Tap any verse number for what that verse means.
1I call upon You, O LORD; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to You.
2May my prayer be set before You like incense; my uplifted hands, like the evening offering.
3Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.
4Do not let my heart be drawn to any evil thing or take part in works of wickedness with men who do iniquity; let me not feast on their delicacies.
5Let the righteous man strike me; let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion. It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. For my prayer is ever against the deeds of the wicked.
6When their rulers are thrown down from the cliffs, the people will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.
7As when one plows and breaks up the soil, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
8But my eyes are fixed on You, O GOD the Lord. In You I seek refuge; do not leave my soul defenseless.
9Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, and from the lures of evildoers.
10Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.
Understand This
Psalm 141, explained
What Psalm 141 is saying
Psalm 141 is a Davidic evening prayer that uniquely combines petition for protection with a request for personal discipline—asking God to set a guard over the psalmist's own mouth and to keep his heart from being drawn toward evil. The psalmist welcomes the rebuke of the righteous as an act of kindness, comparing it to oil on the head. The closing verses, though textually difficult, express trust in God amid mortal danger.
The background behind it
The reference to prayer as incense and lifted hands as an evening offering (v. 2) connects to the temple's daily tamid sacrifice (Exodus 30:7–8). The psalm may have been composed for use during the evening sacrificial hour.
Themes running underneath
The psalm makes the sophisticated theological move of praying not only for deliverance from external enemies but from one's own potential for sin. The petition for a guarded mouth and disciplined heart recognizes that the greatest threat may come from within. The welcome of righteous rebuke (v. 5) reflects wisdom tradition's high value on accountability.
Why it still matters
This psalm models prayer that addresses internal character as urgently as external circumstance. It demonstrates spiritual maturity in welcoming correction and recognizing one's own vulnerability to temptation.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible — used by permission, Bible Hub.