Read
Psalm 17:13
Arise, LORD, confront him. Cast him down. Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
11They have now surrounded us in our steps. They set their eyes to cast us down to the earth.
12He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey, as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.
13Arise, LORD, confront him. Cast him down. Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
14from men by your hand, LORD, from men of the world, whose portion is in this life. You fill the belly of your cherished ones. Your sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children.
15As for me, I shall see your face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with seeing your form.
Notice
God's sword can be hard to read about, yet the surrounding lion imagery reveals a threatened person's plea for rescue through judgment.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
How does the lurking lion in the preceding verse shape your reading of this plea?
Write on thisWhat difference does it make that the speaker asks God to wield the sword?
Write on thisConnect
Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Psalm 140:1For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. Deliver me, LORD, from evil men. Preserve me from violent men:Both prayers ask the LORD to deliver the speaker from wicked people who threaten harm.
Psalm 44:26Rise up to help us. Redeem us for your loving kindness’ sake.Both prayers ask God to rise and rescue, with Psalm 44 appealing to his loving kindness.
Psalm 3:7Arise, LORD! Save me, my God! For you have struck all of my enemies on the cheek bone. You have broken the teeth of the wicked.Both ask the LORD to arise and save, using violent imagery for God's defeat of the wicked.
Psalm 7:6Arise, LORD, in your anger. Lift up yourself against the rage of my adversaries. Awake for me. You have commanded judgment.Both ask the LORD to arise against an adversary, seeking his intervention in the face of hostile force.
Acts 4:28to do whatever your hand and your counsel foreordained to happen.The shared thread is God's action: the psalm seeks his intervention, while Acts speaks of what his hand and counsel foreordained.
Isaiah 10:5Alas Assyrian, the rod of my anger, the staff in whose hand is my indignation!Both use weapons as images of divine judgment: the psalm names God's sword, while Isaiah calls Assyria the rod of his anger.
Isaiah 51:9Awake, awake, put on strength, arm of the LORD! Awake, as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times. Isn’t it you who cut Rahab in pieces, who …Both urge the LORD to act with force, with Isaiah recalling the arm that pierced the monster.
Isaiah 10:15Should an ax brag against him who chops with it? Should a saw exalt itself above him who saws with it? As if a rod should lift those who lift it up, or as if a …The shared imagery is limited: the psalm names God's sword, while Isaiah describes tools subject to the one who uses them.
Ezekiel 21:3Tell the land of Israel, ‘The LORD says: “Behold, I am against you, and will draw my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the …Both name the LORD's sword, though the psalm seeks rescue from the wicked and Ezekiel announces judgment cutting off righteous and wicked.
2 Samuel 20:1There happened to be there a wicked fellow, whose name was Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite; and he blew the trumpet, and said, “We have no portion in …Both name human wickedness, though Samuel describes Sheba's revolt and the psalm leaves its threatening enemy unnamed.
Habakkuk 1:12Aren’t you from everlasting, LORD my God, my Holy One? We will not die. LORD, you have appointed them for judgment. You, Rock, have established him to punish.Both address the LORD concerning judgment, with the psalm asking him to strike and Habakkuk speaking of those appointed to punish.
Isaiah 13:5They come from a far country, from the uttermost part of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.Both associate the LORD with weapons of judgment, though the psalm seeks personal rescue and Isaiah describes destruction of the land.
Where this verse fits
Injustice and anger. fear for the future.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
You need not soften a plea for protection when harm is real. Here, the threatened person asks God to confront the attacker; the sword belongs to God.
Now put it in your words.
Start an entry on Psalm 17:13. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.
Keep goingPsalm 17 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).