shame which would be a step towards their reformation or that that might be their portion which would be their everlasting misery. 3. He prays that his friends might have cause to rejoice and give glory to God, Psa 35:27. Notwithstanding the arts that were used to blacken David, and make him odious, and to frighten people from owning him, there were some that favoured his righteous cause, that knew he was wronged and bore a good affection to him; and he prays for them, (1.) That they might rejoice with him in his joys. It is a great pleasure to all that are good to see an honest man, and an honest cause, prevail and prosper; and those that heartily espouse the interests of God's people, and are willing to take their lot with them even when they are run down and trampled upon, shall in due time shout for joy and be glad, for the righteous cause will at length be a victorious cause. (2.) That they might join with him in his praises: Let them say continually, The Lord be magnified, by us and others, who hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. Note, [1.] The great God has pleasure in this prosperity of good people, not only of his family, the church in general, but of every particular servant in his family. He has pleasure in the prosperity both of their temporal and of their spiritual affairs, and delights not in their griefs; for he does not afflict willingly; and we ought therefore to have pleasure in their prosperity, and not to envy it. [2.] When God in his providence shows his good-will to the prosperity of his servants, and the pleasure he takes in it, we ought to acknowledge it with thankfulness, to his praise, and to say, The Lord be magnified.
IV. The mercy he hoped to win by prayer he promises to wear with praise: "I will give thee thanks, as the author of my deliverance (Psa 35:18), and my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness, the justice of thy judgments and the equity of all thy dispensations;" and this, 1. Publicly, as one that took a pleasure in owning his obligations to his God, so far was he from being ashamed of them. he will do it in the great congregation, and among much people, that God might be honoured and many edified. 2. Constantly. he will speak God's praise every day (so it may be read) and all the day long; for it is a subject that will never be exhausted, no, not by the endless praises of saints and angels.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 17–28. Public domain.
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Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 35
"Lord, when will You look on? Rescue My Soul from their deceits, My Darling from the lions" [Psalm 35:17]. For to us the time is slow; and in our person is this said, "When will You look on?" that is, when shall we see vengeance upon those who insult us? When shall the Judge, overcome by weariness, hear the widow? [Luke 18:3] But our Judge, not from weariness, but from love, delays our salvation; from reason, not from need; not that He could not even now succour us, but that the number of us all may be filled up even to the end. And yet out of our desire, what do we say? "Lord, when will You look on? Rescue My Soul from their deceits, My Darling from the lions:" that is, My Church from raging powers.
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 35:9
Now, he says this not by way of accusation but out of a longing for help. When will you appear, he is saying, and assist the wronged?… Render my soul proof against their machinations.
Arnobius the YoungerAD 460
COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 35
So you will apply this to the suffering of the Lord so that then you may draw out the logic of the explanation having begun, because the passion of the Lord happens so that we may be built up. The more you cling to God, the more the demons beset you with floggings. They tempt you, mock you and gnash their teeth. You call out: Lord, look down and restore my spirit from their evil deeds, my very self from the lions. Our spirit is one in number and disposition. When, therefore, you restore it in good will and you free me from their evil deeds, then I will confess you in the great assembly and the great throng of people, not by summoning solemn processions or by playing roles, but by guarding your respect amongst serious people; in this there will be constant attention by me, and I will praise you before those same people. Therefore, let them not triumph, the evil ones who turn against me, who hate me and wink with indulgent eyes. As I have said, apply these things to the suffering of the Lord so that you do not thoroughly overlook the message of your edification.
