King James Version
Psalms 69
36 verses with commentary
Save Me, O God
To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, A Psalm of David. Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.</strong> This desperate opening cry expresses overwhelming distress using the metaphor of drowning. 'The waters' (<em>mayim</em>, מַיִם) symbolize chaos, death, and God's judgment throughout Scripture (Genesis 7, Jonah 2, Revelation 21:1). When waters reach 'unto my soul' (<em>ad naphesh</em>, עַד־נָפֶשׁ), the situation is life-threa...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **The waters . . .**—For this common and obvious figure of a “sea of troubles” comp. Psalm 18:4; Psalm 18:16; Psalm 32:6; Psalm 42:7.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. eyes of the Lord are upon--**(Psa 32:8; 33:18).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 69
Chapter Outline
David complains of great distress.(1-12)
And begs for succour.(13-21)
He declares the judgments of God.(22-29)
He concludes with joy and praise.(30-36)
**Verses 1-12**
We should frequently consider the person of the Sufferer here spoken of, and ask why, as well as what he suffered, that, meditating thereon, we may be more humbled for sin, and mo...
Read full commentary →I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. deep mire: Heb. the mire of depth deep waters: Heb. depth of waters
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KJV Study Commentary
The psalmist's desperate cry 'I sink in deep mire' uses drowning imagery for overwhelming affliction. 'No standing' indicates total helplessness—unable to save himself. 'Deep waters' and 'floods overflow me' depict waves of trouble beyond human endurance. This language anticipates Christ's agony in Gethsemane and on the cross (Matthew 26:38, John 12:27), where He experienced the depths of God's wr...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. face ... against--**opposed to them (Le 17:10; 20:3).
**cut off the remembrance--**utterly destroy (Psa 109:13).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 69
Chapter Outline
David complains of great distress.(1-12)
And begs for succour.(13-21)
He declares the judgments of God.(22-29)
He concludes with joy and praise.(30-36)
**Verses 1-12**
We should frequently consider the person of the Sufferer here spoken of, and ask why, as well as what he suffered, that, meditating thereon, we may be more humbled for sin, and mo...
Read full commentary →I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
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KJV Study Commentary
Physical exhaustion from crying and parched throat from waiting depict prolonged suffering without relief. 'Mine eyes fail while I wait for my God' shows persistent hope despite unanswered prayer. This tension—crying out while waiting, exhaustion while hoping—characterizes genuine faith that perseveres through darkness. Christ experienced this in Gethsemane, praying repeatedly while awaiting God's...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Crying.**—Better, *calling, i.e., *on God in prayer. For a similar picture of utter dejection comp. Psalm 22:15. The following English lines have caught the feeling of these verses:
“How have I knelt with arms of my aspiring
Lifted all night in irresponsive air,
Dazed and amazed with overmuch desiring,
Blank with the utter agony of prayer.”
*St. Paul, *by F. Myers.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17-18. Humble penitents are objects of God's special tender regard (Psa 51:19; Is 57:15).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 69
Chapter Outline
David complains of great distress.(1-12)
And begs for succour.(13-21)
He declares the judgments of God.(22-29)
He concludes with joy and praise.(30-36)
**Verses 1-12**
We should frequently consider the person of the Sufferer here spoken of, and ask why, as well as what he suffered, that, meditating thereon, we may be more humbled for sin, and mo...
Read full commentary →They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.
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KJV Study Commentary
Enemies 'more than the hairs of mine head' outnumber and overwhelm. They 'hate me without a cause'—unjust persecution, quoted about Christ in John 15:25. Demanding restoration of what wasn't stolen adds injustice to persecution. This describes Satan's accusations against believers and Christ's bearing sins He didn't commit (2 Corinthians 5:21). The innocent sufferer theme runs from Job through Chr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **They that would destroy me . . .**—Properly, *my exterminators. *It seems a piece of hypercriticism to object to this as too strong a word. It is a very allowable prolepsis. At the same time the parallelism would be improved by adopting, as Ewald suggests, the Syriac reading “my enemies without are more numerous than my bones,” and the construction would be the same as in Psalm 40:12.
**Wron...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17-18. Humble penitents are objects of God's special tender regard (Psa 51:19; Is 57:15).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 69
Chapter Outline
David complains of great distress.(1-12)
And begs for succour.(13-21)
He declares the judgments of God.(22-29)
He concludes with joy and praise.(30-36)
**Verses 1-12**
We should frequently consider the person of the Sufferer here spoken of, and ask why, as well as what he suffered, that, meditating thereon, we may be more humbled for sin, and mo...
