Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions.

PSALMS 35:17KJV
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Psalms 35:17 (KJV)

What does Psalms 35:17 mean?

Psalms 35:17 is a plea from the psalmist, asking God how long He will allow the psalmist’s suffering to continue and begging for rescue from deadly threats. The writer asks God to save his life—described as his “darling”—from those who seek to destroy him, comparing his enemies to lions.

In this verse, David is speaking directly to God during a time of intense trouble, feeling as if God is watching but not yet acting. The situation is desperate: David’s life is in danger from powerful enemies, and he uses vivid language to express both his fear and his sense of being precious to God. The verse highlights David’s deep trust that God can deliver him, even when rescue seems delayed.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 35:17

  • “Rescue” (שׁוּב, shuv): This word often means “return” or “bring back.” Here, it carries the sense of God restoring or delivering the psalmist’s life from danger, not just removing him from trouble but bringing him back to safety.
  • “Soul” (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh): This word means “life” or “self,” emphasizing that David is asking for his very life to be saved, not just his physical body.
  • “Darling” (יָחִיד, yachid): This word means “only one” or “precious one.” By calling his life his “darling,” David is stressing how valuable and unique his life is to him—and, by extension, to God.
  • “Lions” (כְּפִיר, kephir): This word refers to young or strong lions, which were symbols of deadly threat in ancient Israel. The comparison underlines the real danger David feels from his enemies.

Why Psalms 35:17 matters

  • This verse shows the raw honesty of biblical prayers, where the faithful can question God’s timing without losing faith in His power to save.
  • The use of “darling” for the soul highlights the deep value of each person’s life in God’s eyes, not just as a body but as a unique, precious being.
  • The verse connects to the larger psalm, where David repeatedly asks for God’s intervention against unjust enemies, showing a pattern of trust and dependence on God even in fear.

Where else these words appear

“destructions” Hebrew H7722 · used in 12 verses

  • Job 30:3 For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.
  • Psalms 35:8 Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.
  • Isaiah 10:3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?

“darling” Hebrew H3173 · used in 12 verses

  • Genesis 22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
  • Judges 11:34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.
  • Proverbs 4:3 For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

“lions” Hebrew H3715 · used in 32 verses

  • Judges 14:5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.
  • Proverbs 20:2 The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul.
  • Ezekiel 19:5 Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion.