1 Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.
2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
3 I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4 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.
5 O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.
6 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.
7 Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.
8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.
9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
10 When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
11 I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.
12 They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.
13 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.
14 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.
15 Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.
16 Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
17 And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily.
18 Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.
19 Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee.
20 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.
21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22 Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.
23 Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake.
24 Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.
25 Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.
27 Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness.
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.
29 But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.
30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
31 This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
32 The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.
33 For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.
34 Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.
35 For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession.
36 The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein.
1 [[To the chief Musician H5329 upon Shoshannim, H7799 A Psalm of David.]] H1732 Save H3467 me, O God; H430 for the waters H4325 are come H935 in unto my soul. H5315
2 I sink H2883 in deep H4688 mire, H3121 where there is no standing: H4613 I am come H935 into deep H4615 waters, H4325 where the floods H7641 overflow H7857 me.
3 I am weary H3021 of my crying: H7121 my throat H1627 is dried: H2787 mine eyes H5869 fail H3615 while I wait H3176 for my God. H430
4 They that hate H8130 me without a cause H2600 are more H7231 than the hairs H8185 of mine head: H7218 they that would destroy H6789 me, being mine enemies H341 wrongfully, H8267 are mighty: H6105 then I restored H7725 that which I took not away. H1497
5 O God, H430 thou knowest H3045 my foolishness; H200 and my sins H819 are not hid H3582 from thee.
6 Let not them that wait H6960 on thee, O Lord H136 GOD H3069 of hosts, H6635 be ashamed H954 for my sake: let not those that seek H1245 thee be confounded H3637 for my sake, O God H430 of Israel. H3478
7 Because for thy sake I have borne H5375 reproach; H2781 shame H3639 hath covered H3680 my face. H6440
8 I am become a stranger H2114 unto my brethren, H251 and an alien H5237 unto my mother's H517 children. H1121
9 For the zeal H7068 of thine house H1004 hath eaten me up; H398 and the reproaches H2781 of them that reproached H2778 thee are fallen H5307 upon me.
10 When I wept, H1058 and chastened my soul H5315 with fasting, H6685 that was to my reproach. H2781
11 I made H5414 sackcloth H8242 also my garment; H3830 and I became a proverb H4912 to them.
12 They that sit in H3427 the gate H8179 speak H7878 against me; and I was the song H5058 of the drunkards. H8354 H7941
13 But as for me, my prayer H8605 is unto thee, O LORD, H3068 in an acceptable H7522 time: H6256 O God, H430 in the multitude H7230 of thy mercy H2617 hear H6030 me, in the truth H571 of thy salvation. H3468
14 Deliver H5337 me out of the mire, H2916 and let me not sink: H2883 let me be delivered H5337 from them that hate H8130 me, and out of the deep H4615 waters. H4325
15 Let not the waterflood H4325 H7641 overflow H7857 me, neither let the deep H4688 swallow me up, H1104 and let not the pit H875 shut H332 her mouth H6310 upon me.
16 Hear H6030 me, O LORD; H3068 for thy lovingkindness H2617 is good: H2896 turn H6437 unto me according to the multitude H7230 of thy tender mercies. H7356
17 And hide H5641 not thy face H6440 from thy servant; H5650 for I am in trouble: H6887 hear H6030 me speedily. H4118
18 Draw nigh H7126 unto my soul, H5315 and redeem H1350 it: deliver H6299 me because of mine enemies. H341
19 Thou hast known H3045 my reproach, H2781 and my shame, H1322 and my dishonour: H3639 mine adversaries H6887 are all before thee.
20 Reproach H2781 hath broken H7665 my heart; H3820 and I am full of heaviness: H5136 and I looked H6960 for some to take pity, H5110 but there was none; and for comforters, H5162 but I found H4672 none.
21 They gave H5414 me also gall H7219 for my meat; H1267 and in my thirst H6772 they gave me vinegar H2558 to drink. H8248
22 Let their table H7979 become a snare H6341 before H6440 them: and that which should have been for their welfare, H7965 let it become a trap. H4170
23 Let their eyes H5869 be darkened, H2821 that they see H7200 not; and make their loins H4975 continually H8548 to shake. H4571
24 Pour out H8210 thine indignation H2195 upon them, and let thy wrathful H2740 anger H639 take hold H5381 of them.
25 Let their habitation H2918 be desolate; H8074 and let none dwell H3427 in their tents. H168
26 For they persecute H7291 him whom thou hast smitten; H5221 and they talk H5608 to the grief H4341 of those whom thou hast wounded. H2491
27 Add H5414 iniquity H5771 unto their iniquity: H5771 and let them not come H935 into thy righteousness. H6666
28 Let them be blotted H4229 out of the book H5612 of the living, H2416 and not be written H3789 with the righteous. H6662
29 But I am poor H6041 and sorrowful: H3510 let thy salvation, H3444 O God, H430 set me up on high. H7682
30 I will praise H1984 the name H8034 of God H430 with a song, H7892 and will magnify H1431 him with thanksgiving. H8426
31 This also shall please H3190 the LORD H3068 better H3190 than an ox H7794 or bullock H6499 that hath horns H7160 and hoofs. H6536
32 The humble H6035 shall see H7200 this, and be glad: H8055 and your heart H3824 shall live H2421 that seek H1875 God. H430
33 For the LORD H3068 heareth H8085 the poor, H34 and despiseth H959 not his prisoners. H615
34 Let the heaven H8064 and earth H776 praise H1984 him, the seas, H3220 and every thing that moveth H7430 therein.
35 For God H430 will save H3467 Zion, H6726 and will build H1129 the cities H5892 of Judah: H3063 that they may dwell H3427 there, and have it in possession. H3423
36 The seed H2233 also of his servants H5650 shall inherit H5157 it: and they that love H157 his name H8034 shall dwell H7931 therein.
1 Save me, O God; For the waters are come in unto my soul.
2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is dried: Mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head: They that would cut me off, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: That which I took not away I have to restore.
5 O God, thou knowest my foolishness; And my sins are not hid from thee.
6 Let not them that wait for thee be put to shame through me, O Lord Jehovah of hosts: Let not those that seek thee be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.
7 Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; Shame hath covered my face.
