Psalms 28:1–9, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Psalms 28:1–9
A cry for hearing and thanksgiving
A rock that must not go silent
The speaker cries to the LORD, his rock: be not silent, lest if God be silent he become like those who go down to the pit. He lifts his hands toward the innermost sanctuary and asks that his voice of supplication be heard.
Do not drag him off with the wicked, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts. Repay them according to their work and the evil of their deeds. They do not regard the works of the LORD; he will tear them down and not rebuild. The plea is to be sorted from that company, not to be deputized as their punisher.
Heard, therefore blessing the people
Blessed be the LORD, because he has heard the voice of supplication. The LORD is strength and shield; the heart trusted, and the speaker is helped. Therefore the heart exults, and with a song he thanks God.
The LORD is the strength of his people, the saving refuge of his anointed. Save your people, bless your heritage, shepherd them, and carry them forever. Answered prayer in the poem does not imply that delayed relief is moral failure. The close turns private help into a petition that the whole flock be carried.
How this should shape us
Ask God not to be silent, then let a heard cry become intercession for a people, not a boast. Do not treat a still-unanswered prayer as proof you were dragged off with the wicked.
Teach it back
Explain Psalms 28:1–9 in your own words. Name the poetic voice and movement, trace its place in Psalm 28 and Book I, identify one exact source control or uncertainty, and reject one use the passage does not authorize.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Psalms 28:1–9, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.
Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 28:1–9
Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 28:1–9.
Official NET Bible Psalm 28 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 28:1–9
Supports: Five-book, genre, poetic, historical, theological, liturgical, communal, and reception synthesis with visible limits.
Enter the Bible Psalms course, Introductory Issues: individual and communal lament, from lament to praise, and Bible in the World; applied to Psalms 28:1–9
Supports: Ancient Greek wording, numbering, division, and superscription evidence where it materially clarifies translation or reception.
NETS Psalms, Pietersma introduction pp. 542–543 and exact Greek translation headed Ps 28 for Psalms 28:1–9
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Psalms 28:1–9, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Psalms
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 28:1–9
Open the fixed Hebrew Psalms file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Psalms 1-150
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, current official online edition
Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 28:1–9.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 28 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 28:1–9
Open the official NET Psalms notes ↗modern scholarly book course
Psalms course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world
Fred Gaiser; revised by Nicholas Schaser
Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, revised May 2024
Supports: Five-book, genre, poetic, historical, theological, liturgical, communal, and reception synthesis with visible limits.
Exact location: Enter the Bible Psalms course, Introductory Issues: individual and communal lament, from lament to praise, and Bible in the World; applied to Psalms 28:1–9
Open the Enter the Bible Psalms course ↗ancient greek text translation and introduction
A New English Translation of the Septuagint: Psalms
Albert Pietersma
International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies; Oxford University Press, 2009
Supports: Ancient Greek wording, numbering, division, and superscription evidence where it materially clarifies translation or reception.
Exact location: NETS Psalms, Pietersma introduction pp. 542–543 and exact Greek translation headed Ps 28 for Psalms 28:1–9
Open NETS Psalms ↗