1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.
2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.
3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.
4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
5 For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.
6 By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.
7 I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.
8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.
9 Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.
10 For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,
11 Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.
12 O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.
13 Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.
14 But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.
15 My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.
16 I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.
17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.
18 Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.
19 Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!
20 Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
21 Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.
22 I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.
24 My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.
1 In thee, O LORD, H3068 do I put my trust: H2620 let me never H408 H5769 be put to confusion. H954
2 Deliver H5337 me in thy righteousness, H6666 and cause me to escape: H6403 incline H5186 thine ear H241 unto me, and save H3467 me.
3 Be thou my strong H6697 habitation, H4583 whereunto I may continually H8548 resort: H935 thou hast given commandment H6680 to save H3467 me; for thou art my rock H5553 and my fortress. H4686
4 Deliver H6403 me, O my God, H430 out of the hand H3027 of the wicked, H7563 out of the hand H3709 of the unrighteous H5765 and cruel man. H2556
5 For thou art my hope, H8615 O Lord H136 GOD: H3069 thou art my trust H4009 from my youth. H5271
6 By thee have I been holden up H5564 from the womb: H990 thou art he that took H1491 me out of my mother's H517 bowels: H4578 my praise H8416 shall be continually H8548 of thee.
7 I am as a wonder H4159 unto many; H7227 but thou art my strong H5797 refuge. H4268
8 Let my mouth H6310 be filled H4390 with thy praise H8416 and with thy honour H8597 all the day. H3117
9 Cast me not off H7993 in the time H6256 of old age; H2209 forsake H5800 me not when my strength H3581 faileth. H3615
10 For mine enemies H341 speak H559 against me; and they that lay wait H8104 for my soul H5315 take counsel H3289 together, H3162
11 Saying, H559 God H430 hath forsaken H5800 him: persecute H7291 and take H8610 him; for there is none to deliver H5337 him.
12 O God, H430 be not far H7368 from me: O my God, H430 make haste H2363 H2439 for my help. H5833
13 Let them be confounded H954 and consumed H3615 that are adversaries H7853 to my soul; H5315 let them be covered H5844 with reproach H2781 and dishonour H3639 that seek H1245 my hurt. H7451
14 But I will hope H3176 continually, H8548 and will yet praise H8416 thee more H3254 and more. H3254
15 My mouth H6310 shall shew forth H5608 thy righteousness H6666 and thy salvation H8668 all the day; H3117 for I know H3045 not the numbers H5615 thereof.
16 I will go in H935 the strength H1369 of the Lord H136 GOD: H3069 I will make mention H2142 of thy righteousness, H6666 even of thine only.
17 O God, H430 thou hast taught H3925 me from my youth: H5271 and hitherto have I declared H5046 thy wondrous works. H6381
18 Now also when H5704 I am old H2209 and grayheaded, H7872 O God, H430 forsake H5800 me not; until I have shewed H5046 thy strength H2220 unto this generation, H1755 and thy power H1369 to every one that is to come. H935
19 Thy righteousness H6666 also, O God, H430 is very high, H4791 who hast done H6213 great things: H1419 O God, H430 who is like unto thee!
20 Thou, which hast shewed H7200 me great H7227 and sore H7451 troubles, H6869 shalt quicken H2421 me again, H7725 and shalt bring me up H5927 again H7725 from the depths H8415 of the earth. H776
21 Thou shalt increase H7235 my greatness, H1420 and comfort H5162 me on every side. H5437
22 I will also praise H3034 thee with the psaltery, H3627 H5035 even thy truth, H571 O my God: H430 unto thee will I sing H2167 with the harp, H3658 O thou Holy One H6918 of Israel. H3478
23 My lips H8193 shall greatly rejoice H7442 when I sing H2167 unto thee; and my soul, H5315 which thou hast redeemed. H6299
24 My tongue H3956 also shall talk H1897 of thy righteousness H6666 all the day H3117 long: for they are confounded, H954 for they are brought unto shame, H2659 that seek H1245 my hurt. H7451
1 In thee, O Jehovah, do I take refuge: Let me never be put to shame.
2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and rescue me: Bow down thine ear unto me, and save me.
3 Be thou to me a rock of habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: Thou hast given commandment to save me; For thou art my rock and my fortress.
4 Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
5 For thou art my hope, O Lord Jehovah: `Thou art' my trust from my youth.
6 By thee have I been holden up from the womb; Thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: My praise shall be continually of thee.