8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, And an alien unto my mother's children.
9 For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up; And the reproaches of them that reproach thee are fallen upon me.
10 When I wept, `and chastened' my soul with fasting, That was to my reproach.
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword unto them.
12 They that sit in the gate talk of me; And `I am' the song of the drunkards.
13 But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Jehovah, in an acceptable time: O God, in the abundance of thy lovingkindness, Answer me in the truth of thy salvation.
14 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.
15 Let not the waterflood overwhelm me, Neither let the deep shallow me up; And let not the pit shut its mouth upon me.
16 Answer me, O Jehovah; for thy lovingkindness is good: According to the multitude of thy tender mercies turn thou unto me.
17 And hide not thy face from thy servant; For I am in distress; answer me speedily.
18 Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: Ransom me because of mine enemies.
19 Thou knowest my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonor: Mine adversaries are all before thee.
20 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.
21 They gave me also gall for my food; And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22 Let their table before them become a snare; And when they are in peace, `let it become' a trap.
23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see; And make their loins continually to shake.
24 Pour out thine indignation upon them, And let the fierceness of thine anger overtake them.
25 Let their habitation be desolate; Let none dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; And they tell of the sorrow of those whom thou hast wounded.
27 Add iniquity unto their iniquity; And let them not come into thy righteousness.
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of life, And not be written with the righteous.
29 But I am poor and sorrowful: Let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.
30 I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify him with thanksgiving.
31 And it will please Jehovah better than an ox, `Or' a bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
32 The meek have seen it, and are glad: Ye that seek after God, let your heart live.
33 For Jehovah heareth the needy, And despiseth not his prisoners.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him, The seas, and everything that moveth therein.
35 For God will save Zion, and build the cities of Judah; And they shall abide there, and have it in possession.
36 The seed also of his servants shall inherit it; And they that love his name shall dwell therein. Psalm 70 For the Chief Musician. `A Psalm' of David; to bring to remembrance.
1 To the Overseer. -- `On the Lilies,' by David. Save me, O God, for come have waters unto the soul.
2 I have sunk in deep mire, And there is no standing, I have come into the depths of the waters, And a flood hath overflown me.
3 I have been wearied with my calling, Burnt hath been my throat, Consumed have been mine eyes, waiting for my God.
4 Those hating me without cause Have been more than the hairs of my head, Mighty have been my destroyers, My lying enemies, That which I took not away -- I bring back.
5 O God, Thou -- Thou hast known Concerning my overturn, And my desolations from Thee have not been hid.
6 Let not those waiting on Thee be ashamed because of me, O Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Let not those seeking Thee Blush because of me, O God of Israel.
7 For because of Thee I have borne reproach, Shame hath covered my face.
8 A stranger I have been to my brother, And a foreigner to sons of my mother.
9 For zeal for Thy house hath consumed me, And the reproaches of Thy reproachers Have fallen upon me.
10 And I weep in the fasting of my soul, And it is for a reproach to me.
11 And I make my clothing sackcloth, And I am to them for a simile.
12 Those sitting at the gate meditate concerning me, And those drinking strong drink, Play on instruments.
13 And I -- my prayer `is' to Thee, O Jehovah, A time of good pleasure, O God, In the abundance of Thy kindness, Answer me in the truth of Thy salvation.
14 Deliver me from the mire, and let me not sink, Let me be delivered from those hating me, And from deep places of waters.
15 Let not a flood of waters overflow me, Nor let the deep swallow me up, Nor let the pit shut her mouth upon me.
16 Answer me, O Jehovah, for good `is' Thy kindness, According to the abundance Of Thy mercies turn Thou unto me,
17 And hide not Thy face from Thy servant, For I am in distress -- haste, answer me.
18 Be near unto my soul -- redeem it, Because of mine enemies ransom me.
19 Thou -- Thou hast known my reproach, And my shame, and my blushing, Before Thee `are' all mine adversaries.
20 Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am sick, And I look for a bemoaner, and there is none, And for comforters, and I have found none.
21 And they give for my food gall, And for my thirst cause me to drink vinegar.
22 Their table before them is for a snare, And for a recompence -- for a trap.
23 Darkened are their eyes from seeing, And their loins continually shake Thou.
24 Pour upon them Thine indignation, And the fierceness of Thine anger doth seize them.
25 Their tower is desolated, In their tents there is no dweller.
26 For they have pursued him Thou hast smitten, And recount of the pain of Thy pierced ones.
27 Give punishment for their iniquity, And they enter not into Thy righteousness.
28 They are blotted out of the book of life, And with the righteous are not written.
29 And I `am' afflicted and pained, Thy salvation, O God, doth set me on high.
30 I praise the name of God with a song, And I magnify Him with thanksgiving,
31 And it is better to Jehovah than an ox, A bullock -- horned -- hoofed.
32 The humble have seen -- they rejoice, Ye who seek God -- and your heart liveth.
33 For Jehovah hearkeneth unto the needy, And His bound ones He hath not despised.
34 The heavens and earth do praise Him, Seas, and every moving thing in them.
35 For God doth save Zion, And doth build the cities of Judah, And they have dwelt there, and possess it.
36 And the seed of His servants inherit it, And those loving His name dwell in it!
1 {To the chief Musician. Upon Shoshannim. [A Psalm] of David.} Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto [my] soul.
2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing; I am come into the depths of waters, and the flood overfloweth me.
3 I am weary with my crying, my throat is parched; mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.
5 Thou, O God, knowest my foolishness, and my trespasses are not hidden from thee.
6 Let not them that wait on thee, Lord, Jehovah of hosts, be ashamed through me; let not those that seek thee be confounded through me, O God of Israel.
7 Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; confusion hath covered my face.
8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's sons;
9 For the zeal of thy house hath devoured me, and the reproaches of them that reproach thee have fallen upon me.
10 And I wept, my soul was fasting: that also was to my reproach; --
11 And I made sackcloth my garment: then I became a proverb to them.
12 They that sit in the gate talk of me, and [I am] the song of the drunkards.
13 But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, Jehovah, in an acceptable time: O God, in the abundance of thy loving-kindness answer me, according to the truth of thy salvation:
14 Deliver me out of the mire, let me not sink; let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the depths of waters.