Read full commentary →O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee. sins: Heb. guiltiness
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KJV Study Commentary
The psalmist's confession 'O God, thou knowest my foolishness' acknowledges sin's reality even amid unjust suffering. This prevents victim mentality—even innocent sufferers are sinners needing grace. 'My sins are not hid from thee' affirms God's omniscience; nothing escapes His knowledge. This honesty before God demonstrates the difference between suffering for righteousness versus suffering for o...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **My foolishness.**—This does not conflict with a true Messianic application of the Psalm, but is fatal to that which would see in the author not an imperfect type, but a prophetic mouthpiece of Christ.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 69
Chapter Outline
David complains of great distress.(1-12)
And begs for succour.(13-21)
He declares the judgments of God.(22-29)
He concludes with joy and praise.(30-36)
**Verses 1-12**
We should frequently consider the person of the Sufferer here spoken of, and ask why, as well as what he suffered, that, meditating thereon, we may be more humbled for sin, and mo...
Read full commentary →Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.</strong> This verse reveals David's concern extends beyond personal vindication to God's reputation and the faith of fellow believers. The phrase "wait on thee" (קֹוֶיךָ/<em>qovekha</em>) indicates expectant trust, those who look to Yahweh wi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Let not them.**—We again meet the feeling so common in the Psalms (see especially Psalm 44:17-22), that the sufferings of any member of Israel must bring dishonour on the name of Jehovah and on His religion. Here, however, it seems to touch a higher chord of feeling and to approach the true Churchmanship—the *esprit de corps *of the Kingdom of Heaven—which attaches a greater heinousness to t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**20. bones--**framework of the body.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 69
Chapter Outline
David complains of great distress.(1-12)
And begs for succour.(13-21)
He declares the judgments of God.(22-29)
He concludes with joy and praise.(30-36)
**Verses 1-12**
We should frequently consider the person of the Sufferer here spoken of, and ask why, as well as what he suffered, that, meditating thereon, we may be more humbled for sin, and mo...
Read full commentary →Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.</strong> This verse explains why David can appeal to God—his suffering stems from faithfulness to God, not personal wrongdoing. "For thy sake" (עָלֶיךָ/<em>alekha</em>) indicates the causative relationship: loyalty to God provoked the persecution. "Reproach" (חֶרְפָּה/<em>cherpah</em>) signifies public disgrace, scorn,...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Because.**—Better, *for.*
**For thy sake.**—It is plain from Psalm 69:9 that these words can only mean that the reproach under which the psalmist (or the community of which he was the spokesman) laboured was borne in the cause of religion. (Comp. Jeremiah 15:15.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
21-22. Contrast in the destiny of righteous and wicked; the former shall be delivered and never come into condemnation (Joh 5:24; Ro 8:1); the latter are left under condemnation and desolate.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 69
Chapter Outline
David complains of great distress.(1-12)
And begs for succour.(13-21)
He declares the judgments of God.(22-29)
He concludes with joy and praise.(30-36)
**Verses 1-12**
We should frequently consider the person of the Sufferer here spoken of, and ask why, as well as what he suffered, that, meditating thereon, we may be more humbled for sin, and mo...
Read full commentary →I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.</strong> This verse intensifies the description of suffering by revealing familial alienation. "Stranger" (זָר/<em>zar</em>) and "alien" (נָכְרִי/<em>nokhri</em>) are strong terms for outsider, foreigner, one who doesn't belong. David isn't merely misunderstood by family but treated as if no kinship bond exist...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Mother’s children.**—See Note Song of Solomon 1:6.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
21-22. Contrast in the destiny of righteous and wicked; the former shall be delivered and never come into condemnation (Joh 5:24; Ro 8:1); the latter are left under condemnation and desolate.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 69
Chapter Outline
David complains of great distress.(1-12)
And begs for succour.(13-21)
He declares the judgments of God.(22-29)
He concludes with joy and praise.(30-36)
**Verses 1-12**
We should frequently consider the person of the Sufferer here spoken of, and ask why, as well as what he suffered, that, meditating thereon, we may be more humbled for sin, and mo...
Read full commentary →For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.</strong> This verse describes consuming passion for God's honor and suffering that results from that passion. 'Zeal' (<em>qin'at</em>, קִנְאַת) means jealous devotion, burning passion—the same word describes God's jealousy for His people (Exodus 20:5). The psalmist is so devote...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Of thine house**—*i.e.,* *for *thine house. Hosea 8:1, shows that house might stand for congregation, but very probably we are to understand zeal for the restoration or repair of the Temple, or more likely regard for its purity and honour. So at least one applied the words long after, John 2:17 (where see Note in *New Testament Commentary*)*.*
**And the reproaches.**—See St. Paul’s applicati...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 69
Chapter Outline
David complains of great distress.(1-12)
And begs for succour.(13-21)
He declares the judgments of God.(22-29)
He concludes with joy and praise.(30-36)
**Verses 1-12**
We should frequently consider the person of the Sufferer here spoken of, and ask why, as well as what he suffered, that, meditating thereon, we may be more humbled for sin, and mo...