7 I am as a wonder unto many; But thou art my strong refuge.
8 My mouth shall be filled with thy praise, And with thy honor all the day.
9 Cast me not off in the time of old age; Forsake me not when my strength faileth.
10 For mine enemies speak concerning me; And they that watch for my soul take counsel together,
11 Saying, God hath forsaken him: Pursue and take him; for there is none to deliver.
12 O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me.
13 Let them be put to shame `and' consumed that are adversaries to my soul; Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor that seek my hurt.
14 But I will hope continually, And will praise thee yet more and more.
15 My mouth shall tell of thy righteousness, `And' of thy salvation all the day; For I know not the numbers `thereof'.
16 I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord Jehovah: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.
17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth; And hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.
18 Yea, even when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not, Until I have declared thy strength unto `the next' generation, Thy might to every one that is to come.
19 Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high; Thou who hast done great things, O God, who is like unto thee?
20 Thou, who hast showed us many and sore troubles, Wilt quicken us again, And wilt bring us up again from the depths of the earth.
21 Increase thou my greatness, And turn again and comfort me.
22 I will also praise thee with the psaltery, `Even' thy truth, O my God: Unto thee will I sing praises with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips shall shout for joy when I sing praises unto thee; And my soul, which thou hast redeemed.
24 My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long; For they are put to shame, for they are confounded, that seek my hurt. Psalm 72 `A Psalm' of Solomon.
1 In Thee, O Jehovah, I have trusted, Let me not be ashamed to the age.
2 In Thy righteousness Thou dost deliver me, And dost cause me to escape, Incline unto me Thine ear, and save me.
3 Be to me for a rock -- a habitation, To go in continually, Thou hast given command to save me, For my rock and my bulwark `art' Thou.
4 O my God, cause me to escape From the hand of the wicked, From the hand of the perverse and violent.
5 For Thou `art' my hope, O Lord Jehovah, My trust from my youth.
6 By Thee I have been supported from the womb, From my mother's bowels Thou dost cut me out, In Thee `is' my praise continually.
7 As a wonder I have been to many, And Thou `art' my strong refuge.
8 Filled is my mouth `with' Thy praise, All the day `with' Thy beauty.
9 Cast me not off at the time of old age, According to the consumption of my power forsake me not.
10 For mine enemies have spoken against me, And those watching my soul have taken counsel together,
11 Saying, `God hath forsaken him, Pursue and catch him, for there is no deliverer.'
12 O God, be not far from me, O my God, for my help make haste.
13 They are ashamed, they are consumed, Who are opposing my soul, They are covered `with' reproach and blushing, Who are seeking my evil,
14 And I continually do wait with hope, And have added unto all Thy praise.
15 My mouth recounteth Thy righteousness, All the day Thy salvation, For I have not known the numbers.
16 I come in the might of the Lord Jehovah, I mention Thy righteousness -- Thine only.
17 God, Thou hast taught me from my youth, And hitherto I declare Thy wonders.
18 And also unto old age and grey hairs, O God, forsake me not, Till I declare Thy strength to a generation, To every one that cometh Thy might.
19 And Thy righteousness, O God, `is' unto the heights, Because Thou hast done great things, O God, who `is' like Thee?
20 Because Thou hast showed me many and sad distresses, Thou turnest back -- Thou revivest me, And from the depths of the earth, Thou turnest back -- Thou bringest me up.
21 Thou dost increase my greatness, And Thou surroundest -- Thou comfortest me,
22 I also thank Thee with a vessel of psaltery, Thy truth, O my God, I sing to Thee with a harp, O Holy One of Israel,
23 My lips cry aloud when I sing praise to Thee, And my soul that Thou hast redeemed,
24 My tongue also all the day uttereth Thy righteousness, Because ashamed -- because confounded, Have been those seeking my evil!
1 In thee, Jehovah, do I trust: let me never be ashamed.
2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and rescue me; incline thine ear unto me, and save me.
3 Be to me a rock of habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.
4 My God, rescue me out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
5 For thou art my hope, O Lord Jehovah, my confidence from my youth.
6 On thee have I been stayed from the womb; from the bowels of my mother thou didst draw me forth: my praise shall be continually of thee.
7 I have been as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.
8 My mouth shall be filled with thy praise, with thy glory, all the day.
9 Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.