15 Let not the flood of waters overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up; and let not the pit shut its mouth upon me.
16 Answer me, O Jehovah; for thy loving-kindness is good: according to the abundance of thy tender mercies, turn toward me;
17 And hide not thy face from thy servant, for I am in trouble: answer me speedily.
18 Draw nigh unto my soul, be its redeemer; ransom me because of mine enemies.
19 *Thou* knowest my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee.
20 Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am overwhelmed: and I looked for sympathy, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.
21 Yea, they gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22 Let their table become a snare before them, and their very welfare a trap;
23 Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not, and make their loins continually to shake.
24 Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let the fierceness of thine anger take hold of them.
25 Let their habitation be desolate; let there be no dweller in their tents.
26 For they persecute him whom *thou* hast smitten, and they talk for the sorrow of those whom thou hast wounded.
27 Add iniquity unto their iniquity, and let them not come into thy righteousness.
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of life, and not be written with the righteous.
29 But I am afflicted and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me secure on high.
30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving;
31 And it shall please Jehovah more than an ox, -- a bullock with horns and cloven hoofs.
32 The meek shall see it, they shall be glad; ye that seek God, your heart shall live.
33 For Jehovah heareth the needy, and despiseth not his prisoners.
34 Let heavens and earth praise him; the seas, and everything that moveth therein.
35 For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah; and they shall dwell there, and possess it:
36 And the seed of his servants shall inherit it, and they that love his name shall dwell therein.
1 > Save me, God, For the waters have come up to my neck!
2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold. I have come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
3 I am weary with my crying. My throat is dry. My eyes fail, looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head. Those who want to cut me off, being my enemies wrongfully, are mighty. I have to restore what I didn't take away.
5 God, you know my foolishness. My sins aren't hidden from you.
6 Don't let those who wait for you be shamed through me, Lord Yahweh of Hosts. Don't let those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, God of Israel.
7 Because for your sake, I have borne reproach. Shame has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers, An alien to my mother's children.
9 For the zeal of your house consumes me. The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
10 When I wept and I fasted, That was to my reproach.
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.
12 Those who sit in the gate talk about me. I am the song of the drunkards.
13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, Yahweh, in an acceptable time. God, in the abundance of your loving kindness, answer me in the truth of your salvation.
14 Deliver me out of the mire, and don't let me sink. Let me be delivered from those who hate me, and out of the deep waters.
15 Don't let the flood waters overwhelm me, Neither let the deep swallow me up. Don't let the pit shut its mouth on me.
16 Answer me, Yahweh, for your loving kindness is good. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, turn to me.
17 Don't hide your face from your servant, For I am in distress. Answer me speedily!
18 Draw near to my soul, and redeem it. Ransom me because of my enemies.
19 You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor. My adversaries are all before you.
20 Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness. I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; For comforters, but I found none.
21 They also gave me gall for my food. In my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink.
22 Let their table before them become a snare. May it become a retribution and a trap.
23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they can't see. Let their backs be continually bent.
24 Pour out your indignation on them. Let the fierceness of your anger overtake them.
25 Let their habitation be desolate. Let no one dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute him whom you have wounded. They tell of the sorrow of those whom you have hurt.
27 Charge them with crime upon crime. Don't let them come into your righteousness.
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of life, And not be written with the righteous.
29 But I am in pain and distress. Let your salvation, God, protect me.
30 I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify him with thanksgiving.
31 It will please Yahweh better than an ox, Or a bull that has horns and hoofs.
32 The humble have seen it, and are glad. You who seek after God, let your heart live.
33 For Yahweh hears the needy, And doesn't despise his captive people.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him; The seas, and everything that moves therein!
35 For God will save Zion, and build the cities of Judah. They shall settle there, and own it.
36 The children also of his servants shall inherit it. Those who love his name shall dwell therein.
1 <To the chief music-maker; put to Shoshannim. Of David.> Be my saviour, O God; because the waters have come in, even to my neck.
2 My feet are deep in the soft earth, where there is no support; I have come into deep waters, the waves are flowing over me.
3 I am tired with my crying; my throat is burning: my eyes are wasted with waiting for my God.
4 Those who have hate for me without cause are greater in number than the hairs of my head; those who are against me, falsely desiring my destruction, are very strong; I gave back what I had not taken away.
5 O God, you see how foolish I am; and my wrongdoing is clear to you.
6 Let not those who have hope in you be put to shame because of me, O Lord God of armies: let not those who are waiting for you be made low because of me, O God of Israel.
7 I have been wounded with sharp words because of you; my face has been covered with shame.
8 I have become strange to my brothers, and like a man from a far country to my mother's children.
9 I am on fire with passion for your house; and the hard things which are said about you have come on me.
10 My bitter weeping, and my going without food, were turned to my shame.
11 When I put on the clothing of grief, they said evil of me.
12 I am a cause of wonder to those in authority; a song to those who are given to strong drink.
13 But as for me, let my prayer be made to you, O Lord, at a time when you are pleased; O God, give me an answer in your great mercy, for your salvation is certain.
14 Take me from the grip of the sticky earth, so that I may not go down into it; let me be lifted up from the deep waters.
15 Let me not be covered by the flowing waters; let not the deep waters go over my head, and let me not be shut up in the underworld.
16 Give an answer to my words, O Lord; for your mercy is good: be turned to me, because of your great pity.
17 Let not your face be covered from your servant, for I am in trouble; quickly give me an answer.
18 Come near to my soul, for its salvation: be my saviour, because of those who are against me.
19 You have seen my shame, how I was laughed at and made low; my haters are all before you.
20 My heart is broken by bitter words, I am full of grief; I made a search for some to have pity on me, but there was no one; I had no comforter.
21 They gave me poison for my food; and bitter wine for my drink.
22 Let their table before them be for their destruction; let their feasts become a net to take them.
23 Let their eyes be blind so that they may not see; let their bodies for ever be shaking.
24 Let your curse come on them; let the heat of your wrath overtake them.
25 Give their houses to destruction, and let there be no one in their tents.
26 Because they are cruel to him against whom your hand is turned; they make bitter the grief of him who is wounded by you.
