Bible Strands
Psalms 142:4
Look to my right and see; no one attends to me. There is no refuge for me; no one cares for my soul.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David speaks to God during a moment of acute isolation, immediately after describing how his spirit grows faint while enemies hide a snare along his path. He addresses his plea directly to the Lord before immediately declaring God to be his refuge.
The words — The Hebrew מָנוֹס (ma.Nos) literally means "a place of escape," and אָבַד ('a.Vad) conveys that the speaker has been lost or destroyed. These terms ground the verse in a concrete state of abandonment rather than abstract despair.
The thread — The theme of isolated abandonment echoes in Psalms 31:11, where enemies flee, and Psalms 88:18, where darkness replaces companionship. Jeremiah 30:17 later contrasts this experience by promising restoration for those called outcasts.
Why it lands — The text states that looking right reveals no attendant and no place of escape from the speaker. Interpreters note this physical abandonment mirrors spiritual isolation, demanding acknowledgment of human helplessness when confronted with unrelenting opposition. It directs the reader to examine their own reliance on divine refuge before seeking human validation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 30:17 But I will restore your health and heal your wounds, declares the LORD, because they call you an outcast, Zion, for whom no one cares.”
- Psalms 31:11 Among all my enemies I am a disgrace, and among my neighbors even more. I am dreaded by my friends—they flee when they see me on the street.
- Psalms 88:18 You have removed my beloved and my friend; darkness is my closest companion.
- Job 19:13 He has removed my brothers from me; my acquaintances have abandoned me.
- Matthew 26:56 But this has all happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled.
- 1 Samuel 27:1 David, however, said to himself, “One of these days now I will be swept away by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop searching for me all over Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”
- Psalms 69:20 Insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found no one.
- Psalms 88:8 You have removed my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot escape.
- 2 Timothy 4:16 At my first defense, no one stood with me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be charged against them.
- 1 Samuel 23:11 Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, please tell Your servant.” “He will,” said the LORD.