10 For mine enemies speak against me, and they that watch for my soul consult together,
11 Saying, God hath forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver.
12 O God, be not far from me; my God, hasten to my help.
13 Let them be ashamed, let them be consumed, that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.
14 But as for me, I will hope continually, and will praise thee yet more and more.
15 My mouth shall declare thy righteousness, [and] thy salvation all the day: for I know not the numbers [thereof].
16 I will go in the might of the Lord Jehovah; I will recall thy righteousness, thine alone.
17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth, and hitherto have I proclaimed thy marvellous works:
18 Now also, when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not, until I have proclaimed thine arm unto [this] generation, thy might to every one that is to come.
19 And thy righteousness, O God, reacheth on high, thou who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee?
20 Thou, who hast shewn us many and sore troubles, wilt revive us again, and wilt bring us up again from the depths of the earth;
21 Thou wilt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.
22 I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, my God; unto thee will I sing psalms with the harp, thou holy One of Israel.
23 My lips shall exult when I sing psalms unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.
24 My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day; for they shall be ashamed, for they shall be brought to confusion, that seek my hurt.
1 In you, Yahweh, I take refuge. Never let me be disappointed.
2 Deliver me in your righteousness, and rescue me. Turn your ear to me, and save me.
3 Be to me a rock of refuge to which I may always go. Give the command to save me, For you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Rescue me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, From the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
5 For you are my hope, Lord Yahweh; My confidence from my youth.
6 I have relied on you from the womb. You are he who took me out of my mother's womb. I will always praise you.
7 I am a marvel to many, But you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth shall be filled with your praise, With your honor all the day.
9 Don't reject me in my old age. Don't forsake me when my strength fails.
10 For my enemies talk about me. Those who watch for my soul conspire together,
11 Saying, "God has forsaken him. Pursue and take him, for no one will rescue him."
12 God, don't be far from me. My God, hurry to help me.
13 Let my accusers be disappointed and consumed. Let them be covered with disgrace and scorn who want to harm me.
14 But I will always hope, And will add to all of your praise.
15 My mouth will tell about your righteousness, And of your salvation all day, Though I don't know its full measure.
16 I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord Yahweh. I will make mention of your righteousness, even of yours alone.
17 God, you have taught me from my youth. Until now, I have declared your wondrous works.
18 Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, don't forsake me, Until I have declared your strength to the next generation, Your might to everyone who is to come.
19 Your righteousness also, God, reaches to the heavens; You have done great things. God, who is like you?
20 You, who have shown us many and bitter troubles, You will let me live. You will bring us up again from the depths of the earth.
21 Increase my honor, And comfort me again.
22 I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God. I sing praises to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips shall shout for joy! My soul, which you have redeemed, sings praises to you!
24 My tongue will also talk about your righteousness all day long, For they are disappointed, and they are confounded, who want to harm me.
1 In you, O Lord, have I put my hope; let me never be shamed.
2 Keep me safe in your righteousness, and come to my help; give ear to my voice, and be my saviour.
3 Be my strong Rock, the strong place of my salvation; for you are my Rock, and my safe place.
4 O my God, take me out of the hand of the sinner, out of the hand of the evil and cruel man.
5 For you are my hope, O Lord God; I have had faith in you from the time when I was young.
6 You have been my support from the day of my birth; you took me out of my mother's body; my praise will be ever of you.
7 I am a wonder to all; but you are my strong tower.
8 My mouth will be full of your praise and glory all the day.
9 Do not give me up when I am old; be my help even when my strength is gone.
10 For my haters are waiting secretly for me; and those who are watching for my soul are banded together in their evil designs,
11 Saying, God has given him up; go after him and take him, for he has no helper.
12 O God, be not far from me; O my God, come quickly to my help.
13 Let those who say evil against my soul be overcome and put to shame; let my haters be made low and have no honour.
14 But I will go on ever hoping, and increasing in all your praise.
15 My mouth will make clear your righteousness and your salvation all the day; for they are more than may be measured.
16 I will give news of the great acts of the Lord God; my words will be of your righteousness, and of yours only.
17 O God, you have been my teacher from the time when I was young; and I have been talking of your works of wonder even till now.
18 Now when I am old and grey-headed, O God, give me not up; till I have made clear your strength to this generation, and your power to all those to come.
19 Your righteousness, O God, is very high; you have done great things; O God, who is like you?
20 You, who have sent great and bitter troubles on me, will give me life again, lifting me up from the deep waters of the underworld.
21 You will make me greater than before, and give me comfort on every side.
22 I will give praise to you with instruments of music, O my God, for you are true; I will make songs to you with music, O Holy One of Israel.