27 Let their punishment be increased; let them not come into your righteousness.
28 Let their names be taken from the book of the living, let them not be numbered with the upright.
29 But I am poor and full of sorrow; let me be lifted up by your salvation, O Lord.
30 I will give praise to the name of God with a song; I will give glory to him for what he has done.
31 This will be more pleasing to the Lord than an ox, or a young ox of full growth.
32 The poor will see it and be glad: you who are lovers of God, let your hearts have life.
33 For the ears of the Lord are open to the poor, and he takes thought for his prisoners.
34 Let the heavens and the earth give praise to him, the seas, and everything moving in them.
35 For God will be the saviour of Zion, and the builder of the towns of Judah; so that it may be their resting-place and heritage.
36 The seed of his servants will have their part in it, and there the lovers of his name will have rest.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 69
Commentary on Psalms 69 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Prayer out of the Depth of Affliction Borne for the Sake of the Truth
This Psalm follows Ps 68 because in vv. 36f. the very same thought is expressed in unfigurative language, that we found in Psalms 68:11 represented under a figure, viz., Thy creatures dwelt therein . In other respects the two Psalms are as different as day and night. Psalms 69 is not a martial and triumphal Psalm, but a Psalm of affliction which does not brighten until near the close; and it is not the church that is the speaker here, as in the preceding Psalm, but an individual. This individual, according to the inscription, is David; and if David, it is not the ideal righteous man (Hengstenberg), but David the righteous, and that when he was unjustly persecuted by Saul. The description of suffering harmonizes in many points with the Psalms belonging to the time of Saul, even the estrangement of his nearest adherents, Psalms 69:9; Psalms 31:12 (cf. Psalms 27:10); the fasting till he is thoroughly enfeebled, Psalms 69:11; Psalms 109:24; the curse upon his foes, in which respect Ps 35; Ps 69, and Ps 109 form a fearful gradation; and the inspiriting call to the saints who are his companions in suffering, Psalms 69:33; Psalms 22:27; Ps 31:25. Were there no doubt about Ps 40 being Davidic, then the Davidic origin of Ps 69 would at the same time be firmly established; but instead of their inscriptions לדוד being mutually confirmatory, they tend, on the contrary, to shake our confidence. These two Psalms are closely related as twin-Psalms: in both the poet describes his suffering as a sinking into a miry pit; in both we meet with the same depreciation of ceremonial sacrifice; the same method of denoting a great multitude, “more than the hairs of my head,” Psalms 69:5; Psalms 40:13; and the same prospect of the faith of the saints being strengthened, Psalms 69:33, Psalms 69:7; Psalms 40:17, Psalms 40:4.
But whilst in Ps 40 it is more the style and in general the outward form than the contents that militate against its Davidic authorship, in Ps 69 it is not so much in form as in subject-matter that we find much that does not accord with David's authorship. For this reason Clericus and Vogel (in his dissertation Inscriptiones Psalmorum serius demum additas videri , 1767) have long ago doubted the correctness of the לדוד ; and Hitzig has more fully supported the conjecture previously advanced by Seiler, von Bengel, and others, that Psalms 69, as also Ps 40, is by Jeremiah. The following points favour this view: (1) The martyrdom which the author endured in his zeal for the house of God, in his self-mortification, and in this consuming of himself with the scorn and deadly hostility of his foes; we may compare more particularly Jeremiah 15:15-18, a confession on the part of the prophet very closely allied in spirit to both these Psalms. (2) The murderous animosity which the prophet had to endure from the men of Anathoth, Jeremiah 11:18., with which the complaint of the psalmist in Psalms 69:9 fully accords. (3) The close of the Psalm, vv. 35-37, which is like a summary of that which Jeremiah foretells in the Book of the Restoration, Psalms 30:1. (4) The peculiar character of Jeremiah's sufferings, who was cast by the princes, as being an enemy to his country, into the waterless but muddy cistern of prince Malchiah (Malkîja) in the court of the guard, and there as it were buried alive. It is true, in Jeremiah 38:6 it is said of this cistern that there was “no water, but only mire,” which seems to contradict the language of the Psalm; but since he sank into the mud, the meaning is that just then there was no water standing in it as at other times, otherwise he must at once have been drowned. Nevertheless, that he was in peril of his life is clear to us from the third kı̂nah (Lam. 3), which in other respects also has many points of close contact with Psalms 69; for there in Lamentations 3:53 he says: “They cut off my life in the pit and cast stones at me. Waters flowed over my head; I thought: I am undone. I called upon Thy name, Jahve, out of the lowest pit. Thou didst hear my cry: Hide not Thine ear from the outpouring of my heart, from my cry for help! Thou didst draw near in the day that I cried, Thou saidst: Fear not." The view of Hitzig, that in Psalms 69 we have this prayer out of the pit, has many things in its favour, and among them, (5) the style, which on the whole is like that of Jeremiah, and the many coincidences with the prophet's language and range of thought visible in single instance. But how could this Psalm have obtained the inscription לדוד ? Could it be on account of the similarity between the close of Psalms 69 and the close of Ps 22? And why should not Ps 71, which is to all appearance by Jeremiah, also have the inscription לדוד ? Psalms 69 is wanting in that imitative character by which Ps 71 so distinctly points to Jeremiah. Therefore we duly recognise the instances and considerations brought forward against the Jeremianic authorship by Keil ( Luth. Zeitschrift , 1860, S. 485f.) and Kurtz ( Dorpater Zeitschrift , 1865, S. 58ff.), whilst, on the contrary, we still maintain, as formerly, that the Psalm admits of being much more satisfactorily explained from the life of Jeremiah than that of David.
