“Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 5:2 Mean?
"Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray." David addresses God with two titles — King and God — and asks to be heard. The prayer is direct, personal, and relational: David doesn't approach a philosophical concept. He approaches MY King and MY God. The possessive pronouns make the prayer intimate, not formal.
The phrase "voice of my cry" (qol shav'i — the sound of my urgent call) distinguishes this from quiet petition: this is a cry, not a whisper. The prayer has volume. The desperation has sound. David isn't calmly submitting a request. He's crying out — and he asks God to hearken to the voice of that cry, to listen to the specific sound of his specific desperation.
The "for unto thee will I pray" (ki eleka etpallal — because to You I will pray) establishes exclusivity: David prays to God and God alone. The 'for' gives the reason for the request — hear me BECAUSE I'm directing this exclusively to You. The prayer's audience is its argument. The fact that David prays only to God is the reason God should listen.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Do you pray with the intimacy of 'my King, my God' — or do you pray to a distant concept?
- 2.What does the 'voice of my cry' — audible, urgent, desperate — teach about honest prayer?
- 3.How does praying exclusively to God become the argument FOR being heard?
- 4.What would your first prayer of the morning sound like if it started with David's raw urgency?
Devotional
My King. My God. Hear me. David's prayer opens with the two titles that define his relationship: God is his King (sovereign authority) and his God (personal deity). Both are possessed — MY King, MY God. The prayer isn't addressed to 'a god' or 'the king of the universe.' It's addressed to the specific God David belongs to and who belongs to David.
The 'voice of my cry' means the prayer has a sound: it's not silent meditation. It's vocal, desperate, audible. David cries — and he asks God to hear the specific voice of that specific cry. Not just to acknowledge the prayer, but to hearken — to lean in, to attend carefully, to listen with intention. The cry deserves more than God hearing it. It deserves God hearkening to it.
The 'for unto thee will I pray' is both loyalty and argument: David prays exclusively to God. That exclusivity IS the argument for being heard: I'm not distributing my prayers among multiple gods. I'm bringing everything to You alone. The fact that You are my only audience should make You want to listen. The prayer's exclusivity is its persuasion.
This verse is the template for every honest morning prayer: desperate, personal, exclusive. David doesn't begin with thanksgiving or praise. He begins with: hear my cry. The first prayer of the day is the rawest one — the one that names the need before the theology.
Do you pray to God as 'my King and my God' — with the intimacy of possession and the urgency of a cry?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Hearken unto the voice of my cry,.... Which seems to intend more than groans or words, even a loud outcry, as of a…
Hearken unto the voice of my cry - My cry for assistance. The word “voice” refers to the utterance of his desires, or to…
The title of this psalm has nothing in it peculiar but that it is said to be upon Nehiloth, a word nowhere else used. It…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture