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Wisdom & Poetry · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Psalm 28

Psalm 28 is read especially through the theme of trust & refuge, within Book I (Psalms 1–41). Its language invites attentive prayer before quick application.

Trust & RefugeWisdomLament
Psalms overview
Old Testament

Psalm 28

1By David. To you, LORD, I call. My rock, don’t be deaf to me, lest, if you are silent to me, I would become like those who go down into the pit.

2Hear the voice of my petitions, when I cry to you, when I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.

3Don’t draw me away with the wicked, with the workers of iniquity who speak peace with their neighbors, but mischief is in their hearts.

4Give them according to their work, and according to the wickedness of their doings. Give them according to the operation of their hands. Bring back on them what they deserve.

5Because they don’t respect the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he will break them down and not build them up.

6Blessed be the LORD, because he has heard the voice of my petitions.

7The LORD is my strength and my shield. My heart has trusted in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoices. With my song I will thank him.

8The LORD is their strength. He is a stronghold of salvation to his anointed.

9Save your people, and bless your inheritance. Be their shepherd also, and bear them up forever.

READ IN CONTEXT

Understanding Psalm 28

Psalm 28 is read especially through the theme of trust & refuge, within Book I (Psalms 1–41). Its language invites attentive prayer before quick application. Read it within the complete five-book Psalms collection, then compare its prayer language with the types of prayer found across Scripture. Classification is a reading aid rather than a replacement for the Psalm's own movement and tension.

Collection

Book I (Psalms 1–41). The five-book shape of the Psalter helps readers hear individual prayers within a deliberately arranged collection.

Themes detected

Trust & Refuge, Wisdom, Lament. Read for these themes while remaining open to tension and secondary movements.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Psalm 28

Psalm 28 contains 9 verses and about 199 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “By David. To you, LORD, I call. My rock, don’t be deaf to me, lest, if you are silent to me, I would become like those who go down into the pit.” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 9 closes: “Save your people, and bless your inheritance. Be their shepherd also, and bear them up forever.” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include don’t, hands, according, down, voice, petitions. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Psalm 28

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Psalms 28:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

What kind of Psalm is this?+

Our reading profile emphasizes trust & refuge, with related themes of Trust & Refuge, Wisdom, Lament. Many Psalms blend genres or move between moods, so this label is a guide rather than a rigid classification.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

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