The passion Psalms are the part of the Old Testament Scriptures most frequently cited in the New Testament; and after Ps 22 there is no Psalm referred to in so many ways as Ps 69. (1) The enemies of Jesus hated Him without a cause: this fact, according to John 15:25, is foretold in Psalms 69:5. It is more probable that the quotation by John refers to Psalms 69:5 than to Psalms 35:19. (2) When Jesus drove the buyers and sellers out of the Temple, Psalms 35:10 received its fulfilment, according to John 2:17 : the fierce flame of zeal against the profanation of the house of God consumes Him, and because of this zeal He is hated and despised. (3) He willingly bore this reproach, being an example to us; John 2:10 of our Psalm being, according to Romans 15:3, fulfilled in Him. (4) According to Acts 1:20, the imprecation in Psalms 69:26 has received its fulfilment in Judas Iscariot. The suffixes in this passage are plural; the meaning can therefore only be that indicated by J. H. Michaelis, quod ille primus et prae reliquis hujus maledictionis se fecerit participem . (5) According to Romans 11:9., Psalms 69:23. of the Psalm have been fulfilled in the present rejection of Israel. The apostle does not put these imprecations directly into the mouth of Jesus, just as in fact they are not appropriate to the lips of the suffering Saviour; he only says that what the psalmist there, in the zealous ardour of the prophetic Spirit - a zeal partaking of the severity of Sinai and of the spirit of Elias - invokes upon this enemies, has been completely fulfilled in those who wickedly have laid violent hands upon the Holy One of God. The typically prophetic hints of the Psalm are far from being exhausted by these New Testament quotations. One is reminded, in connection with Psalms 69:12, of the mockery of Jesus by the soldiers in the praetorium, Matthew 27:27-30; by Psalms 69:21, of the offer of vinegar mingled with gall (according to Mark 15:23, wine mingled with myrrh) which Jesus refused, before the crucifixion, Matthew 27:34, and of the sponge dipped in vinegar which they put to the mouth of the crucified One by means of a stalk of hyssop, John 19:29. When John there says that Jesus, freely and consciously preparing Himself to die, only desired a drink in order that, according to God's appointment, the Scripture might receive its utmost fulfilment, he thereby points back to Psalms 22:16 and Psalms 69:22. And what an amount of New Testament light, so to speak, falls upon Psalms 69:27 when we compare with it Isaiah 53:1-12 and Zechariah 13:7! The whole Psalm is typically prophetic, in as far as it is a declaration of a history of life and suffering moulded by God into a factual prediction concerning Jesus the Christ, whether it be the story of a king or a prophet; and in as far as the Spirit of prophecy has even moulded the declaration itself into the language of prophecy concerning the future One.
The Psalm falls into three parts, consisting of the following strophes: (1) 3. 5. 6. 6. 7; (2) 5. 6. 7; (3) 6. 6. 6. 6. 6. Does שׁושׁנּים perhaps point to the preponderating six-line strophes under the emblem of the six-leaved lily? This can hardly be the case. The old expositors said that the Psalm was so inscribed because it treats of the white rose of the holy innocence of Christ, and of the red rose of His precious blood. שׁושׁן properly does not signify a rose; this flower was altogether unknown in the Holy Land at the time this Psalm was written. The rose was not transplanted thither out of Central Asia until much later, and was called ורד ( ῥόδον ); שׁושׁן , on the other hand, is the white, and in the Holy Land mostly red, lily - certainly, as a plant, a beautiful emblem of Christ. Propter me , says Origen, qui in convalle eram, Sponsus descendit et fit lilium .
Out of deep distress, the work of his foes, the complaining one cries for help; he thinks upon his sins, which is sufferings bring to his remembrance, but he is also distinctly conscious that he is an object of scorn and hostility for God's sake, and from His mercy he looks for help in accordance with His promises. The waters are said to rush in unto the soul ( עד־נפשׁ ), when they so press upon the imperilled one that the soul, i.e., the life of the body, more especially the breath, is threatened; cf. Jonah 2:6; Jeremiah 4:10. Waters are also a figure of calamities that come on like a flood and drag one into their vortex, Psalms 18:17; Psalms 32:6; Psalms 124:5, cf. Psalms 66:12; Psalms 88:8, Psalms 88:18; here, however, the figure is cut off in such a way that it conveys the impression of reality expressed in a poetical form, as in Ps 40, and much the same as in Jonah's psalm. The soft, yielding morass is called יון , and the eddying deep מצוּלה . The Nomen Hophal . מעמד signifies properly a being placed, then a standing-place, or firm standing (lxx ὑπόστασις ), like מטּה , that which is stretched out, extension, Isaiah 8:8. שׁבּלת (Ephraimitish סבּלת ) is a streaming, a flood, from שׁבל , Arab. sbl , to stream, flow (cf. note on Psalms 58:9 ). בּוא בּ , to fall into, as in Psalms 66:12, and שׁטף with an accusative, to overflow, as in Psalms 124:4. The complaining one is nearly drowned in consequence of his sinking down, for he has long cried in vain for help: he is wearied by continual crying ( יגע בּ , as in Psalms 6:7, Jeremiah 45:3), his throat is parched ( נחר from חרר ; lxx and Jerome: it is become hoarse), his eyes have failed (Jeremiah 14:6) him, who waits upon his God. The participle מיחל , equal to a relative clause, is, as in 18:51, 1 Kings 14:6, attached to the suffix of the preceding noun (Hitzig). Distinct from this use of the participle without the article is the adverbially qualifying participle in Genesis 3:8; Song of Solomon 5:2, cf. חי , 2 Samuel 12:21; 2 Samuel 18:14. There is no necessity for the correction of the text מיּחל (lxx apo' τοῦ elpi'zein me). Concerning the accentuation of רבּוּ vid., on Psalms 38:20. Apart from the words “more than the hairs of my head” (Psalms 40:13), the complaint of the multitude of groundless enemies is just the same as in Psalms 38:20; Psalms 35:19, cf. Psalms 109:3, both in substance and expression. Instead of מצמיתי , my destroyers, the Syriac version has the reading מעצמותי (more numerous than my bones), which is approved by Hupfeld; but to reckon the multitude of the enemy by the number of one's own bones is both devoid of taste and unheard of. Moreover the reading of our text finds support, if it need any, in Lamentations 3:52. The words, “what I have not taken away, I must then restore,” are intended by way of example, and perhaps, as also in Jeremiah 15:10, as a proverbial expression: that which I have not done wrong, I must suffer for (cf. Jeremiah 15:10, and the similar complaint in Psalms 35:11). One is tempted to take אז in the sense of “nevertheless” (Ewald), a meaning, however, which it is by no means intended to convey. In this passage it takes the place of זאת (cf. οὕτως for ταῦτα , Matthew 7:12), inasmuch as it gives prominence to the restitution desired, as an inference from a false assumption: then, although I took it not away, stole it not.
