Psalms 35:17Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue my soul from their destruction, my precious life from the lions.
The setting
Ancient Israel, ~1000 BC. David in desperate prayer, possibly in a cave or wilderness hideout, feeling like prey surrounded by predators in modern-day Israel/Palestine.
The emotion here: desperate and at breaking point, clinging to hope
The original word
yaḥîd (יָחִיד) — my only one, my precious, irreplaceable life
Why it matters
Lions were common in ancient Israel until the Crusades - this wasn't metaphorical
Read with care
What most readers miss in Psalms 35:17
David calls his life 'yaḥîd' - the same word used for Isaac as Abraham's 'only' son
Common misconceptionPeople think this shows lack of faith, but it's actually the prayer of someone who trusts God enough to be brutally honest about their desperation.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Psalms 35:17
Bible Genome reading
Psalms 35:17 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Psalms 35:17 comes from the book of Psalms, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to David. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 70% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the psalm genre of biblical literature. Key themes include urgent prayer, deliverance, divine timing. Notable phrases: Lord, how long; rescue my soul; from the lions. This verse is a prayer.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same seeking
“Pray without ceasing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
— Amos 5:24
“Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that …”
— Genesis 18:25
“Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evi…”
— Luke 11:4
Your reflection
What does Psalms 35:17 mean to you, today?
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