Read full commentary →When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.</strong> David's spiritual disciplines—weeping, fasting, soul-examination—provoked mockery rather than respect. "Chastened" (בַּכִּיתִי/<em>vakhiti</em>) combines mourning and self-discipline, the kind of godly sorrow that should evoke sympathy. "Fasting" (בַּצּוֹם/<em>batzom</em>) was normative spiritual practice fo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **When I wept . . .**—The expression *I wept *(or *lamented*)* my soul with fasting *is hardly intelligible, though perhaps we might say *I wept out my soul with fasting. *The LXX. and Psalm 35:13 suggest an emendation to “I humbled my soul with fasting.”
**To my reproach.**—Quite literally and better, *a reproach to me. *Those who made light of the covenant altogether, who were in heart apos...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
PSALM 35 Psa 35:1-28. The Psalmist invokes God's aid, contrasting the hypocrisy, cunning, and malice of his enemies with his integrity and generosity. The imprecations of the first part including a brief notice of their conduct, the fuller exposition of their hypocrisy and malice in the second, and the earnest prayer for deliverance from their scornful triumph in the last, are each closed (Psa 35:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 69
Chapter Outline
David complains of great distress.(1-12)
And begs for succour.(13-21)
He declares the judgments of God.(22-29)
He concludes with joy and praise.(30-36)
**Verses 1-12**
We should frequently consider the person of the Sufferer here spoken of, and ask why, as well as what he suffered, that, meditating thereon, we may be more humbled for sin, and mo...
Read full commentary →I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.</strong> Sackcloth (שַׂק/<em>saq</em>), coarse goat-hair cloth, was traditional mourning attire, worn to express grief, repentance, or desperate supplication (Genesis 37:34, Jonah 3:5-8). David's prolonged wearing of sackcloth signaled deep spiritual anguish and penitential seeking of God. Yet rather than evoking compassion ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
PSALM 35 Psa 35:1-28. The Psalmist invokes God's aid, contrasting the hypocrisy, cunning, and malice of his enemies with his integrity and generosity. The imprecations of the first part including a brief notice of their conduct, the fuller exposition of their hypocrisy and malice in the second, and the earnest prayer for deliverance from their scornful triumph in the last, are each closed (Psa 35:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 69
Chapter Outline
David complains of great distress.(1-12)
And begs for succour.(13-21)
He declares the judgments of God.(22-29)
He concludes with joy and praise.(30-36)
**Verses 1-12**
We should frequently consider the person of the Sufferer here spoken of, and ask why, as well as what he suffered, that, meditating thereon, we may be more humbled for sin, and mo...
Read full commentary →They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards . drunkards: Heb. drinkers of strong drink
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.</strong> This verse depicts mockery spanning the entire social spectrum. "They that sit in the gate" (יֹשְׁבֵי שַׁעַר/<em>yoshvei sha'ar</em>) refers to city elders, judges, and leaders who conducted business and rendered judgments at the city gate—the center of civic life and authority (Ruth 4:1-11, Proverbs ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **In the gate . . .**—The place of public resort where justice was administered. (See Psalm 9:14 Note.)
**And I was the song.**—Literally, *and songs of those drinking strong drink, *but we must supply the pronoun.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
PSALM 35 Psa 35:1-28. The Psalmist invokes God's aid, contrasting the hypocrisy, cunning, and malice of his enemies with his integrity and generosity. The imprecations of the first part including a brief notice of their conduct, the fuller exposition of their hypocrisy and malice in the second, and the earnest prayer for deliverance from their scornful triumph in the last, are each closed (Psa 35:...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 69
Chapter Outline
David complains of great distress.(1-12)
And begs for succour.(13-21)
He declares the judgments of God.(22-29)
He concludes with joy and praise.(30-36)
**Verses 1-12**
We should frequently consider the person of the Sufferer here spoken of, and ask why, as well as what he suffered, that, meditating thereon, we may be more humbled for sin, and mo...
Read full commentary →But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.</strong> After describing comprehensive mockery (verses 10-12), David pivots dramatically with "But as for me" (וַאֲנִי/<em>va'ani</em>). While enemies mock, David prays. Where others deride, David petitions. This contrast reveals the fundamenta...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **But.**—A better arrangement of the clauses of this verse is:
But as for me my prayer (is) to Thee
Jehovah in a time of grace,
God in the abundance of Thy (covenant) mercy
Hear me with the faithfulness of Thy help.
For the favourable or gracious time comp Isaiah 49:8.