The transition from the bewailing of suffering to a confession of sin is like Psalms 40:13. In the undeserved persecution which he endures at the hand of man, he is obliged nevertheless to recognise well-merited chastisement from the side of God. And whilst by אתּה ידעתּ (cf. Psalms 40:10, Jeremiah 15:15; Jeremiah 17:16; Jeremiah 18:23, and on ל as an exponent of the object, Jeremiah 16:16; Jeremiah 40:2) he does not acknowledge himself to be a sinner after the standard of his own shortsightedness, but of the divine omniscience, he at the same time commends his sinful need, which with self-accusing modesty he calls אוּלת (Psalms 38:6) and אשׁמות (2 Chronicles 28:10), to the mercy of the omniscient One. Should he, the sinner, be abandoned by God to destruction, then all those who are faithful in their intentions towards the Lord would be brought to shame and confusion in him, inasmuch as they would be taunted with this example. קויך designates the godly from the side of the πίστις , and מבקשׁיך a from the side of the ἀγάπη . The multiplied names of God are so many appeals to God's honour, to the truthfulness of His covenant relationship. The person praying here is, it is true, a sinner, but that is no justification of the conduct of men towards him; he is suffering for the Lord's sake, and it is the Lord Himself who is reviled in him. It is upon this he bases his prayer in Psalms 69:8. עליך , for thy sake, as in Psalms 44:23; Jeremiah 15:15. The reproach that he has to bear, and ignominy that has covered his face and made it quite unrecognisable (Psalms 44:16, cf. Psalms 83:17), have totally estranged (Psalms 38:12, cf. Psalms 88:9, Job 19:13-15; Jeremiah 12:6) from him even his own brethren ( אחי , parallel word בּני אמּי , as in Psalms 50:20; cf. on the other hand, Genesis 49:8, where the interchange designedly takes another form of expression); for the glow of his zeal ( קנאהּ from קנא , according to the Arabic, to be a deep or bright red) for the house of Jahve, viz., for the sanctity of the sanctuary and of the congregation gathered about it (which is never directly called “the house of Jahve” in the Old Testament, vid., Köhler on Zechariah 9:8, but here, as in Numbers 12:7; Hosea 8:1, is so called in conjunction with the sanctuary), as also for the honour of His who sits enthroned therein, consumes him, like a fire burning in his bones which incessantly breaks forth and rages all through him (Jeremiah 20:9; Jeremiah 23:9), and therefore all the malice of those who are estranged from God is concentrated upon and against him.
He now goes on to describe how sorrow for the sad condition of the house of God has brought noting but reproach to him (cf. Psalms 109:24.). It is doubtful whether נפשׁי is an alternating subject to ואבכּה ( fut. consec . without being apocopated), cf. Jeremiah 13:17, or a more minutely defining accusative as in Isaiah 26:9 (vid., on Psalms 3:5), or whether, together with בּצּום , it forms a circumstantial clause ( et flevi dum in jejunio esset anima mea ), or even whether it is intended to be taken as an accusative of the object in a pregnant construction (= בּכה ושׁפך נפשׁו , Psalms 42:5; 1 Samuel 1:15): I wept away my soul in fasting. Among all these possible renderings, the last is the least probable, and the first, according to Psalms 44:3; 83:19, by far the most probable, and also that which is assumed by the accentuation.
(Note: The Munach of בצום is a transformation of Dechî (just as the Munach of לחרפות is a transformation of Mugrash ), in connection with which נקשי might certainly be conceived of even as object (cf. Psalms 26:6 ); but this after ואבכּה (not ואבכּה ), and as being without example, could hardly have entered the minds of the punctuists.)
The reading of the lxx ואענּה , καὶ συνέκαψα (Olshausen, Hupfeld, and Böttcher), is a very natural (Psalms 35:13) exchange of the poetically bold expression for one less choice and less expressive (since ענּה נפשׁ is a phrase of the Pentateuch equivalent to צוּם ). The garb of mourning, like the fasting, is an expression of sorrow for public distresses, not, as in Psalms 35:13, of personal condolence; concerning ואתּנה , vid., on Psalms 3:6. On account of this mourning, reproach after reproach comes upon him, and they fling gibes and raillery at him; everywhere, both in the gate, the place where the judges sit and where business is transacted, and also at carousals, he is jeered at and traduced (Lamentations 3:14, cf. Lamentations 5:14; Job 30:9). שׂיח בּ signifies in itself fabulari de ... without any bad secondary meaning (cf. Proverbs 6:22, confabulabitur tecum ); here it is construed first with a personal and then a neuter subject (cf. Amos 8:3), for in Psalms 69:13 neither הייתי (Job 30:9; Lamentations 3:14) nor אני (Lamentations 3:63) is to be supplied. Psalms 69:14 tells us how he acts in the face of such hatred and scorn; ואני , as in Psalms 109:4, sarcasmis hostium suam opponit in precibus constantiam (Geier). As for himself, his prayer is directed towards Jahve at the present time, when his affliction as a witness for God gives him the assurance that He will be well-pleased to accept it ( עת רצון = בעת רצון , Isaiah 49:8). It is addressed to Him who is at the same time Jahve and Elohim , - the revealed One in connection with the history of redemption, and the absolute One in His exaltation above the world, - on the ground of the greatness and fulness of His mercy: may He then answer him with or in the truth of His salvation, i.e., the infallibility with which His purpose of mercy verifies itself in accordance with the promises given. Thus is Psalms 69:14 to be explained in accordance with the accentuation. According to Isaiah 49:8, it looks as though עת רצון must be drawn to ענני (Hitzig), but Psalms 32:6 sets us right on this point; and the fact that ברב־חסדך is joined to Psalms 69:14 also finds support from Psalms 5:8. But the repetition of the divine name perplexes one, and it may be asked whether or not the accent that divides the verse into its two parts might not more properly stand beside רצון , as in Psalms 32:6 beside מצא ; so that Psalms 69:14 runs: Elohim, by virtue of the greatness of Thy mercy hear me, by virtue of the truth of Thy salvation.
