Chapter Overview
Summary
Psalm 5 is a Davidic morning-prayer for divine-hearing and protection from deceitful enemies. 'Their throat is an open grave' (v. 10 MT / v. 9 English) is cited at Romans 3:13 as part of Paul's universal-depravity catena. The psalm's combination of petition, divine-character-celebration, and hope-of-refuge became a template for Christian morning-liturgy.
Notable Variants
5:10 'their throat is an open grave … tongue smooth' cited at Rom 3:13 as part of the Romans-3 catena; the 'hate all who practice evil' at 5:6 as divine-wrath-vocabulary; the 'refuge / rejoice / sing' triad (v. 12 MT) that templates Christian worship-vocabulary.
Structural Notes
LXX Psalm 5 has 13 verses matching MT. English versification drops the superscription (English 5:1 = Hebrew/LXX 5:2).
For the director of music. For flutes. A psalm of David.
Superscription 'for the flutes' (eis tēn klēronomousan in LXX, 'for the inheriting one') — the LXX transliterates the Hebrew technical-musical term differently than most editions render it. The musical-instrument specification is preserved.
Give ear to my words, O LORD; pay attention to my groaning.
'Give ear' / 'my groaning' track MT. The stenagmos ('groaning') vocabulary becomes Romans 8:22–23 and 2 Cor 5:2, 4's creation-and-spirit groaning.
Attend to the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, for to You I pray.
'My King and my God' — basileus mou kai theos mou — tracks MT. Thomas's post-resurrection confession at John 20:28 ('my Lord and my God,' ho kyrios mou kai ho theos mou) echoes this Davidic two-fold divine address.
O LORD, in the morning You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my case before You and watch expectantly.
Morning-prayer specification tracks MT. The pre-dawn-vigil prayer is a biblical-liturgical pattern (Mark 1:35 'in the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus … went out to a desolate place and there he prayed').
For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil cannot dwell with You.
'God does not delight in wickedness' tracks MT. Habakkuk 1:13 ('you are of purer eyes than to see evil') extends the same principle.
The arrogant cannot stand before Your eyes; You hate all who practice evil.
'You hate all who practice evil' tracks MT. The divine-hatred-of-workers-of-evil theology is the hard-edge of biblical moral theism.
You destroy those who speak falsehood; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.
'The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful' tracks MT.
But I, through the abundance of Your faithful love, will enter Your house; I will bow down toward Your holy temple in reverence for You.
'Through the abundance of your faithful love, I will enter your house' tracks MT. Only divine-chesed makes approach to God possible — a theology Hebrews 4:16 ('draw near with confidence to the throne of grace') develops Christologically.
Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of those who watch for my fall; make Your way straight before me.
'Lead me in your righteousness … make your way straight' tracks MT. 'Straight way' (eutheian hodon) becomes NT's 'straight path' vocabulary (Mark 1:3, Matt 3:3 John the Baptist 'make his paths straight').
For there is nothing reliable in their mouth; their inward being is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they make their tongue smooth.
Masoretic (WLC)
קֶבֶר־פָּתוּחַ גְּרוֹנָם לְשׁוֹנָם יַחֲלִיקוּן
their throat is an open grave; they make their tongue smooth
Septuagint (LXX)
τάφος ἀνεῳγμένος ὁ λάρυγξ αὐτῶν ταῖς γλώσσαις αὐτῶν ἐδολιοῦσαν
their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they were deceitful
Romans 3:13 cites this verse verbatim in its LXX form: 'Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they practice deceit.' Paul's Romans-3 catena of LXX-Psalms-and-Prophets quotations (Rom 3:10–18) is the NT's strongest statement of universal human depravity.
The 'open grave' / 'deceitful tongue' combination is visceral: speech-that-kills. James 3:6 ('the tongue is a fire') carries the same anti-speech moral-judgment.
Declare them guilty, O God; let them fall by their own schemes. For the abundance of their rebellions, drive them out, for they have defied You.
Imprecatory prayer tracks MT. 'Let them fall by their own schemes' — poetic justice / moral-reciprocity principle.
But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them sing for joy forever. Spread Your protection over them, and let those who love Your name exult in You.
'All who take refuge in you' (hoi pepoithotes epi se) tracks MT. The peithō ('trust, take refuge') vocabulary becomes NT pistis-family. 'Rejoice / sing for joy / exult' triad templates Christian worship.
For You, O LORD, bless the righteous; You surround them with favor like a shield.
'Bless the righteous / surround them with favor like a shield' tracks MT. The shield-of-favor (thyreos) imagery reappears at Ephesians 6:16's 'shield of faith.'