Whatever the sin of Psalm 69:5, &c., it had not cut the offender off from the sense of the blessings of the covenant, or he h...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4. (Compare Psa 9:17).
**devise my hurt--**purpose for evil to me.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-21**
Whatever deep waters of affliction or temptation we sink into, whatever floods of trouble or ungodly men seem ready to overwhelm us, let us persevere in prayer to our Lord to save us. The tokens of God's favour to us are enough to keep our spirits from sinking in the deepest outward troubles. If we think well of God, and continue to do so under the greatest hardships, we need ...
Read full commentary →Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.</strong> David returns to the drowning imagery from verse 2, intensifying the plea with "mire" (טִיט/<em>tit</em>)—thick mud or clay that entraps and suffocates. "Let me not sink" (אַל־אֶטְבָּעָה/<em>al-etba'ah</em>) uses the verb for sinking beneath water's surface, dro...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5-6. (Compare Psa 1:4)--**a terrible fate; driven by wind on a slippery path in darkness, and hotly pursued by supernatural violence (2Sa 24:16; Ac 12:23).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-21**
Whatever deep waters of affliction or temptation we sink into, whatever floods of trouble or ungodly men seem ready to overwhelm us, let us persevere in prayer to our Lord to save us. The tokens of God's favour to us are enough to keep our spirits from sinking in the deepest outward troubles. If we think well of God, and continue to do so under the greatest hardships, we need ...
Read full commentary →Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.</strong> This verse continues intense drowning imagery with three distinct metaphors for mortal danger. "Waterflood" (שִׁבֹּלֶת מַיִם/<em>shibolet mayim</em>) literally means rushing stream or torrent—unstoppable force that sweeps away everything in its path. "Overflow" (תִשְ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Pit.**—Properly, *well. *A stone usually covered the wells (Genesis 29:10), which explains the phrase, “shut her mouth.” Is this merely figurative; or have we here a reminiscence of some terrible crime, analogous to that of Cawnpore?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5-6. (Compare Psa 1:4)--**a terrible fate; driven by wind on a slippery path in darkness, and hotly pursued by supernatural violence (2Sa 24:16; Ac 12:23).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-21**
Whatever deep waters of affliction or temptation we sink into, whatever floods of trouble or ungodly men seem ready to overwhelm us, let us persevere in prayer to our Lord to save us. The tokens of God's favour to us are enough to keep our spirits from sinking in the deepest outward troubles. If we think well of God, and continue to do so under the greatest hardships, we need ...
Read full commentary →Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.</strong> After intense petitions (verses 14-15), David grounds his appeal in God's character. "Hear me" (עֲנֵנִי/<em>aneni</em>) literally means "answer me"—not merely listen but respond actively. "Lovingkindness" (חֶסֶד/<em>chesed</em>) is covenant faithfulness, loyal love, stea...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7-8. net in a pit--**or, "pit of their net"--or, "net-pit," as "holy hill" for "hill of holiness" (Psa 2:6); a figure from hunting (Psa 7:15). Their imprecations on impenitent rebels against God need no vindication; His justice and wrath are for such; His mercy for penitents. Compare Psa 7:16; 11:5, on the peculiar fate of the wicked here noticed.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-21**
Whatever deep waters of affliction or temptation we sink into, whatever floods of trouble or ungodly men seem ready to overwhelm us, let us persevere in prayer to our Lord to save us. The tokens of God's favour to us are enough to keep our spirits from sinking in the deepest outward troubles. If we think well of God, and continue to do so under the greatest hardships, we need ...
Read full commentary →And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily. hear: Heb. make haste to hear me
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily.</strong> The plea "hide not thy face" (אַל־תַּסְתֵּר פָּנֶיךָ/<em>al-taster panekha</em>) is among Scripture's most poignant prayers, expressing the horror of divine absence. God "hiding His face" signifies withdrawal of favor, presence, and protection—the opposite of blessing (Psalm 27:9, 102:2). For covenant p...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7-8. net in a pit--**or, "pit of their net"--or, "net-pit," as "holy hill" for "hill of holiness" (Psa 2:6); a figure from hunting (Psa 7:15). Their imprecations on impenitent rebels against God need no vindication; His justice and wrath are for such; His mercy for penitents. Compare Psa 7:16; 11:5, on the peculiar fate of the wicked here noticed.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-21**
Whatever deep waters of affliction or temptation we sink into, whatever floods of trouble or ungodly men seem ready to overwhelm us, let us persevere in prayer to our Lord to save us. The tokens of God's favour to us are enough to keep our spirits from sinking in the deepest outward troubles. If we think well of God, and continue to do so under the greatest hardships, we need ...