23 Joy will be on my lips when I make melody to you; and in my soul, to which you have given salvation.
24 My tongue will be talking of your righteousness all the day; for those whose purpose is to do me evil have been crushed and put to shame.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 71
Commentary on Psalms 71 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Prayer of a Grey-Headed Servant of God for Further Divine Aid
The Davidic Psalms 70:1-5 is followed by an anonymous Psalm which begins like Ps 31 and closes like Ps 35, in which Psalms 71:12, just like Psalms 70:2, is an echo of Psalms 40:14. The whole Psalm is an echo of the language of older Psalms, which is become the mental property, so to speak, of the author, and is revived in him by experiences of a similar character. Notwithstanding the entire absence of any thorough originality, it has an individual, and in fact a Jeremianic, impress.
The following reasons decide us in considering the Psalm as coming from the pen of Jeremiah: - (1) Its relationship to Psalms of the time of David and of the earlier times of the kings, but after David, leads us down to somewhere about the age of Jeremiah. (2) This anthological weaving together of men's own utterances taken from older original passages, and this skilful variation of them by merely slight touches of his own, is exactly Jeremiah's manner. (3) In solitary instances the style of Ps 69, slow, loose, only sparingly adorned with figures, and here and there prosaic, closely resembles Jeremiah; also to him corresponds the situation of the poet as one who is persecuted; to him, the retrospect of a life rich in experience and full of miraculous guidings; to him, whose term of active service extended over a period of more than thirty years under Zedekiah, the transition to hoary age in which the poet finds himself; to him, the reference implied in Psalms 71:21 to some high office; and to him, the soft, plaintive strain that pervades the Psalm, from which it is at the same time clearly seen that the poet has attained a degree of age and experience, in which he is accustomed to self-control and is not discomposed by personal misfortune. To all these correspondences there is still to be added an historical testimony. The lxx inscribes the Psalm τῷ Δαυίδ υἱῷν Ἰωναδάβ καὶ τῶν πρώτων αἰχμαλωτισθέντων . According to this inscription, the τῷ Δαυίδ of which is erroneous, but the second part of which is so explicit that it must be based upon tradition, the Psalm was a favourite song of the Rechabites and of the first exiles. The Rechabites are that tribe clinging to a homely nomad life in accordance with the will of their father, which Jeremiah (Jer 35) holds up before the men of his time as an example of self-denying faithful adherence to the law of their father which puts them to shame. If the Psalm is by Jeremiah, it is just as intelligible that the Rechabites, to whom Jeremiah paid such a high tribute of respect, should appropriate it to their own use, as that the first exiles should do so. Hitzig infers from Psalms 71:20, that at the time of its composition Jerusalem had already fallen; whereas in Ps 69 it is only the cities of Judah that as yet lie in ashes. But after the overthrow of Jerusalem we find no circumstances in the life of the prophet, who is no more heard of in Egypt, that will correspond to the complaints of the psalmist of violence and mockery. Moreover the foe in Psalms 71:4 is not the Chaldaean, whose conduct towards Jeremiah did not merit these names. Nor can Psalms 71:20 have been written at the time of the second siege and in the face of the catastrophe.
