Psalm 5 — A Morning Prayer for Guidance
David prays specifically in the morning (v. 3: "in the morning you shall hear my voice") before describing two very different kinds of people God relates to differently: those who are arrogant, boastful, or deceitful, and those who take refuge in him and are given reason to rejoice (vv. 4-6, 11-12). The middle of the psalm is unusually direct in asking God to hold accountable those doing harm (vv. 9-10), which sits uncomfortably for some modern readers but reflects a consistent Psalms pattern: naming injustice specifically to God rather than either ignoring it or handling it personally.
- Verse 3's specificity about morning prayer — not just "I will pray" but naming the time of day — is a detail shared with several psalms in this opening section (see Psalm 3, Psalm 4), suggesting a consistent daily rhythm rather than one-off crisis prayers.
- Verses 9-10 are some of the more direct "imprecatory" language in the early Psalms — asking God to hold specific wrongdoers accountable — worth reading as honest prayer under real threat rather than skipping past as uncomfortable.
- Verse 8's request — "lead me, Yahweh, in your righteousness... make your way straight before my face" — asks for direction, not just protection, which shifts the psalm's emphasis from rescue to guidance.
Psalms 5 (WEB)
1Give ear to my words, Yahweh. Consider my meditation.
2Listen to the voice of my cry, my King and my God; for to you do I pray.
3Yahweh, in the morning you shall hear my voice. In the morning I will lay my requests before you, and will watch expectantly.
4For you are not a God who has pleasure in wickedness. Evil can’t live with you.
5The arrogant shall not stand in your sight. You hate all workers of iniquity.
6You will destroy those who speak lies. Yahweh abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
7But as for me, in the abundance of your loving kindness I will come into your house. I will bow toward your holy temple in reverence of you.
8Lead me, Yahweh, in your righteousness because of my enemies. Make your way straight before my face.
9For there is no faithfulness in their mouth. Their heart is destruction. Their throat is an open tomb. They flatter with their tongue.
10Hold them guilty, God. Let them fall by their own counsels; Thrust them out in the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against you.
11But let all those who take refuge in you rejoice, Let them always shout for joy, because you defend them. Let them also who love your name be joyful in you.
12For you will bless the righteous. Yahweh, you will surround him with favor as with a shield.