Read full commentary →Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.</strong> "Draw nigh unto my soul" (קָרְבָה אֶל־נַפְשִׁי/<em>qarvah el-nafshi</em>) requests God's intimate approach to the innermost being—not distant help but personal, near presence. <em>Nefesh</em> (soul/life) encompasses the whole person—not just spiritual aspect but entire living, feeling, suffering self.<br><b...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-21**
Whatever deep waters of affliction or temptation we sink into, whatever floods of trouble or ungodly men seem ready to overwhelm us, let us persevere in prayer to our Lord to save us. The tokens of God's favour to us are enough to keep our spirits from sinking in the deepest outward troubles. If we think well of God, and continue to do so under the greatest hardships, we need ...
Read full commentary →Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee.</strong> This verse shifts from petition to confidence, acknowledging God's comprehensive awareness. "Thou hast known" (יָדַעְתָּ/<em>yada'ta</em>) uses <em>yada</em>, meaning experiential, intimate knowledge, not mere cognitive awareness. God doesn't simply observe David's suffering from dis...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. All my bones--**every part.
**him that spoileth him--**(Compare Psa 10:2).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-21**
Whatever deep waters of affliction or temptation we sink into, whatever floods of trouble or ungodly men seem ready to overwhelm us, let us persevere in prayer to our Lord to save us. The tokens of God's favour to us are enough to keep our spirits from sinking in the deepest outward troubles. If we think well of God, and continue to do so under the greatest hardships, we need ...
Read full commentary →Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. to take: Heb. to lament with me
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.</strong> This verse captures devastating emotional and social isolation—the psalmist's heart is 'broken' (<em>shavrah</em>, שָׁבְרָה, shattered) by reproach, and he's 'full of heaviness' (<em>anushti</em>, אָנוּשָׁה), meaning mortally sick...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **I am full of heaviness.**—Rather, *I am sick. *The word here used (with its cognates), as well as that rendered *pity *in the next clause, are favourite words with Jeremiah, as also are the figures of the next verse. (See Jeremiah 8:14; Jeremiah 9:15; Jeremiah 23:15.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. False witnesses--**literally, "Witnesses of injustice and cruelty" (compare Psa 11:5; 25:19).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-21**
Whatever deep waters of affliction or temptation we sink into, whatever floods of trouble or ungodly men seem ready to overwhelm us, let us persevere in prayer to our Lord to save us. The tokens of God's favour to us are enough to keep our spirits from sinking in the deepest outward troubles. If we think well of God, and continue to do so under the greatest hardships, we need ...
Read full commentary →They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.</strong> This verse describes cruel mockery disguised as mercy—enemies offer the sufferer bitter poison instead of food and sour wine instead of water. 'Gall' (<em>rosh</em>, רֹאשׁ) can mean poison or a bitter herb (possibly wormwood or hemlock). The Hebrew parallelism emphasizes the perversity: instead of ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **Gall.**—Heb., *rôsh, i.e., head. *(Comp. *poppy heads. *See Deuteronomy 32:32.) In Hosea 10:4 it is translated *hemlock, *but is most probably the *poppy* (*papaver arenarium*), which grows everywhere in Palestine, and answers all the conditions. The rendering, *gall, *comes from the LXX.
**Vinegar.**—Sour wine would not be rejected as unpalatable (see Note Ruth 2:14). It was forbidden to N...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12-14. Though they rendered evil for good, he showed a tender sympathy in their affliction.
**spoiling--**literally, "bereavement." The usual modes of showing grief are made, as figures, to express his sorrow.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-21**
Whatever deep waters of affliction or temptation we sink into, whatever floods of trouble or ungodly men seem ready to overwhelm us, let us persevere in prayer to our Lord to save us. The tokens of God's favour to us are enough to keep our spirits from sinking in the deepest outward troubles. If we think well of God, and continue to do so under the greatest hardships, we need ...
Read full commentary →Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.</strong> This begins the imprecatory section (verses 22-28) where David calls for divine judgment on enemies. "Their table" (שֻׁלְחָנָם/<em>shulchanam</em>) represents prosperity, security, and fellowship—the blessings of peace. David prays these very blessings become a "sna...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **Let their table.**—The form of this imprecation is, of course, suggested by the figurative language immediately preceding. Life had been made bitter by rancour and enmity, and the psalmist hurls back his curses, couched in the terms which had arisen to his lips to express his own misery.
**And that which.**—Rather, *and to them in peace a noose. *Seated at the banquet, amid every sign of pe...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12-14. Though they rendered evil for good, he showed a tender sympathy in their affliction.
**spoiling--**literally, "bereavement." The usual modes of showing grief are made, as figures, to express his sorrow.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 22-29**
These are prophecies of the destruction of Christ's persecutors. Verses #(22-23), are applied to the judgments of God upon the unbelieving Jews, in Ro 11:9, 10. When the supports of life and delights of sense, through the corruption of our nature, are made the food and fuel of sin, then our table is a snare. Their sin was, that they would not see, but shut their eyes against t...
