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Psalm 5:1 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)
¹ Give ear to my words, O Jehovah;
consider my groaning.

Give ear to my words, O Jehovah. We naturally incline the ear towards anyone when we wish to hear distinctly what he says, and we turn away the ear when we do not. The meaning here is David prayed that God would be attentive to or would regard his prayer. This form of the petition is that he would attend to his words—to what he was about to express as his desire. He intended to express only what he wished to be granted.

Consider my groaning. Understand; perceive; for so the word rendered consider properly means. He desired that he would regard the real import of what is here called his groaning; that is, he wished him not merely to attend to his words but to the secret and unexpressed desires of the soul. The idea seems to be that while his words would be sincere and truthful, they could not express all his meaning. There were desires of the soul that no language could convey—deep, unuttered “groanings” (comp. Rom. 8:26, 27), which could not be uttered in language. It refers to an internal emotion—a fervent, ardent feeling—perhaps finding partial expression in sighs (Rom. 8:26), but which does not find expression in words and which words could not convey. He prayed that God would attend to the whole desires of the soul—whether expressed or unexpressed.

By Albert Barnes and Edward D. Andrews