Read Psalm 7 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraph:
7:1-7 {p} Let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, for in You I have taken refuge
O YHVH my God, in You I have taken refuge; save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me. Psa 7:1
David’s Hebrew Root Words in this verse:
To take refuge
Strong’s H2620 חסה chasah, a primitive root meaning, “to seek or find refuge.” The 3-letter root is chet + sin + hey.
chet ח = the wall, thus outside, divide, half
sin ס = the thorn, thus grab, hate, protect
hey ה = man w/ raised arms, thus look, reveal, wonder, worship, breath
The parable: When the wall (chet) which protects (sin) is found (hey, in the sense of pointing out a discovery), then one take refuge within it. If we have taken refuge in YHVH, He is the wall which protects. Good luck scaling or breaching that wall! Our English word “house” comes from the CH-S root; the Spanish word “casa” comes from the CH-S root. We have taken refuge within God’s house.
To save
Strong’s H3467 ישע yasha, a primitive root meaning, “to save.” The 3-letter root is yud + shin + ayin.
yud י = the closed hand, thus work, throw, worship
shin ש = two front teeth, thus sharp, press, eat, two, again
ayin ע = the eye, thus watch, know, shade
The parable: Actively (yud) and sharply, diligently (shin) watching out (ayin) for danger. We have carried over this same understanding in English from the Hebrew mother tongue, when we say, “Look sharp!” to mean, “Look carefully without letting anything escape your notice.” The concrete noun in between the verb form “to save” and the abstract concept of “salvation,” is “shepherd,” the one who rescues his flock.
The shepherd carefully watches over the flock and the surrounding area always on the lookout for danger. When a predator comes to attack, the shepherd destroys the enemy. – Ancient Hebrew Lexicon
To deliver
Strong’s H5337 נצל natsal, a primitive root meaning, “to draw out, to pull out.” The 3-letter root is nun + tsadey + lamed.
nun נ ן = the seed, thus continue, heir, son
tsadey צ ץ = the trail, thus a man concealed, journey, chase, hunt
lamed ל = the shepherd’s staff, thus teach, yoke, to, bind
When one finds his child, family member, bosom friend, or livelihood which sustains the next generation (nun) at risk or lost, he searches for him or it (tsadey), to draw them out or away from danger as a shepherd draws the sheep from the thorns with his staff (lamed).
I think we can safely say that when we need one or all of finding refuge, saving, or delivering, we are in good hands with our Good Shepherd (Joh 10:11-15).
If there are questions, these are good resources:
The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon – Dr. Jeff Benner
Index of Hebrew Roots – Christine Miller
PSALMS BOOK ONE (PSA 1-41) INDEX | BIBLE FOR BEGINNERS ARCHIVE
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