Psalms 144 · ESV Study Bible

My Rock and My Fortress

PSALM 144 [†] Blessed be the LORD, my g rock,

h who trains my hands for war,

and my fingers for battle;

2[†] he is my i steadfast love and my j fortress,

my k stronghold and my deliverer,

my l shield and he in whom I take refuge,

who m subdues peoples [1] under me.

3[†] O LORD, n what is man that you o regard him,

or the son of man that you think of him?

4 p Man is like a breath;

his days are like q a passing r shadow.

5[†] s Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down!

t Touch the mountains so that they smoke!

6 u Flash forth the lightning and scatter them;

u send out your arrows and rout them!

7 v Stretch out your hand from on high;

w rescue me and deliver me from the many waters,

from the hand x of foreigners,

8 whose mouths speak y lies

and whose right hand is z a right hand of falsehood.

9[†] I will sing a a new song to you, O God;

upon a a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,

10[^][†] who gives victory to kings,

who b rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.

11 Rescue me and deliver me

from the hand x of foreigners,

whose mouths speak y lies

and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12[†] May our sons in their youth

be like c plants full grown,

our daughters like d corner pillars

cut for the structure of a palace;

13 e may our granaries be full,

f providing all kinds of produce;

may our sheep bring forth thousands

and ten thousands in our fields;

14[†] may our cattle be heavy with young,

suffering no mishap or failure in bearing; [2]

may there be no g cry of distress in our streets!

15 h Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!

i Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!

[1] A Song of Praise. Of David.

PSALM—NOTE ON 144:1–2 The Lord Prospers the King in His Warfare. With echoes of Psalm 18, this psalm begins by reviewing how God has equipped the king to fight for the sake of the people (trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle). As the leader of God’s people (like Psalms 20–21), the singer has found the Lord to be his stronghold and deliverer, who in his blessing subdues peoples under me.

PSALM—NOTE ON Psalm 144. This royal psalm asks for God to give victory to the reigning heir of David, which will lead to a condition of blessing for his people. The “I” in vv. 1–11 is the Davidic king, and “our” in vv. 12–14 is the whole people. God’s promise to the house of David (2 Sam. 7:4–17) has tied the well-being of the whole people to the faithfulness of the reigning heir of David (see notes on Psalms 18; 89; 132). When God’s faithful people sing this, they are praying for the success of this arrangement, so that the people might flourish under God’s blessing. Christians, who recognize Jesus as the final heir of David, pray that God will protect his people from persecutors, will further the expansion of the people, and will prosper the faithful in their daily lives.

PSALM—NOTE ON 144:10 The word rendered victory can also be translated “salvation” (as at 20:5): the requested victory furthers God’s purpose for his people, and thus the king is not allowed to pursue selfish ends with the people’s wars (see note on 20:1–5).

PSALM—NOTE ON 144:14 no mishap or failure in bearing. This is a good resolution of the obscure Hebrew (see esv footnote), in light of Deut. 28:4, 11. Another possibility is that “breaking in” refers to being conquered, and “going out” to exile.

PSALM—NOTE ON 144:2 my steadfast love. That is, “my hope of steadfast love”; cf. Jonah 2:8, where “their hope of steadfast love” is lit., “their steadfast love.” Peoples (Hb. ‘ammim) could be “my people” (Hb. ‘ammi; see esv footnote). Though this latter reading has more textual support, the many parallels with Psalm 18 (cf. 18:47) support the reading of the esv text.