The Meaning of Psalms 43:1 Explained

Psalms 43:1

KJV: Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.

YLT: Judge me, O God, And plead my cause against a nation not pious, From a man of deceit and perverseness Thou dost deliver me,

Darby: Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; deliver me from the deceitful and unrighteous man.

ASV: Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: Oh deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Judge  me, O God,  and plead  my cause  against an ungodly  nation:  O deliver  me from the deceitful  and unjust  man. 

What does Psalms 43:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The psalmist wrote as though most of the people in his nation had turned against him. He also referred to one opponent in particular. If David wrote this Psalm , he may have done so when he fled from Absalom.

Context Summary

Psalms 43:1-5 - "the Help Of My Countenance"
The exiled king still pours out his soul to God. Already David has addressed Him as God of my life; here God appeals to David as God of my strength, Psalms 43:2, and God, the gladness of my joy, Psalms 43:4, r.v., margin. Speak well of thy God, even though His back seems turned on thee!
Thy light and thy truth, Psalms 43:3, may refer to the Urim and Thummim. Or we may think of them as two white-vestured angels sent from God's presence-chamber to guide the exile's steps back to his home. "Send them forth, commissioned to find me in this lone land and bring me to thine altar." There seem to be four steps in the approach. Unto thy holy hill-this was Mount Zion. To thy tabernacles, the earthly Presence-chamber. Unto the altar of God. Here is a step in advance. Our altar is the Cross where Jesus died, Hebrews 13:10. But God's altar is not enough; we need Him. So we still press on unto God my exceeding joy. Then the hue of health appears on our faces! See Psalms 43:5. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 43

1  David, praying to be restored to the temple, promises to serve God joyfully
5  He encourages his soul to trust in God

What do the individual words in Psalms 43:1 mean?

Vindicate me God and plead my cause against an nation not godly from the man Deceitful and unjust Oh deliver me
שָׁפְטֵ֤נִי אֱלֹהִ֨ים ׀ וְרִ֘יבָ֤ה רִיבִ֗י מִגּ֥וֹי לֹא־ חָסִ֑יד מֵ֤אִישׁ־ מִרְמָ֖ה וְעַוְלָ֣ה תְפַלְּטֵֽנִי

שָׁפְטֵ֤נִי  Vindicate  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: שָׁפַט  
Sense: to judge, govern, vindicate, punish.
אֱלֹהִ֨ים ׀  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
וְרִ֘יבָ֤ה  and  plead 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: רִיב  
Sense: to strive, contend.
רִיבִ֗י  my  cause 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: רִיב 
Sense: strife, controversy, dispute.
מִגּ֥וֹי  against  an  nation 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
חָסִ֑יד  godly 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: חָסִיד  
Sense: faithful, kind, godly, holy one, saint, pious.
מֵ֤אִישׁ־  from  the  man 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
מִרְמָ֖ה  Deceitful 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִרְמָה  
Sense: deceit, treachery.
וְעַוְלָ֣ה  and  unjust 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עָוֶל 
Sense: injustice, unrighteousness, wrong.
תְפַלְּטֵֽנִי  Oh  deliver  me 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, second person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: פָּלַט  
Sense: to escape, save, deliver, slip away.