In this second part the petition by which the first is as it were encircled, is continued; the peril grows greater the longer it lasts, and with it the importunity of the cry for help. The figure of sinking in the mire or mud and in the depths of the pit ( בּאר , Ps 55:24, cf. בור , Psalms 40:3) is again taken up, and so studiously wrought out, that the impression forces itself upon one that the poet is here describing something that has really taken place. The combination “from those who hate me and from the depths of the waters” shows that “the depths of the waters” is not a merely rhetorical figure; and the form of the prayer: let not the pit (the well-pit or covered tank) close ( תּאטּר with Dagesh in the Teth , in order to guard against its being read תּאטר ; cf. on the signification of אטּר , clausus = claudus , scil. manu ) its mouth (i.e., its upper opening) upon me, exceeds the limits of anything that can be allowed to mere rhetoric. “Let not the water-flood overflow me” is intended to say, since it has, according to Psalms 69:3, already happened, let it not go further to my entire destruction. The “answer me” in Psalms 69:17 is based upon the plea that God's loving-kindness is טּוב , i.e., good, absolutely good (as in the kindred passion-Psalm, Psalms 109:21), better than all besides (Psalms 63:4), the means of healing or salvation from all evil. On Psalms 69:17 cf. Psalms 51:3, Lamentations 3:32. In Psalms 69:18 the prayer is based upon the painful situation of the poet, which urgently calls for speedy help ( מהר beside the imperative, Psalms 102:3; Psalms 143:7; Genesis 19:22; Esther 6:10, is certainly itself not an imperative like הרב , Psalms 51:4, but an adverbial infinitive as in Psalms 79:8). קרבה , or, in order to ensure the pronunciation ḳorbah in distinction from ḳārbah , Deuteronomy 15:9, קרבה (in Baer,
(Note: Originally - was the sign for every kind of o6 , hence the Masora includes the חטוף also under the name קמץ חטף ; vid., Luther. Zeitschrift , 1863, S. 412,f., cf. Wright, Genesis , p. xxix.))
is imperat. Kal ; cf. the fulfilment in Lamentations 3:57. The reason assigned, “because of mine enemies,” as in Psalms 5:9; Psalms 27:11, and frequently, is to be understood according to Psalms 13:5 : the honour of the all-holy One cannot suffer the enemies of the righteous to triumph over him.
(Note: Both נפשׁי and איבי , contrary to logical interpunction, are marked with Munach ; the former ought properly to have Dechî , and the latter Mugrash . But since neither the Athnach -word nor the Silluk -word has two syllables preceding the tone syllable, the accents are transformed according to Accentuationssystem , xviii. §2, 4.)
The accumulation of synonyms in Psalms 69:20 is Jeremiah's custom, Jeremiah 13:14; Jeremiah 21:5, Jeremiah 21:7; Jeremiah 32:37, and is found also in Ps 31 (Psalms 31:10) and Ps 44 (Psalms 44:4, Psalms 44:17, Psalms 44:25). On הרפּה שׁברה לבּי , cf. Psalms 51:19, Jeremiah 23:9. The ἅπαξ γεγραμ , ואנוּשׁה (historical tense), from נוּשׁ , is explained by ענוּשׁ from אנשׁ , sickly, dangerously ill, evil-disposed, which is a favourite word in Jeremiah. Moreover נוּד in the signification of manifesting pity, not found elsewhere in the Psalter, is common in Jeremiah, e.g., Psalms 15:5; it signifies originally to nod to any one as a sign of a pity that sympathizes with him and recognises the magnitude of the evil. “To give wormwood for meat and מי־ראשׁ to drink” is a Jeremianic (Jeremiah 8:14; Jeremiah 9:14; Jeremiah 23:15) designation for inflicting the extreme of pain and anguish upon one. ראשׁ ( רושׁ ) signifies first of all a poisonous plant with an umbellated head of flower or a capitate fruit; but then, since bitter and poisonous are interchangeable notions in the Semitic languages, it signifies gall as the bitterest of the bitter. The lxx renders: καὶ ἔδωκαν εἰς τὸ βρῶμά μου χολήν, καὶ εἰς τὴν δίψαν μου ἐπότισάν με ὄξος . Certainly נתן בּ can mean to put something into something, to mix something with it, but the parallel word לצמאי (for my thirst, i.e., for the quenching of it, Nehemiah 9:15, Nehemiah 9:20) favours the supposition that the בּ of בּברוּתי is Beth essentiae , after which Luther renders: “they give me gall to eat.” The ἅπαξ γεγραμ . בּרוּת (Lamentations 4:10 בּרות ) signifies βρῶσις , from בּרה , βιβρώσκειν (root βορ , Sanscrit gar , Latin vor-are ).
The description of the suffering has reached its climax in Psalms 69:22, at which the wrath of the persecuted one flames up and bursts forth in imprecations. The first imprecation joins itself upon Psalms 69:22. They have given the sufferer gall and vinegar; therefore their table, which was abundantly supplied, is to be turned into a snare to them, from which they shall not be able to escape, and that לפניהם , in the very midst of their banqueting, whilst the table stands spread out before them (Ezekiel 23:41). שׁלומים (collateral form of שׁלמים ) is the name given to them as being carnally secure; the word signifies the peaceable or secure in a good (Psalms 55:21) and in a bad sense. Destruction is to overtake them suddenly, “when they say: Peace and safety” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). The lxx erroneously renders: καὶ εἰς ἀνταπόδοσιν = וּלשׁלּוּמים . The association of ideas in Psalms 69:24 is transparent. With their eyes they have feasted themselves upon the sufferer, and in the strength of their loins they have ill-treated him. These eyes with their bloodthirsty malignant looks are to grow blind. These loins full of defiant self-confidence are to shake ( המעד , imperat. Hiph . like הרחק , Job 13:21, from המעיד , for which in Ezekiel 29:7, and perhaps also in Daniel 11:14, we find העמיד ). Further: God is to pour out His wrath upon them (Psalms 79:6; Hosea 5:10; Jeremiah 10:25), i.e., let loose against them the cosmical forces of destruction existing originally in His nature. זעמּך has the Dagesh in order to distinguish it in pronunciation from זעמך . In Psalms 69:26 טירה (from טוּר , to encircle) is a designation of an encamping or dwelling-place (lxx ἔπαυλις ) taken from the circular encampments (Arabic ṣı̂rât , ṣirât , and dwâr , duâr ) of the nomads (Genesis 25:16). The laying waste and desolation of his own house is the most fearful of all misfortunes to the Semite ( Job , note to Psalms 18:15). The poet derives the justification of such fearful imprecations from the fact that they persecute him, who is besides smitten of God. God has smitten him on account of his sins, and that by having placed him in the midst of a time in which he must be consumed with zeal and solicitude for the house of God. The suffering decreed for him by God is therefore at one and the same time suffering as a chastisement and as a witnessing for God; and they heighten this suffering by every means in their power, not manifesting any pity for him or any indulgence, but imputing to him sins that he has not committed, and requiting him with deadly hatred for benefits for which they owed him thanks.
