Psalm 61: The Rock Higher Than I

"Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah."

"For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name. Thou wilt prolong the king's life: and his years as many generations. He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him. So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows."

Rock, tower, tent and wings

Four images of refuge in four lines: a rock too high to climb alone, a strong tower, God's tent, the shelter of wings. "The end of the earth" may mean geographical distance (exile) or the edge of the underworld, where the faint heart feels it stands.

Vows at both ends

"For thou, O God, hast heard my vows" (v. 5) and "that I may daily perform my vows" (v. 8): vows made in distress frame the second half. The heading's neginat ("on a stringed instrument") is singular here, unlike the plural neginot of Psalms 4, 6, 54, 55, 67 and 76.

Who is the king?

Verses 6–7 pray for "the king" in the third person. If the speaker is the king, he prays for himself; more likely a worshipper or the community prays for the reigning king, as in Psalms 20, 21 and 72. The Targum reads "the king Messiah." The heading ("To the chief Musician upon Neginah, A Psalm of David"; Vulgate "In hymnis David") does not settle the date: the royal verses suggest the monarchy, but could also be a later prayer for the hoped-for king.