Psalms 142:5

I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
cried	זָעַ֥קְתִּי za.'Ak.ti	H2199	to shriek (from anguish or danger) · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular
LORD	יְה֫וָ֥ה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
said	אָ֭מַרְתִּי 'A.mar.ti	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular
refuge	מַחְסִ֑י mach.Si	H4268	a shelter (literally or figuratively) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
portion	חֶ֝לְקִ֗י chel.Ki	H2506	properly · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
land	בְּאֶ֣רֶץ be.'E.retz	H776	the earth (at large · preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct
living	הַֽחַיִּים Ha.chai.yim	H2416	alive · definite article + adjective, masculine plural absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Timothy 4:17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might…
Psalms 16:5 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
Psalms 27:13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Psalms 73:26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
Psalms 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Psalms 91:9-10 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
Lamentations 3:24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
John 16:32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alon…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 142:4–end

The psalmist here tells us, for our instruction, 1. How he was disowned and deserted by his friends, Psa 142:4. When he was in favour at court he seemed to have a great interest, but when he was made an out-law, and it was dangerous for any one to harbour him (witness Ahimelech's fate), then no man would know him, but every body was shy of him. He looked on his right hand for an advocate (Psa 109:31), some friend or other to speak a good word for him; but, since Jonathan's appearing for him had like to have cost him his life, nobody was willing to venture in defence of his innocency, but all were ready to say they knew nothing of the matter. He looked round to see if any would open their doo…

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John Gill on Psalms 142:5

I cried unto thee, O Lord,.... Finding no help from man, he turns to the Lord, and directs his prayer to him in his distress; I said, thou art my refuge; as he was, from all his enemies that were in pursuit of him, and from the storm of calamities he apprehended was coming upon him: and a refuge the Lord is to all his people in time of trouble; and where they always meet with sustenance, protection, and safety; he being a strong habitation, a strong hold, a strong refuge, to which they may resort at all times; and such is Christ to all sensible sinners that flee unto him, Hebrews 6:18; and my portion in the land of the living; and a most excellent one he is, a large, immense, and inconceiv…

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John Calvin on Psalms 142:5–end

Psalm 142:5-7 5. I cried unto thee, O Jehovah! I said thou art my hope and my portion in the land of the living. 6. Attend unto my cry, for I labor very much under affliction: deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I. 7. Rescue my soul from prison, that I may praise thy name; the righteous shall crown me, for thou wilt recompense me. 5. I cried unto thee, O Jehovah! With a view to hasten God's interposition, David complains of the low estate he was reduced to, and of his extremity; the term cry denoting vehemence, as I have elsewhere noticed. He speaks of deliverance as being plainly needed, since he was now held a prisoner. By prison some suppose he alludes to the cave…

The Church Fathers

"Unto you have I cried, O Lord: I have said, You are my hope" [Psalm 142:5]. When I endured, when I was in tribulation, "I said, You are my hope." My hope here, therefore I endure. But "my portion," not here, but "in the land of the living." God gives a portion in the land of the living; but not something from Himself without Himself. What will He give to one that loves Him, save Himself?
— Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 142

What does it mean, then, that the younger was blessed in the guise of the elder, but that under the symbols of the Old Testament and its promise to the people of the Jews a spiritual blessing has lighted on the people of the Christians? Pay attention, brothers! They hear about the promised land, and so do we. Scripture seems to be speaking to the Jews about the promised land, and it is we who are blessed with the true understanding of the promised land, we who can say to God, "You are my hope, my portion in the land of the living." But it is our mother who taught us to say this that is to say the church teaches us in the holy prophets how to understand spiritually these material promises.
— Augustine of Hippo, SERMON 4:13

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Psalms 142:5

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 142:4–end

John Gill on Psalms 142:5

John Calvin on Psalms 142:5–end

The Church Fathers

Psalms 142:5

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 142:4–end

John Gill on Psalms 142:5

John Calvin on Psalms 142:5–end

The Church Fathers

Keil & Delitzsch on Psalms 142:3-5

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Psalms 142:5

Spurgeon's Treasury of David on Psalms 142:5