There are also some others, although but few, who share this martyrdom with him. The psalmist calls them, as he looks up to Jahve, חלליך , Thy fatally smitten ones; they are those to whom God has appointed that they should bear within themselves a pierced or wounded heart (vid., Psalms 109:22, cf. Jeremiah 8:18) in the face of such a godless age. Of the deep grief ( אל , as in Psalms 2:7) of these do they tell, viz., with self-righteous, self-blinded mockery (cf. the Talmudic phrase ספר בלשׁון הרע or ספר לשׁון הרע , of evil report or slander). The lxx and Syriac render יוסיפוּ ( προσέθηκαν ): they add to the anguish; the Targum, Aquila, Symmachus, and Jerome follow the traditional text. Let God therefore, by the complete withdrawal of His grace, suffer them to fall from one sin into another - this is the meaning of the da culpam super culpam eorum - in order that accumulated judgment may correspond to the accumulated guilt (Jeremiah 16:18). Let the entrance into God's righteousness, i.e., His justifying and sanctifying grace, be denied to them for ever. Let them be blotted out of ספר חיּים (Exodus 32:32, cf. Isaiah 4:3; Daniel 12:1), that is to say, struck out of the list of the living, and that of the living in this present world; for it is only in the New Testament that we meet with the Book of Life as a list of the names of the heirs of the ζωὴ αἰώνιος . According to the conception both of the Old and of the New Testament the צדיקים are the heirs of life. Therefore Psalms 69:29 wishes that they may not be written by the side of the righteous, who, according to Habakkuk 2:4, “live,” i.e., are preserved, by their faith. With ואני the poet contrasts himself, as in Ps 40:18, with those deserving of execration. They are now on high, but in order to be brought low; he is miserable and full of poignant pain, but in order to be exalted; God's salvation will remove him from his enemies on to a height that is too steep for them (Psalms 59:2; Psalms 91:14). Then will he praise ( הלּל ) and magnify ( גּדּל ) the Name of God with song and thankful confession. And such spiritual תּודה , such thank-offering of the heart, is more pleasing to God than an ox, a bullock, i.e., a young ox (= פּר השּׁור , an ox-bullock, Judges 6:25, according to Ges. §113), one having horns and a cloven hoof (Ges. §53, 2). The attributives do not denote the rough material animal nature (Hengstenberg), but their legal qualifications for being sacrificed. מקרין is the name for the young ox as not being under three years old (cf. 1 Samuel 1:24, lxx ἐν μόσχῳ τριετίζοντι ); מפריס as belonging to the clean four-footed animals, viz., those that are cloven-footed and chew the cud, Lev. 11. Even the most stately, full-grown, clean animal that may be offered as a sacrifice stands in the sight of Jahve very far below the sacrifice of grateful praise coming from the heart.
When now the patient sufferers ( ענוים ) united with the poet by community of affliction shall see how he offers the sacrifice of thankful confession, they will rejoice. ראוּ is a hypothetical preterite; it is neither וראוּ ( perf. consec .), nor יראוּ (Psalms 40:4; Psalms 52:8; Psalms 107:42; Job 22:19). The declaration conveying information to be expected in Psalms 69:33 after the Waw apodoseos changes into an apostrophe of the “seekers of Elohim:” their heart shall revive, for, as they have suffered in company with him who is now delivered, they shall now also refresh themselves with him. We are at once reminded of Psalms 22:27, where this is as it were the exhortation of the entertainer at the thank-offering meal. It would be rash to read שׁמע in Psalms 69:23, after Psalms 22:25, instead of שׁמע (Olshausen); the one object in that passage is here generalized: Jahve is attentive to the needy, and doth not despise His bound ones (Psalms 107:10), but, on the contrary, He takes an interest in them and helps them. Starting from this proposition, which is the clear gain of that which has been experienced, the view of the poet widens into the prophetic prospect of the bringing back of Israel out of the Exile into the Land of Promise. In the face of this fact of redemption of the future he calls upon (cf. Isaiah 44:23) all created things to give praise to God, who will bring about the salvation of Zion, will build again the cities of Judah, and restore the land, freed from its desolation, to the young God-fearing generation, the children of the servants of God among the exiles. The feminine suffixes refer to ערי (cf. Jeremiah 2:15; Jeremiah 22:6 Chethîb ). The tenor of Isaiah 65:9 is similar. If the Psalm were written by David, the closing turn from Psalms 69:23 onwards might be more difficult of comprehension than Psalms 14:7; 51:20f. If, however, it is by Jeremiah, then we do not need to persuade ourselves that it is to be understood not of restoration and re-peopling, but of continuance and completion (Hofmann and Kurtz). Jeremiah lived to experience the catastrophe he foretold; but the nearer it came to the time, the more comforting were the words with which he predicted the termination of the Exile and the restoration of Israel. Jeremiah 34:7 shows us how natural to him, and to him in particular, was the distinction between Jerusalem and the cities of Judah. The predictions in Jeremiah 32:1, which sound so in accord with Psalms 69:36., belong to the time of the second siege. Jerusalem was not yet fallen; the strong places of the land, however, already lay in ruins.