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.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 35:17 is a poignant and urgent plea from a righteous sufferer, likely King David, to the Lord. It captures a profound sense of abandonment and desperation in the face of overwhelming and destructive adversaries. The psalmist implores God for immediate divine intervention, questioning His apparent inaction ("how long wilt thou look on?") and begging Him to rescue his precious life, metaphorically depicted as a vulnerable "darling" under attack from fierce "lions." This verse powerfully encapsulates the raw emotion of lament, the human struggle with divine timing, and an unwavering trust in God's ultimate power to deliver from mortal peril.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several potent literary devices to convey its urgent message and emotional intensity. The opening "Lord, how long wilt thou look on?" is a classic Rhetorical Question common in laments, expressing deep anguish and impatience without necessarily expecting a literal answer, but rather serving as an impassioned plea for action. The most striking device is the Metaphor in "my darling from the lions." "My darling" (yâchîyd) metaphorically represents the psalmist's precious, unique life or soul, while "lions" (kᵉphîyr) are a powerful metaphor for his fierce, predatory, and overwhelming enemies. This imagery vividly portrays the mortal danger and the psalmist's extreme vulnerability. Furthermore, there is an implicit Parallelism between "rescue my soul from their destructions" and "my darling from the lions," where the second clause rephrases and intensifies the first, using more vivid and specific imagery to underscore the severity of the threat and the urgency of the plea for deliverance.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 35:17 profoundly articulates the human experience of suffering and the theological tension between God's sovereignty and His apparent silence in the face of injustice. It affirms the legitimacy of honest lament, demonstrating that faith does not preclude expressing raw emotions or questioning God's timing. The psalmist's plea for rescue underscores God's character as the ultimate Deliverer, who is attentive to the cries of His people and powerful enough to save them from any "destruction" or "lion." This verse also highlights the immense value God places on human life and soul, portraying it as a "darling" worthy of divine protection, even when threatened by overwhelming evil. It serves as a testament to persistent prayer and unwavering trust in God's eventual vindication and salvation, even when His intervention seems delayed.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 35:17 offers profound comfort and guidance for believers navigating periods of intense difficulty, injustice, or spiritual attack. It validates the human experience of feeling overwhelmed and even abandoned, granting permission to bring our rawest emotions and most desperate questions directly to God. In moments when God seems distant or inactive, this verse encourages persistent, fervent prayer, reminding us that our "darling"—our very soul and life—is precious in His sight. It calls us to maintain hope and trust in His sovereign timing and ultimate power to deliver, even when the "lions" of our circumstances seem insurmountable. This passage serves as a powerful reminder that God hears the cries of His people and will act to rescue and vindicate them, not necessarily on our timeline, but always in His perfect way. It encourages us to cast our anxieties upon Him, knowing He cares for us and will ultimately triumph over all forms of destruction.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "my darling" specifically refer to in this verse, and why is it significant?
Answer: In Psalms 35:17, "my darling" translates the Hebrew word yâchîyd (יָחִיד), which literally means "my only one," "my unique one," or "my solitary one." This term is used elsewhere in scripture to refer to an only child (e.g., Genesis 22:2) or something supremely precious and irreplaceable. In the context of David's prayer for rescue from his enemies, it most profoundly refers to his very life or soul (nephesh). Its significance lies in emphasizing the extreme preciousness and vulnerability of what is at stake. By calling his life "my darling," David underscores that it is his most valuable possession, something he cherishes above all else, which is now under existential threat from his adversaries. This intensifies the urgency and desperation of his plea to God, highlighting the comprehensive nature of the rescue he seeks from utter destruction.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 35:17 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. His own agonizing cry on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46), echoes the psalmist's lament "how long wilt thou look on?", demonstrating that even the Son of God experienced the profound human anguish of perceived divine abandonment while enduring the ultimate "destructions" of sin and death for humanity. Jesus, the "only begotten Son" (John 3:16), is the true "darling"—God's uniquely precious and beloved Son—who was indeed delivered from the "lions" of death, the grave, and the power of the evil one through His glorious resurrection (Acts 2:24). His victory over these spiritual enemies ensures that all who are united with Him by faith are likewise rescued. Through His atoning sacrifice, Christ delivers our souls from the eternal "destructions" of sin and judgment, offering us new life and eternal security. He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep, protecting our "souls" and "darlings" from the roaring lion, Satan, who seeks to devour us (1 Peter 5:8). Thus, the desperate plea of the psalmist for rescue finds its perfect and complete answer in the triumphant deliverance wrought by our Lord Jesus Christ.