Read full commentary →Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake.</strong> This imprecation prays for comprehensive judgment affecting both perception and strength. "Let their eyes be darkened" (תֶּחְשַׁכְנָה עֵינֵיהֶם מֵרְאוֹת/<em>techshakhnah eineihem mere'ot</em>) requests judicial blindness—that enemies lose ability to perceive truth. This is covenant curse lang...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **Their eyes.**—The darkened eyes and trembling limbs (comp. Nahum 2:10; Daniel 5:6) are expressive of terror and dismay.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12-14. Though they rendered evil for good, he showed a tender sympathy in their affliction.
**spoiling--**literally, "bereavement." The usual modes of showing grief are made, as figures, to express his sorrow.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 22-29**
These are prophecies of the destruction of Christ's persecutors. Verses #(22-23), are applied to the judgments of God upon the unbelieving Jews, in Ro 11:9, 10. When the supports of life and delights of sense, through the corruption of our nature, are made the food and fuel of sin, then our table is a snare. Their sin was, that they would not see, but shut their eyes against t...
Read full commentary →Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.</strong> This verse intensifies the imprecation, directly calling for divine wrath. "Pour out" (שְׁפָךְ/<em>shefokh</em>) uses imagery of liquid being emptied from a container—sudden, complete, overwhelming. "Thine indignation" (זַעְמֶךָ/<em>za'mekha</em>) is righteous anger at wickedness, not capricious ra...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
15-16. On the contrary, they rejoiced in his affliction. Halting, or, "lameness," as in Psa 38:17 for any distress.
**abjects--**either as cripples (compare 2Sa 4:4), contemptible; or, degraded persons, such as had been beaten (compare Job 30:1-8).
**I knew it not--**either the persons, or, reasons of such conduct.
**tear me, and ceased not--**literally, "were not silent"--showing that the t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 22-29**
These are prophecies of the destruction of Christ's persecutors. Verses #(22-23), are applied to the judgments of God upon the unbelieving Jews, in Ro 11:9, 10. When the supports of life and delights of sense, through the corruption of our nature, are made the food and fuel of sin, then our table is a snare. Their sin was, that they would not see, but shut their eyes against t...
Read full commentary →Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents. their habitation: Heb. their palace let none: Heb. let there not be a dweller
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.</strong> This imprecation prays for complete destruction of enemies' dwelling places and extinction of their households. "Habitation" (טִירָתָם/<em>tiratam</em>) can mean palace, encampment, or dwelling—the place of safety and family life. "Desolate" (שָׁמֵמָה/<em>shamemah</em>) indicates utter ruin, abandonment, the oppo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **Habitation.**—The derivation is from a word meaning *circle, *and a better rendering is therefore *encampment *or *village. *Nomadic tribes pitch their tents in an enclosed ring. The derivation of the English *town *is precisely similar. The desolation of his homestead was, to the Arab, the most frightful of calamities. (Comp. Job 18:15. For St. Peter’s use of this verse, combined with Psal...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
15-16. On the contrary, they rejoiced in his affliction. Halting, or, "lameness," as in Psa 38:17 for any distress.
**abjects--**either as cripples (compare 2Sa 4:4), contemptible; or, degraded persons, such as had been beaten (compare Job 30:1-8).
**I knew it not--**either the persons, or, reasons of such conduct.
**tear me, and ceased not--**literally, "were not silent"--showing that the t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 22-29**
These are prophecies of the destruction of Christ's persecutors. Verses #(22-23), are applied to the judgments of God upon the unbelieving Jews, in Ro 11:9, 10. When the supports of life and delights of sense, through the corruption of our nature, are made the food and fuel of sin, then our table is a snare. Their sin was, that they would not see, but shut their eyes against t...
Read full commentary →For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded. those: Heb. thy wounded
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.</strong> This verse provides theological justification for the imprecations: enemies aren't merely opposing David personally but opposing God's disciplinary work. "Him whom thou hast smitten" (אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּה הִכִּיתָ/<em>asher-attah hikkita</em>) acknowledges God permitted or inflicted...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **They talk . . .**—Better, *and respecting the pain of thy pierced ones, they talk. *(For the construction of this verb *talk, *see Psalm 2:7.) We naturally think of Isaiah 53:4, and of the Cross.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. darling--**(Compare Psa 22:20, 21).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 22-29**
These are prophecies of the destruction of Christ's persecutors. Verses #(22-23), are applied to the judgments of God upon the unbelieving Jews, in Ro 11:9, 10. When the supports of life and delights of sense, through the corruption of our nature, are made the food and fuel of sin, then our table is a snare. Their sin was, that they would not see, but shut their eyes against t...
