תהלים, פרק ל״א, פסוק ה׳

King David finds himself surrounded by enemies who plot against him in secret. Facing this hidden danger, he turns to God for rescue, recognizing Him as his sole source of protection. A question arises from his plea for salvation: he asks to be pulled out of a trap, yet he has not actually been caught in it.

One way to understand this request focuses on the mindset of his attackers. Even though David is not physically trapped, his enemies are entirely convinced that he is already in their grasp and has no way to escape. His prayer is that God will extract him from their mental net of plotting and scheming. By unraveling their certain victory and foiling their plans, God's power becomes clearly known to the world [רד״ק, מאירי].

Another perspective looks deeper into the concept of human free will. The enemies hunting him are people making their own choices, and God typically does not stop humans from acting on their intentions, as doing so would interfere with the system of reward and punishment. Knowing this, David does not ask God to prevent his enemies from setting the trap. He understands they will be allowed to fully exercise their bad choices and lay out their snare. Instead, he asks for God's guidance to escape at the very last moment. Through this, the enemies act on their free will and will face the consequences of their actions, but David is spared from death because God acts as His servant's ultimate refuge [אלשיך].