Psalm-28
-hebraicstudies.net-
Please do NOT visit this
site on שַׁבָּת - Shabbat or
on the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts!
Tanakh versions:
Throughout
this site I may use any of the following three versions of the TaNaKh: 1. “Jewish Publication
Society” (JPS-1917), 2. Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC), and 3. “Sefaria.org” (SEF).
Colour coded
details of the - TaNaKh:
1. Torah =
History & Law, 2. Nevi’im =
The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all other Writings.
*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical books - Psalms, Proverbs,
Job, the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song
of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and
Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history of Ezra, Nehemiah, and
Chronicles I & II.
Please Note: Some alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been corrected like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.
YYYYYYY
Remember the following two
truth’s from our beloved Scriptures!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2.
Remember we are Never Alone!
Davarim -
Deuteronomy Chapter 31, verse 6.
JPS-1917 version of the Torah.
חִזְקוּ וְאִמְצוּ, אַל-תִּירְאוּ וְאַל-תַּעַרְצוּ מִפְּנֵיהֶם: כִּי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, הוּא הַהֹלֵךְ עִמָּךְ-לֹא יַרְפְּךָ, וְלֹא יַעַזְבֶךָּ
“Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them; for יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ - the LORD thy Eloheycha (God), He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee’”.
YYYYYYY
With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Tehillim - Psalm 28 is a personal cry to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God) for help and justice, moving from urgent petition and denunciation of the wicked to ‘thanksgiving’, ‘trust’, and a final plea for ‘the people’s salvation’.
Introduction:
Tehillim - Psalm 28 is titled “A Psalm of David” and it opens with an urgent appeal to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim as “my Rock”, asking that He not be ‘silent’ or ‘deaf’ to the Psalmist’s cry. The Psalm is rather compact, yet balanced. There is an initial plea for deliverance (verses 1-3), and a demand for Divine justice on the wicked (verses 4-5), thanksgiving for being heard (verse 6), a personal testimony of trust and rejoicing (verse 7), and a communal closing petition for the people and the anointed (verses 8-9).
YYYYYYY
Let us now read Tehillim - Psalm 28: (JPS-1917 version of the Torah).
1. “(A Psalm) of David. Unto
thee, O יְהוָה
- LORD, do I call; my Rock, be not Thou deaf unto me;
lest, if Thou be silent unto me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
2. Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto Thee, when I lift up my hands toward Thy holy Sanctuary.
3. Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity; who speak peace with their neighbours, but evil is in their hearts.
4. Give them according to their deeds, and according to the evil of their endeavours; give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.
5. Because they give no heed to the works of יְהוָה - the LORD, nor to the operation of His hands; He will break them down and not build them up.
6. Blessed be יְהוָה - the LORD, because He hath heard the voice of my supplications.
7. יְהוָה
- the LORD is my strength and my shield, in Him hath my
heart trusted, and I am helped;
therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth, and with my
song will I praise Him.
8. יְהוָה - the LORD is strength unto them; and He is a stronghold of salvation to His anointed.
9. Save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance; and tend them, and carry them for ever”.
YYYYYYY
Let us now learn more regarding its Content:
Petition and Fear:
The Psalmist begins with an urgent appeal: “Unto thee, O יְהוָה - LORD, do I call; my Rock, be not Thou deaf unto me” and expresses the fear of being abandoned “like them that go down into the pit” if אֱלֹהִים - Elohim is silent. The image of the Rock conveys stability and refuge; the pit evokes death or utter ruin. The lifting of hands toward the “holy Sanctuary” signals worshipful supplication and dependence on אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s presence.
Request for Separation from the
Wicked:
The Psalmist asks not to be “drawn away with the wicked”, those who “speak peace with their neighbours, but evil is in their hearts” and calls for אֱלֹהִים - Elohim to render to them according to their deeds. This is a plea for moral distinction and for אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s retributive justice: the wicked are to receive the outcome of their own hands because they ignore “the works of יְהוָה - the LORD”.
Thanksgiving and Personal
Trust:
After the plea for justice, the tone shifts to thanksgiving: “Blessed be יְהוָה - the LORD, because He hath heard the voice of my supplications”. The Psalmist then testifies, “יְהוָה - the LORD is my strength and my shield”, declaring trust, help received, and consequent rejoicing and song. This movement from petition to praise underscores a personal experience of deliverance.
Communal Concern and Final
Petition:
The closing verses broaden the focus from the ‘individual’ to the ‘community’: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim is “a strength unto them” and “a stronghold of salvation to His anointed”, followed by the plea “Save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance; and tend them, and carry them for ever” being a request for ongoing care for Israel and its leaders.
In Conclusion:
Tehillim - Psalm 28 presents a faithful pattern: it is a honest lament, moral clarity, confident thanksgiving, and a final intercession for the community. It models how one may bring urgent personal need before אֱלֹהִים - Elohim while refusing to be numbered with the wicked, and how answered prayer leads to renewed trust and communal concern. The Psalm’s images ‘Rock’, ‘pit’, ‘shield’, ‘stronghold’ emphasizes אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s role as ‘protector’ and ‘judge’, and its structure moves the reader from fear to praise and from self to people, closing with a plea for enduring Divine care.
YYYYYYY
Please Note: “hebraicstudies” links are located
down the page!
This site was originally created, for those who desired to return to our blessed and wonderful faith. Thus be wise and work on your faith and pray at least two or three times a day (if possible) and always seek our beloved אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance, for His love is always with us, especially when we seek Him, blessed be He! However this site has become very much a teaching site with hundreds of studies!
Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be
He, said the following via several of our prophets...
“Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD of hosts”. Mal’a’chi - Malachi 3:7. (JPS).
And Remember ...
Enjoy your Sabbath Rest, Shabbat Shalom!
אֲנִי
יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, בְּחֻקּוֹתַי
לֵכוּ; וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי
שִׁמְרוּ, וַעֲשׂוּ
אוֹתָם
וְאֶת-שַׁבְּתוֹתַי, קַדֵּשׁוּ; וְהָיוּ
לְאוֹת, בֵּינִי
וּבֵינֵיכֶם-לָדַעַת, כִּי
אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
“I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the LORD your Eloheichem; walk in My statutes,
and keep Mine ordinances, and do them; and hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall
be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה
- the LORD your Eloheichem”.
Yechezkel - Ezekiel 20:19-20. (JPS).
YYYYYYY
“Hebraic Studies” motto is as
follows;
“The More Torah, the
More Life”
For אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, Blessed be His Sanctified Name,
He
is the one who gave us our Life!”
May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD of hosts. be with you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as well as the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s (Prayers) and regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s (blessings) before food and drinks, etc!
שָׁלוֹם
עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom Aleichem - Peace be with you!
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Enter ...
http://www.hebraicstudies.net/Site-Index.htm
Enter ...
https://www.hebraicstudies.net
-hebraicstudies.net-
Email the Rabbi
If the email link does not open - You can also copy the link
and use it.
Although the author
does not believe in having to copyright “Hebraic Studies” commenced in the mid
1980’,
but there have been occasions where there parts of his
studies have been taken and quoted out of context
under my name, and thus he has been misquoted by those who have
their own reasons for doing so.
Thus, it is only for
this reason these works are fully covered under strict ...
Copyright © 2025 - “Hebraic Studies” - All rights reserved.