Psalm 5:1-12 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.… And not only must his tongue be listened to, his thought must be interpreted as well. He implores, "Understand my meditation." This is the old Prayer Book rendering, and seems to come nearest the Hebrew (bin). A parallel passage is, "Thou understandest my thought afar off; for there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it altogether." The petition "Understand my meditation" coming after "Give ear unto my words" is deeply suggestive. It implies that there was a voiceless meaning in his prayer which was not only more than he could express, but more than he himself could, even to himself, perfectly explain. In the profoundest prayer not only more is meant than meets the ear, but more is meant than the mind itself can quite decipher. And expansion in Romans 8 is very wonderful, very touching, and encouraging: "We know not how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the heart knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit." (B. Gregory, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: {To the chief Musician upon Nehiloth, A Psalm of David.} Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. |
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