Read full commentary →Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness. iniquity unto: or, punishment of iniquity, etc
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness.</strong> This imprecation prays for judicial hardening—that God confirm the wicked in their chosen evil. "Add iniquity unto their iniquity" (תְּנָה־עָוֹן עַל־עֲוֹנָם/<em>tenah-avon al-avonam</em>) requests that God increase their guilt, not by forcing them to sin but by giving them over to their sinful desires....
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27, 28) It is doubtful whether these verses give the talk of the enemies just mentioned, or whether the psalmist himself, after a pause, resumes his imprecations. The former supposition certainly adds a fresh force to the prayer of Psalm 69:29; and it is more natural to suppose that the string of curses, once ended, should not be taken up again. On the other hand, would the apostates, against who...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
18. (Compare Psa 22:22).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 22-29**
These are prophecies of the destruction of Christ's persecutors. Verses #(22-23), are applied to the judgments of God upon the unbelieving Jews, in Ro 11:9, 10. When the supports of life and delights of sense, through the corruption of our nature, are made the food and fuel of sin, then our table is a snare. Their sin was, that they would not see, but shut their eyes against t...
Read full commentary →Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.</strong> This final imprecation in the series invokes the "book of the living" (מִסֵּפֶר חַיִּים/<em>missefer chayyim</em>)—God's register of those alive before Him, those who belong to His covenant people and have eternal life. "Blotted out" (יִמָּחוּ/<em>yimmakhu</em>) means erased, deleted, removed...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28) **Book of the living**—**or life.**—This image, which plays so great a part in Christian poetry (Revelation 3:5; Revelation 13:8; Revelation 21:27. Comp. Philippians 4:3; Luke 10:20), is derived from the civil lists or registers of the Jews. (Exodus 32:32; Jeremiah 22:30; Ezekiel 13:9.) At first erasure from this list only implied that a man was dead, or that a family was extinct (see referen...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19. enemies wrongfully--**by false and slanderous imputations.
**wink with the eye--**an insulting gesture (Pr 6:13).
**without a cause--**manifests more malice than having a wrong cause.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 22-29**
These are prophecies of the destruction of Christ's persecutors. Verses #(22-23), are applied to the judgments of God upon the unbelieving Jews, in Ro 11:9, 10. When the supports of life and delights of sense, through the corruption of our nature, are made the food and fuel of sin, then our table is a snare. Their sin was, that they would not see, but shut their eyes against t...
Read full commentary →But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.</strong> After intense imprecations (verses 22-28), David returns to personal lament and petition, creating striking contrast between his condition and enemies'. "I am poor" (עָנִי/<em>ani</em>) means afflicted, humble, brought low—not merely financially poor but comprehensively crushed and vulnerable. "Sorrowful" (כ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(29) **Set me up on high.**—Or**, ***lift me up, i.e., *into a secure place out of the reach of enemies.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**20. deceitful matters--**or, "words of deceit."
**quiet in the land--**the pious lovers of peace.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 22-29**
These are prophecies of the destruction of Christ's persecutors. Verses #(22-23), are applied to the judgments of God upon the unbelieving Jews, in Ro 11:9, 10. When the supports of life and delights of sense, through the corruption of our nature, are made the food and fuel of sin, then our table is a snare. Their sin was, that they would not see, but shut their eyes against t...
Read full commentary →I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.</strong> This verse marks a dramatic shift from lament to praise—the psalmist, despite ongoing suffering, commits to worship. 'I will praise' (<em>ahallelah</em>, אֲהַלְלָה) is a volitional declaration—praise becomes an act of will, not merely an emotional response to favorable circumstances. The 'name of Go...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
21. On the gesture compare Psa 22:7; and on the expressions of malicious triumph, compare Psa 10:13; 28:3.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 30-36**
The psalmist concludes the psalm with holy joy and praise, which he began with complaints of his grief. It is a great comfort to us, that humble and thankful praises are more pleasing to God than the most costly, pompous sacrifices. The humble shall look to him, and be glad; those that seek him through Christ shall live and be comforted. God will do great things for the gospel...
Read full commentary →This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.</strong> Having moved through lament and imprecation, David transitions to vow of praise—a common lament psalm conclusion. "I will praise" (אֲהַלְלָה/<em>ahallela</em>) is future tense, expressing confident expectation that God will deliver, warranting future worship. "The name of God" (שֵׁם־אֱלֹהִים/<em>she...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(31, 32) The pre-eminence of *praise *above *sacrifice *is not infrequent in the Psalms. (Comp. Psalm 50:14.)
