◄ Psalm 5:2 ►
Attend to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I pray.
Study Bible
Attend to the sound of my cry
This phrase is a heartfelt plea from the psalmist, David, to God. The Hebrew word for "attend" is "qashab," which means to listen attentively or give heed. It conveys a sense of urgency and desperation, as David seeks God's immediate attention. The "sound of my cry" suggests a deep, emotional outpouring, not just a verbal request. In the historical context, David often found himself in dire situations, surrounded by enemies or facing personal turmoil. This cry is not just for deliverance but also for divine justice and guidance. The phrase reflects a profound trust in God's ability to hear and respond to the cries of His people.

my King and my God
Here, David acknowledges God's sovereignty and personal relationship with Him. The term "King" (Hebrew: "melek") signifies God's ultimate authority and rule over all creation. By calling God "my King," David submits to God's reign and recognizes His power to govern his life and circumstances. The phrase "my God" (Hebrew: "Elohim") emphasizes a personal and covenantal relationship. It is a declaration of faith and loyalty, acknowledging that God is not just a distant deity but a personal protector and provider. This dual recognition of God as both King and God underscores the balance of reverence and intimacy in David's relationship with the Lord.

for to You I pray
This phrase highlights the act of prayer as a direct communication with God. The Hebrew word for "pray" is "palal," which means to intercede or mediate. It implies a deliberate and conscious act of seeking God's presence and intervention. David's declaration "for to You" indicates exclusivity; he turns to God alone, not to idols or other entities, for help and guidance. This reflects a deep-seated belief in the efficacy of prayer and the assurance that God listens to and answers the prayers of the faithful. In the broader scriptural context, prayer is a central theme, serving as a vital connection between humanity and the divine, and this phrase encapsulates that essential practice.

Persons / Places / Events
1. David
The author of Psalm 5, David is expressing his deep reliance on God through prayer. As a king himself, he acknowledges God as the ultimate King and authority.

2. God
Referred to as "my King and my God," highlighting His sovereignty and personal relationship with David.

3. Prayer
The act of communicating with God, which is central to this verse. David is seeking God's attention and intervention.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Prayer
David's example shows that prayer is a vital part of a believer's life. It is a means of expressing dependence on God and seeking His guidance.

Recognizing God's Sovereignty
By addressing God as "my King and my God," David acknowledges God's ultimate authority over his life. Believers are encouraged to submit to God's rule.

Personal Relationship with God
David's use of "my" indicates a personal relationship with God. Believers are reminded that God desires a personal connection with each of His children.

God's Attentiveness
The plea for God to "attend" to his cry assures believers that God listens to their prayers and is attentive to their needs.

Consistency in Prayer
David's regular practice of prayer serves as a model for believers to maintain a consistent prayer life, regardless of circumstances.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does David's approach to prayer in Psalm 5:2 reflect his understanding of God's character and authority?

2. In what ways can recognizing God as "my King and my God" influence your daily decisions and actions?

3. How can you cultivate a more personal and intimate relationship with God through prayer, as demonstrated by David?

4. What are some practical steps you can take to ensure consistency in your prayer life, following David's example?

5. How do the themes of prayer and God's attentiveness in Psalm 5:2 connect with the encouragement found in Philippians 4:6-7 and Hebrews 4:16?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 18:6
This verse also speaks of David calling upon the Lord in distress, emphasizing the theme of seeking God in times of need.

Philippians 4:6-7
These verses encourage believers to present their requests to God through prayer, aligning with David's approach in Psalm 5:2.

Hebrews 4:16
This verse invites believers to approach God's throne of grace with confidence, similar to David's boldness in prayer.
Sermons
Objections to Prayer AnsweredJ. Somerville, D. D.Psalm 5:2
On the Advantages of PrayerJ. Somerville, D. D.Psalm 5:2
On the Nature of PrayerJ. Somerville, D. D.Psalm 5:2
PrayerA. Thomson D. D.Psalm 5:2
The Directness of PrayerJoseph Parker, D. D.Psalm 5:2
Prayer for Deliverance from Wicked MenC. Short Psalm 5:1-7
A Morning PrayerW. Forsyth Psalm 5:1-12
A Morning Prayer: for Sanctuary Service: in Evil TimesC. Clemance Psalm 5:1-12
David's State of Mind in Relation to God and SocietyHomilistPsalm 5:1-12
Prayer to GodThomas Wilcocks.Psalm 5:1-12
The Inward and Outward Sides of the Divine LifeA. Maclaren, D. D.Psalm 5:1-12
The Oratory GateMarvin R. Vincent, D. D.Psalm 5:1-12
The Poverty of Speech in PrayerPsalm 5:1-12
The Prayerful and UnprayerfulF. B. Meyer, B. A.Psalm 5:1-12
The Unspoken Part of PrayerB. Gregory, D. D.Psalm 5:1-12
People
David, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Attentive, Cry, Crying, Habitually, Hearken, Heed, Listen, Prayer, Voice
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 5:2

