Old Testament · Poetry

Psalm 17

Keep Me as the Apple of Your Eye

A prayer for protection so intimate it borrows the language of a parent shielding a child. Hide me in the shadow of Your wings.

King James Version BSB KJV

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1Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.

2Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal.

3Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

4Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.

5Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.

6I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.

7Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.

8Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

9From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.

10They are inclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly.

11They have now compassed us in our steps: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth;

12Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

13Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:

14From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.

15As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

Understand This

Psalm 17, explained

What Psalm 17 is saying

Psalm 17 is a prayer of David asserting his innocence and pleading for divine protection using vivid imagery: the pupil of the eye (ishon bat-ayin), the shadow of God's wings (tsel k'nafeycha), and enemies described as lions crouching in ambush. The psalm distinguishes between people whose portion is in this life and the psalmist's hope to behold God's face (paneycha) upon waking.

The background behind it

The psalm reflects a situation of acute personal danger from powerful enemies, consistent with multiple episodes in David's life. The 'apple of the eye' imagery (literally 'little man of the daughter of the eye'—the reflection seen in another's pupil) expresses intimate divine attention.

Themes running underneath

The psalm contrasts two kinds of satisfaction: the wicked are satisfied with earthly abundance (treasures that fill their children's bellies), while the psalmist anticipates satisfaction in seeing God's likeness (t'munatekha). This eschatological vision hints at a hope beyond death.

Why it still matters

The distinction between being satisfied with 'this life' treasures and being satisfied with God's presence challenges every person's ultimate definition of the good life. It presses the question: what will truly satisfy you in the end?

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Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.