Psalm 143 is the 143rd

psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...

of the biblical Book of Psalms in the

Masoretic The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; he, נֻסָּח הַמָּסוֹרָה, Nūssāḥ Hammāsōrā, lit. 'Text of the Tradition') is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in Rabbinic Judaism. ...

and modern numbering, part of the final Davidic collection of psalms, comprising Psalms 138 to

145 145 may refer to: *145 (number), a natural number *AD 145, a year in the 2nd century AD *145 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *145 (dinghy), a two-person intermediate sailing dinghy *145 (South) Brigade *145 (New Jersey bus) 145 may refer to: *14 ...

, which are specifically attributed to

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

in their opening verses. It is one of the seven

Penitential Psalms The Penitential Psalms or Psalms of Confession, so named in Cassiodorus's commentary of the 6th century AD, are the Psalms 6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129, and 142 (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143 in the Hebrew numbering). *Psalm 6 – Domine, ne ...

. The New King James Version calls it "An Earnest Appeal for Guidance and Deliverance". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond ...

version of the Bible and in the Latin

Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...

Vulgata Clementina The Sixto-Clementine Vulgate or Clementine Vulgate () is the edition promulgated in 1592 by Pope Clement VIII of the Vulgate—a 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible that was written largely by Jerome. It was the second edition of the V ...

, this psalm is Psalm 142. The psalm has two equal sections, verses 1-6 and 7-12, separated by a ''

Selah (; hbo, סֶלָה, selā) is a word used 74 times in the Hebrew Bible. Its etymology and precise meaning are unknown, though various interpretations are given. It is probably either a liturgical-musical mark or an instruction on the reading ...

''.Kirkpatrick, A
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
on Psalm 143, accessed 2 July 2022

Theme

One of the

, it is a prayer to be delivered from the psalmist's enemies. It takes the form of a King's prayer for victory and peace. According to Augustine of Hippo this psalm was likely written during the period of the rebellion of David's son Absalom.

Text

Hebrew Bible version

The following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 143:

Verse 11

:''Revive me, O Lord, for Your name’s sake! :''For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.'' Father Stavros Akrotirianakis points out that in most English translations, verse 11 reads "in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble", whereas the reading in Greek is "in your righteousness bring out of trouble my soul". This then affects the reading of verse 12. "This verse asks God specifically to destroy those who afflict our souls, not our lives."Akrotirianakis, Stavros
Psalm 143

Orthodox Christian Network The Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) is an American broadcasting network which presents Orthodox Christian themed programming to the United States and to over 190 countries world-wide. The Orthodox Christian Network is an official agency of the ...

, published 2 March 2021, accessed 2 July 2022 Alexander Kirkpatrick notes that the verbs "revive" and "bring" should be read as future statements based on confidence in God, rather than as imperatives.

Uses

Jewish

Verse 2 is found in the repetition of the Amidah during Rosh Hashanah.

New Testament

Verse 2b is quoted in

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Catholic Church

In the Benedictine tradition, Benedict of Nursia selected Psalm 142 (143) to be sung on Saturdays at the Office for Lauds (Chapter XIII) after Psalm 51. A number of monasteries still preserve this tradition. Psalm 143 is recited on the fourth Thursday of the four weekly cycle of liturgical prayers at Lauds (Morning Prayer) in the

Liturgy of the Hours The Liturgy of the Hours (Latin: ''Liturgia Horarum'') or Divine Office (Latin: ''Officium Divinum'') or ''Opus Dei'' ("Work of God") are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the ...

, and every Tuesday night at compline (Night Prayer).

Orthodox Church

This psalm is read at every

Orthros ''Orthros'' ( Greek: , meaning "early dawn" or "daybreak") or ''Oútrenya'' ( Slavonic Оўтреня), in the Byzantine Rite of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches, is the last of the four night offices (church service ...

Paraklesis A Paraklesis ( el, Παράκλησις, Slavonic: молебенъ) or Supplicatory Canon in the Byzantine Rite, is a service of supplication for the welfare of the living. It is addressed to a specific Saint or to the Most Holy Theotokos whose ...

, Salutations to the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

, and Holy Unction service.

Musical Settings

Alan Hovhaness Alan Hovhaness (; March 8, 1911 – June 21, 2000) was an American- Armenian composer. He was one of the most prolific 20th-century composers, with his official catalog comprising 67 numbered symphonies (surviving manuscripts indicate over 70) a ...

set verses 1 and 5 in his 1936 work ''Hear my prayer, O Lord''.

References

External links

* in Hebrew and English – Mechon-mamre * King James Bible – Wikisource {{Psalms 143 Works attributed to David