     8136   knowing God, effects
     8224   dependence
     8318   patience

Psalm 5:1-3

     8610   prayer, asking God

Library
A Staircase of Three Steps
'All those that put their trust in Thee ... them also that love Thy name ... the righteous.'--PSALM v. 11, 12. I have ventured to isolate these three clauses from their context, because, if taken in their sequence, they are very significant of the true path by which men draw nigh to God and become righteous. They are all three designations of the same people, but regarded under different aspects and at different stages. There is a distinct order in them, and whether the Psalmist was fully conscious …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Morning Hymn.
"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord."--Psalm 5:3. "Morgen glanz der Ewigkeit." [35]Knov. von Rosenroth. transl., Jane Borthwick, 1855 Jesus, Sun of righteousness, Brightest beam of Love Divine, With the early morning rays Do Thou on our darkness shine, And dispel with purest light All our night! As on drooping herb and flower Falls the soft refreshing dew, Let Thy Spirit's grace and power All our weary souls renew; Sbowers of blessing over all Softly fall! Like the sun's reviving …
Jane Borthwick—Hymns from the Land of Luther

Morning Hymns
Morning Hymns. [2] My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up. Psalm 5:3 …
Catherine Winkworth—Lyra Germanica: The Christian Year

Moreover what is Written "Thou Wilt Destroy all that Speak Leasing...
35. Moreover what is written "Thou wilt destroy all that speak leasing:" [2360] one saith that no lie is here excepted, but all condemned. Another saith: Yea verily: but they who speak leasing from the heart, as we disputed above; for that man speaketh truth in his heart, who hateth the necessity of lying, which he understands as a penalty of the moral life. Another saith: All indeed will God destroy who speak leasing, but not all leasing: for there is some leasing which the Prophet was at that time …
St. Augustine—On Lying

But if no Authority for Lying Can be Alleged...
9. But if no authority for lying can be alleged, neither from the ancient Books, be it because that is not a lie which is received to have been done or said in a figurative sense, or be it because good men are not challenged to imitate that which in bad men, beginning to amend, is praised in comparison with the worse; nor yet from the books of the New Testament, because Peter's correction rather than his simulation, even as his tears rather than his denial, is what we must imitate: then, as to those …
St. Augustine—On Lying

A Great Deal for Me to Read Hast Thou Sent...
1. A great deal for me to read hast thou sent, my dearest brother Consentius: a great deal for me to read: to the which while I am preparing an answer, and am drawn off first by one, then by another, more urgent occupation, the year has measured out its course, and has thrust me into such straits, that I must answer in what sort I may, lest the time for sailing being now favorable, and the bearer desirous to return, I should too long detain him. Having therefore unrolled and read through all that …
St. Augustine—Against Lying

On the Other Hand, those who Say that we must Never Lie...
6. On the other hand, those who say that we must never lie, plead much more strongly, using first the Divine authority, because in the very Decalogue it is written "Thou shall not bear false witness;" [2306] under which general term it comprises all lying: for whoso utters any thing bears witness to his own mind. But lest any should contend that not every lie is to be called false witness, what will he say to that which is written, "The mouth that lieth slayeth the soul:" [2307] and lest any should …
St. Augustine—On Lying

What Then, if a Homicide Seek Refuge with a Christian...
22. What then, if a homicide seek refuge with a Christian, or if he see where the homicide have taken refuge, and be questioned of this matter by him who seeks, in order to bring to punishment a man, the slayer of man? Is he to tell a lie? For how does he not hide a sin by lying, when he for whom he lies has been guilty of a heinous sin? Or is it because he is not questioned concerning his sin, but about the place where he is concealed? So then to lie in order to hide a person's sin is evil; but …
St. Augustine—On Lying

Since the Case is So, what is Man...
19. Since the case is so, what is man, while in this life he uses his own proper will, ere he choose and love God, but unrighteous and ungodly? "What," I say, "is man," a creature going astray from the Creator, unless his Creator "be mindful of him," [2683] and choose [2684] him freely, and love [2685] him freely? Because he is himself not able to choose or love, unless being first chosen and loved he be healed, because by choosing blindness he perceiveth not, and by loving laziness is soon wearied. …
St. Augustine—On Patience

Second Sunday after Trinity Exhortation to Brotherly Love.
Text: 1 John 3, 13-18. 13 Marvel not, brethren, if the world hateth you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath the world's goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

Question of the Division of Life into the Active and the Contemplative
I. May Life be fittingly divided into the Active and the Contemplative? S. Augustine, De Consensu Evangelistarum, I., iv. 8 " Tractatus, cxxiv. 5, in Joannem II. Is this division of Life into the Active and the Contemplative a sufficient one? S. Augustine, Of the Trinity, I., viii. 17 I May Life be fittingly divided into the Active and the Contemplative? S. Gregory the Great says[291]: "There are two kinds of lives in which Almighty God instructs us by His Sacred Word--namely, the active and …
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

Covenanting a Duty.
The exercise of Covenanting with God is enjoined by Him as the Supreme Moral Governor of all. That his Covenant should be acceded to, by men in every age and condition, is ordained as a law, sanctioned by his high authority,--recorded in his law of perpetual moral obligation on men, as a statute decreed by him, and in virtue of his underived sovereignty, promulgated by his command. "He hath commanded his covenant for ever."[171] The exercise is inculcated according to the will of God, as King and …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Covenant Duties.
It is here proposed to show, that every incumbent duty ought, in suitable circumstances, to be engaged to in the exercise of Covenanting. The law and covenant of God are co-extensive; and what is enjoined in the one is confirmed in the other. The proposals of that Covenant include its promises and its duties. The former are made and fulfilled by its glorious Originator; the latter are enjoined and obligatory on man. The duties of that Covenant are God's law; and the demands of the law are all made …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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