Stayed upon Jahve, his ground of trust, from early childhood up, the poet hopes and prays for deliverance out of the hand of the foe. The first of these two strophes (Psalms 71:1-3) is taken from Psalms 31:2-4, the second (Psalms 71:4-6, with the exception of Psalms 71:4 and Psalms 71:6 ) from Psalms 22:10-11; both, however, in comparison with Psalms 70:1-5 exhibit the far more encroaching variations of a poet who reproduces the language of others with a freer hand. Olshausen wishes to read מעוז in Psalms 71:3, Psalms 90:1; Psalms 91:9, instead of מעון , which he holds to be an error in writing. But this old Mosaic, Deuteronomial word (vid., on Psalms 90:1) - cf. the post-biblical oath המעון (by the Temple!) - is unassailable. Jahve, who is called a rock of refuge in Psalms 31:3, is here called a rock of habitation, i.e., a high rock that cannot be stormed or scaled, which affords a safe abode; and this figure is pursued still further with a bold remodelling of the text of Psalms 31:3 : לבוא תּמיד , constantly to go into, i.e., which I can constantly, and therefore always, as often as it is needful, betake myself for refuge. The additional צוּית is certainly not equivalent to צוּה ; it would more likely be equivalent to אשׁר צוית ; but probably it is an independent clause: Thou hast (in fact) commanded, i.e., unalterably determined (Psalms 44:5; Psalms 68:29; Psalms 133:3), to show me salvation, for my rock, etc. To the words לבוא תמיד צוית corresponds the expression לבית מצודות in Psalms 31:3, which the lxx renders καὶ εἰς οἶκον καταφυγῆς , whereas instead of the former three words it has καὶ εἰς τόπον ὀχυρόν , and seems to have read לבית מבצרות , cf. Daniel 11:15 (Hitzig). In Psalms 71:5, Thou art my hope reminds one of the divine name מקוה ישׂראל in Jeremiah 17:13; Jeremiah 50:7 (cf. ἡ ἐλπίς ἡμῶν used of Christ in 1 Timothy 1:1; Colossians 1:27). נסמכתּי is not less beautiful than השׁלכתּי in Psalms 22:11. In its incipient slumbering state (cf. Psalms 3:6), and in its self-conscious continuance. He was and is the upholding prop and the supporting foundation, so to speak, of my life. And גוזי instead of גּחי in Psalms 22:10, is just such another felicitous modification. It is impracticable to define the meaning of this גוזי according to גּזה = גּזה , Arab. jz' , retribuere (prop. to cut up, distribute), because גּמל is the representative of this Aramaeo-Arabic verb in the Hebrew. Still less, however, can it be derived from גּוּז , transire , the participle of which, if it would admit of a transitive meaning = מוציאי (Targum), ought to be גּזי . The verb גּזה , in accordance with its radical signification of abscindere (root גז , synon. קץ , קד , קט , and the like), denotes in this instance the separating of the child from the womb of the mother, the retrospect going back from youth to childhood, and even to his birth. The lxx σκεπαστής ( μου ) is an erroneous reading for ἐκσπαστής , as is clear from Psalms 22:10, ὁ ἐκσπάσας με . הלּל בּ , Psalms 44:9 (cf. שׂיח בּ , Psalms 69:13), is at the bottom of the expression in Psalms 71:6 . The God to whom he owes his being, and its preservation thus far, is the constant, inexhaustible theme of his praise.
Brought safely through dangers of every kind, he is become כּמופת , as a wonder, a miracle (Arabic aft from afata , cognate afaka , הפך , to bend, distort: a turning round, that which is turned round or wrenched, i.e., that which is contrary to what is usual and looked for) to many, who gaze upon him as such with astonishment (Psalms 40:4). It is his God, however, to whom, as hitherto so also in time to come, he will look to be thus wonderfully preserved: מחסי־עז , as in 2 Samuel 22:33. עז is a genitive, and the suffix is thrown back (vid., supra , p 171) in order that what God is to, and does for, the poet may be brought forward more clearly and independently [ lit . unalloyed]. Psalms 71:8 tells us what it is that he firmly expects on the ground of what he possesses in God. And on this very ground arises the prayer of Psalms 71:9 also: Cast me not away (viz., from Thy presence, Psalms 51:13; Jeremiah 7:15, and frequently) in the time ( לעת , as in Genesis 8:11) of old age - he is therefore already an old man ( זקן ), though only just at the beginning of the זקנה . He supplicates favour for the present and for the time still to come: now that my vital powers are failing, forsake me not! Thus he prays because he, who has been often wondrously delivered, is even now threatened by foes. Psalms 71:11, introduced by means of Psalms 71:10, tells us what their thoughts of him are, and what they purpose doing. לי , Psalms 71:10 , does not belong to אויבי , as it dies not in Psalms 27:2 also, and elsewhere. The ל is that of relation or of reference, as in Psalms 41:6. The unnecessary לאמר betrays a poet of the later period; cf. Psalms 105:11; Psalms 119:82 (where it was less superfluous), and on the contrary, Psalms 83:5. The later poet also reveals himself in Psalms 71:12, which is an echo of very similar prayers of David in Psalms 22:12, Psalms 22:20 (Psalms 40:14, cf. Psalms 70:2), Psalms 35:22; Psalms 38:22. The Davidic style is to be discerned here throughout in other points also. In place of הישׁה the Kerî substitutes חוּשׁה , which is the form exclusively found elsewhere.
