Psalm 142 explained: A Prayer From a Hiding Place

Pouring out trouble (vv. 1-2)

The heading links this prayer to David hiding in a cave while King Saul hunted him, though scholars are unsure whether David wrote it or the heading was added later. The speaker holds nothing back and lays his whole complaint out before God, honestly and out loud.

Trapped with no one near (vv. 3-4)

A snare is a hidden trap, so he feels danger even on the ordinary path he walks, and his one comfort is that God sees that path. The right hand was where an ally or a defender in court would stand, and he looks there to find it empty; Christians have also read this loneliness in light of Jesus, deserted by his friends before his death.

God as shelter and share (v. 5)

A refuge is a safe place to hide, and a portion was a family's share of land, the thing that kept them alive, so he is calling God both his safety and his livelihood. 'The land of the living' most likely means this present life, though some Christian readers have also heard in it a hope that reaches beyond death.

A plea to be freed (vv. 6-7)

The 'prison' may be the cave itself or a picture of being hemmed in by danger and despair, and interpreters read it both ways. He hopes that once he is rescued, good people will gather around him and share in thanking God.

Key verse: Psalm 142:5

Something to think about

When you are at your lowest, who or what do you actually tell, and does saying it out loud change anything for you?