Tap any verse number for what that verse means.
1LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.
2Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
3Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
4Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.
5Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.
6When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.
7Our bones are scattered at the grave’s mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.
8But mine eyes are unto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.
9Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.
10Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.
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: King James Version — public domain.