What does the apple of the eye mean?
It is the pupil, the most delicate and precious part of the eye, which we protect by instinct. The picture also appears in Deuteronomy 32:10 and expresses God's tender care for his people.
Psalms · psalm 17 of 150
Psalm 17: Summary, Key Verses and Study Questions
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What happens in Psalm 17?
Psalm 17 is a prayer of David before violent enemies. He presents his just cause to God, affirms that the Lord has tried his heart, asks to be kept as the apple of his eye and hidden in the shadow of his wings, and ends hoping to behold the Lord's face and be satisfied with his likeness when he awakes.
The title simply calls it a prayer of David, and it is one of the few prayers in the book with that title. It is an individual lament in which the psalmist sets before God his innocence in the face of an accusation and his need for protection. It contrasts people whose portion is in this life with the believer whose hope is to see God.
Psalm 17 summary
David begins with a plea: that the Lord hear a just cause, attend to his cry and let his vindication come from his presence. He says God has tried his heart, visited him by night and tested him, finding nothing; his mouth has not transgressed. His steps have held fast to the Lord's paths.
Then he asks God to show his steadfast love to those who take refuge in him: to keep him as the apple of his eye and hide him in the shadow of his wings, away from the wicked who do him violence and his deadly enemies. These enemies close their hearts and speak with arrogance; they surround him and lie in wait like a lion eager to tear, like a young lion lurking in ambush.
David begs the Lord to rise up, confront them and deliver him. He contrasts those men of the world, whose portion is in this life and whose belly is filled with treasure, with his own hope: he, in righteousness, will see the Lord's face, and when he awakes he will be satisfied with his likeness.
Chapter outline
- vv. 1-5: David presents his cause and affirms that God has tried his heart.
- vv. 6-9: A plea that God keep him as the apple of his eye and cover him with his wings.
- vv. 10-12: The enemies are arrogant and lie in wait like lions.
- vv. 13-15: A plea that the Lord arise; the hope of seeing his face.
Key verses in Psalm 17
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Psalm 17:3
David says God has tried his heart and visited him by night and found no wickedness. He does not claim to be perfect, but sincere and faithful in the face of the specific accusation he faces.
Psalm 17:8
He asks to be kept as the apple of the eye and hidden in the shadow of the Lord's wings. They are two pictures of care: the most delicate part of the body and a bird's shelter over her young.
Psalm 17:14
He describes the men of the world, whose portion is in this life and whose belly is filled with treasure. Their happiness is limited and passing, in contrast with the hope of the righteous.
Psalm 17:15
David hopes to behold the Lord's face in righteousness and be satisfied with his likeness when he awakes. Many readers see it as a longing for communion with God that points beyond this life.
Main themes
- Prayer for justice
- God's protection
- The apple of the eye
- Two kinds of inheritance
- The hope of seeing God
People and places
- David
- The Lord
- The violent enemies
Psalm 17 study questions and answers
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
1. What does David ask at the start of the psalm?
Answer: That the Lord hear a just cause and give ear to his prayer. — Psalm 17:1
2. What does David say God has done with his heart?
Answer: He has tried it and visited it by night and found nothing. — Psalm 17:3
3. With what picture does David ask to be kept?
Answer: As the apple of the eye, under the shadow of God's wings. — Psalm 17:8
4. What animal are the enemies compared to?
Answer: A lion eager to tear and a young lion lurking in ambush. — Psalm 17:12
5. Where is the portion of the men of the world?
Answer: In this life. — Psalm 17:14
6. What does David hope for when he awakes?
Answer: To behold the Lord's face and be satisfied with his likeness. — Psalm 17:15
Application for today
Psalm 17 invites us to set before God the truth of our situation. David does not run from an examined prayer: he asks God to test him and trusts that he has been faithful. In a small group it is helpful to ask whether we are willing to say to the Lord: examine my heart.
The picture of the apple of the eye and the shadow of wings reminds us of God's close care. And the final contrast asks what we are seeking: a portion in this life or the face of the Lord. Jesus teaches the same thing when he calls us to store up treasure in heaven; the psalm directs our deepest desire toward God.
Psalm 17 ends with the hope of seeing the Lord's face. Psalm 18, much longer, is David's song when the Lord rescued him from all his enemies, and it answers with praise to a prayer like this one.
Frequently asked questions about Psalm 17
Is David claiming to be without sin?
No. He claims to be innocent of the specific accusation he suffers and to have been faithful to God. Other psalms of David, such as 51, clearly confess his sin.
What does it mean to be satisfied with his likeness on awaking?
It may refer to dawn, when David sees the light again after a night of danger, or to the hope of beholding God beyond death. Christians read it with the hope of seeing God face to face.