(31) **That hath . . .**—Literally, *showing horns and dividing the hoofs, *marking at once *clean *animals, and those of fit age for sacrifice.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 30-36**
The psalmist concludes the psalm with holy joy and praise, which he began with complaints of his grief. It is a great comfort to us, that humble and thankful praises are more pleasing to God than the most costly, pompous sacrifices. The humble shall look to him, and be glad; those that seek him through Christ shall live and be comforted. God will do great things for the gospel...
Read full commentary →The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God. humble: or, meek
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.</strong> David contrasts vocal praise with ceremonial sacrifice, asserting that heartfelt thanksgiving pleases God more than ritual offerings. "This" (זֹאת/<em>zot</em>) refers to the praise and thanksgiving just vowed (verse 31). "Shall please the LORD" (וְתִיטַב לַיהוָה/<em>vetitav laYHWH</em>) means ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(32) **Humble.**—Rather, *afflicted.*
**And your heart . . .**—Better, *may your heart live. *(See Psalm 22:5.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
23-24. (Compare Psa 7:6; 26:1; 2Th 1:6). God's righteous government is the hope of the pious and terror of the wicked.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 30-36**
The psalmist concludes the psalm with holy joy and praise, which he began with complaints of his grief. It is a great comfort to us, that humble and thankful praises are more pleasing to God than the most costly, pompous sacrifices. The humble shall look to him, and be glad; those that seek him through Christ shall live and be comforted. God will do great things for the gospel...
Read full commentary →For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.</strong> David's anticipated praise and deliverance will benefit not only himself but other believers who witness it. "The humble" (עֲנָוִים/<em>anavim</em>)—the poor, afflicted, meek ones who trust God—will observe David's vindication and "be glad" (וְיִשְׂמָחוּ/<em>veyismakhu</em>), finding joy and encourage...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(33) **For the Lord.**—This and the following verses evidently bring the psalm within the circle of literature, of which Isaiah 65:17 *seq., *is the noblest example—the literature inspired by the hope of the restoration and of the rebuilding of Jerusalem.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
23-24. (Compare Psa 7:6; 26:1; 2Th 1:6). God's righteous government is the hope of the pious and terror of the wicked.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 30-36**
The psalmist concludes the psalm with holy joy and praise, which he began with complaints of his grief. It is a great comfort to us, that humble and thankful praises are more pleasing to God than the most costly, pompous sacrifices. The humble shall look to him, and be glad; those that seek him through Christ shall live and be comforted. God will do great things for the gospel...
Read full commentary →Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein. moveth: Heb. creepeth
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.</strong> This verse provides theological foundation for the encouragement just offered (verse 33). "The LORD heareth the poor" (כִּי־שֹׁמֵעַ אֶל־אֶבְיוֹנִים יְהוָה/<em>ki-shomea el-evyonim YHWH</em>) declares God's attentiveness to the needy, afflicted, and vulnerable. <em>Evyonim</em> (poor/needy) emphasizes material and soci...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**25. swallowed him up--**utterly destroyed him (Psa 21:9; La 2:16).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 30-36**
The psalmist concludes the psalm with holy joy and praise, which he began with complaints of his grief. It is a great comfort to us, that humble and thankful praises are more pleasing to God than the most costly, pompous sacrifices. The humble shall look to him, and be glad; those that seek him through Christ shall live and be comforted. God will do great things for the gospel...
Read full commentary →For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.</strong> David calls all creation to join in praising God for His faithfulness to the afflicted. "Heaven and earth" (שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ/<em>shamayim va'aretz</em>) represents totality of creation—the cosmic spheres above and terrestrial realm below. "The seas" (יַמִּים/<em>yammim</em>) adds the aquatic realm,...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26. clothed--**covered wholly (Job 8:22).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 30-36**
The psalmist concludes the psalm with holy joy and praise, which he began with complaints of his grief. It is a great comfort to us, that humble and thankful praises are more pleasing to God than the most costly, pompous sacrifices. The humble shall look to him, and be glad; those that seek him through Christ shall live and be comforted. God will do great things for the gospel...
Read full commentary →The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.</strong> This verse promises that God's deliverance of the righteous sufferer will encourage the humble and revive those who seek Him. 'The humble' (<em>anavim</em>, עֲנָוִים) refers to the afflicted, lowly, and oppressed—those who depend on God because they have no earthly power. When they witness God vindica...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27. favour ... cause--**delight in it, as vindicated by Thee.
**Let the Lord, &c.--**Let Him be greatly praised for His care of the just.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 30-36**
The psalmist concludes the psalm with holy joy and praise, which he began with complaints of his grief. It is a great comfort to us, that humble and thankful praises are more pleasing to God than the most costly, pompous sacrifices. The humble shall look to him, and be glad; those that seek him through Christ shall live and be comforted. God will do great things for the gospel...
Read full commentary →