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Psalms 141

Psalms 141

The big picture

Psalms 141 opens in verse 1 with “LORD , I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 5 with “Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be…”, and closes in verse 10 with “Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, iniquity, keep, mouth, prayer. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.

Scripture beside the summary

Psalms · King James Version · 10

Psalms 141:1-5

1–5: LORD , I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when…

Psalms 141:1–5 opens with “LORD , I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.” and reaches “Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by LORD, prayer, break.

Deep dive

The movement opens with “LORD , I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.” By verse 3, the text has turned to “Set a watch, O LORD , before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” It lands on “Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an…” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. Its subjects, actions, connecting terms, and consequences reveal how the thought develops before any interpretation is added.

Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as LORD, prayer, break, calamities, dainties, door tie the complete block together. The central idea, “the wording and movement of this passage,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.

Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include Incline, Set. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 3: “Set a watch, O LORD , before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.

Words to trace: LORD, prayer, break, calamities, dainties, door

Verse-by-verse path

  1. Psalms 141:1

    “LORD , I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.” The line’s distinctive content terms include haste, LORD, voice. Its relationship to verses 2 shows what work it does in this passage.

  2. Psalms 141:2

    “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” The line’s distinctive content terms include evening, hands, incense. Its relationship to verses 1 and 3 shows what work it does in this passage.

  3. Psalms 141:3

    “Set a watch, O LORD , before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” Naming Set keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  4. Psalms 141:4

    “Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of…” Naming Incline keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  5. Psalms 141:5

    “Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

Psalms 141:1-5

King James Version

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.

Psalms 141:6-10

6–10: When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my…

Psalms 141:6–10 opens with “When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.” and reaches “Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by bones, cleaveth, cutteth.

Deep dive

The movement opens with “When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are…” By verse 8, the text has turned to “But mine eyes are unto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul…” It lands on “Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 1 stated contrast, 1 verse naming the LORD or God. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.

Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as bones, cleaveth, cutteth, destitute, earth, escape tie the complete block together. The central idea, “the wording and movement of this passage,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.

Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include Keep, Lord, Our. Its number language includes one. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 8: “But mine eyes are unto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.

Words to trace: bones, cleaveth, cutteth, destitute, earth, escape

Verse-by-verse path

  1. Psalms 141:6

    “When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

  2. Psalms 141:7

    “Our bones are scattered at the grave’s mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.” The number one makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.

  3. Psalms 141:8

    “But mine eyes are unto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.” The verse names Lord rather than leaving the action without a source. Watch whether the next line continues, answers, or contrasts that action.

  4. Psalms 141:9

    “Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.” Naming Keep keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  5. Psalms 141:10

    “Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.” The line’s distinctive content terms include escape, fall, nets. Its relationship to verses 9 shows what work it does in this passage.

Psalms 141:6-10

King James Version

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.

Questions to keep in mind while reading

  1. Follow the speaker, images, parallel lines, questions, and emotional movement.
  2. Notice where tension or suffering resists an easy answer.
  3. Read a saying as wisdom for faithful discernment, not as a mechanical promise detached from context.

Text first

Where readers differ

The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.

The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.

Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.

Questions beneath the surface

  1. What account of God, human freedom, responsibility, and the good life emerges from Psalms 141?
  2. Which tension does the chapter refuse to resolve quickly?
  3. What changes when the chapter is read as part of the whole canon rather than as an isolated moral story?
  4. Where might a sincere reader confuse a familiar tradition with something the text states directly?

Questions for serious personal contemplation

These open-ended questions make room for tension, honest response, prayer, and conclusions that remain accountable to the chapter.

Observe without rushing

  1. What part of Psalms 141 makes you stop, feel unsettled, or feel surprised, and why?

  2. Which detail in the passage would be easiest to overlook? How does that detail change your understanding?

  3. Where do you see tension between what happens and this focus: Psalms 141:1–10 completes a passage that was not covered by the original study-unit map. Its own wording and immediate context supply the focus.?

  4. What important question does the passage leave open instead of resolving quickly?

Examine your inner life honestly

  1. Which person, response, fear, or desire in the passage feels most like your own life right now?

  2. What assumption about God, other people, or yourself does this text challenge?

  3. Which part would you rather soften, avoid, or explain away too quickly? What might that reaction reveal?

  4. If this Scripture could ask you one direct question, what do you think it would ask?

Respond with wisdom and courage

  1. What do you need to remember, confess, grieve, thank God for, or trust after reading this passage?

  2. How might another faithful person read this situation differently without ignoring the text?

  3. What obedient response would be costly, uncomfortable, or slow, yet still faithful to Scripture?

  4. What question will you carry into prayer this week, and which verses will you keep in front of you?