Bible Strands
Psalms 25:16
Turn to me and be gracious, for I am lonely and afflicted.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses God directly between two declarations of dependence: after noting God’s role in freeing his feet (25:15) and before pleading for relief from escalating heart troubles (25:17).
The words — פְּנֵה (pe.neh) literally means turn, and יָחִיד (ya.Chid) denotes being solitary or isolated.
The thread — This structural plea for divine attention and mercy appears in Psalms 86:16, Daniel 9:17, and Micah 7:19, where petitioners similarly request focused divine action.
Why it lands — The text demands a direct petition for mercy grounded in acknowledged vulnerability, requiring the reader to practice honest self-assessment before requesting divine intervention.
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
Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.
Cross-references
- Psalms 86:16 Turn to me and have mercy; grant Your strength to Your servant; save the son of Your maidservant.
- Daniel 9:17 So now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of Your servant. For Your sake, O Lord, cause Your face to shine upon Your desolate sanctuary.
- Micah 7:19 He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast out all our sins into the depths of the sea.
- Psalms 69:14 Rescue me from the mire and do not let me sink; deliver me from my foes and out of the deep waters.
- Psalms 143:4 My spirit grows faint within me; my heart is dismayed inside me.
- Psalms 60:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A Miktam of David for instruction. When he fought Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and struck down 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. You have rejected us, O God; You have broken us; You have been angry; restore us!
- Psalms 88:15 From my youth I was afflicted and near death. I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair.
- Mark 15:33 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.