In view of Psalms 40:15 (Psalms 70:3), Psalms 35:4, Psalms 35:26; Psalms 109:29, and other passages, the reading of יכּלמוּ , with the Syriac, instead of יכלוּ in Psalms 71:13 commends itself; but there are also other instances in this Psalm of a modification of the original passages, and the course of the thoughts is now climactic: confusion, ruin (cf. Ps 6:11), and in fact ruin accompanied by reproach and shame. This is the fate that the poet desires for his deadly foes. In prospect of this he patiently composes himself, Psalms 71:14 (cf. 31:25); and when righteous retribution appears, he will find new matter and ground and motive for the praise of God in addition to all such occasion as he has hitherto had. The late origin of the Psalm betrays itself again here; for instead of the praet. Hiph . הוסיף (which is found only in the Books of Kings and in Ecclesiastes), the older language made use of the praet. Ka. Without ceasing shall his mouth tell ( ספּר , as in Jeremiah 51:10) of God's righteousness, of God's salvation for he knows not numbers, i.e., the counting over or through of them (Psalms 139:17.);
(Note: The lxx renders οὐκ ἔγνων πραγματείας ; the Psalterium Romanum, non cognovi negotiationes ; Psalt. Gallicum (Vulgate), non cognovi literaturam (instead of which the Psalt. Hebr., literaturas ). According to Böttcher, the poet really means that he did not understand the art of writing.)
the divine proofs of righteousness or salvation עצמוּ מסּפּר (Psalms 40:6), they are in themselves endless, and therefore the matter also which they furnish for praise is inexhaustible. He will tell those things which cannot be so reckoned up; he will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord Jahve, and with praise acknowledge His righteousness, Him alone. Since גּברות , like the New Testament δυνάμεις , usually signifies the proofs of the divine גּבוּרה (e.g., Psalms 20:7), the Beth is the Beth of accompaniment, as e.g., in Psalms 40:8; Psalms 66:13. בּוא בּ , vernire cum , is like Arab. j'â' b ( atâ ), equivalent to afferre , he will bring the proofs of the divine power, this rich material, with him. It is evident from Psalms 71:18. that בגברות does not refer to the poet (in the fulness of divine strength), but, together with צדקתך , forms a pair of words that have reference to God. לבדּך , according to the sense, joins closely upon the suffix of צדקתך (cf. Ps 83:19): Thy righteousness (which has been in mercy turned towards me), Thine alone ( te solum = tui solius ). From youth up God has instructed him, viz., in His ways (Psalms 25:4), which are worthy of all praise, and hitherto ( עד־הנּה , found only in this passage in the Psalter, and elsewhere almost entirely confined to prose) has he, “the taught of Jahve” ( למּוּד ה ), had to praise the wonders of His rule and of His leadings. May God, then, not forsake him even further on עד־זקנה ושׂיבה . The poet is already old ( זקן ), and is drawing ever nearer to שׂיבה , silvery, hoary old age (cf. 1 Samuel 12:2). May God, then, in this stage of life also to which he has attained, preserve him in life and in His favour, until ( עד = עד־אשׁר , as in Psalms 132:5; Genesis 38:11, and frequently) he shall have declared His arm, i.e., His mighty interposition in human history, to posterity ( דּור ), and to all who shall come (supply אשׁר ), i.e., the whole of the future generation, His strength, i.e., the impossibility of thwarting His purposes. The primary passage for this is Psalms 22:31.
The thought of this proclamation so thoroughly absorbs the poet that he even now enters upon the tone of it; and since to his faith the deliverance is already a thing of the past, the tender song with its uncomplaining prayer dies away into a loud song of praise, in which he pictures it all to himself. Without Psalms 71:19-21 being subordinate to עד־אגיד in Psalms 71:18, וצדקתך is coupled by close connection with בגורתך . Psalms 71:19 is an independent clause; and עד־מרום takes the place of the predicate: the righteousness of God exceeds all bounds, is infinite (Psalms 36:6., Psalms 57:11). The cry כמוך מי , as in Psalms 35:10; Psalms 69:9, Jeremiah 10:6, refers back to Exodus 15:11. According to the Chethîb , the range of the poet's vision widens in Psalms 71:20 from the proofs of the strength and righteousness of God which he has experienced in his own case to those which he has experienced in common with others in the history of his own nation. The Kerî (cf. on the other hand Psalms 60:5; Psalms 85:7; Deuteronomy 31:17) rests upon a failing to discern how the experiences of the writer are interwoven with those of the nation. תּשׁוּב in both instances supplies the corresponding adverbial notion to the principal verb, as in Psalms 85:7 (cf. Psalms 51:4). תּהום , prop. a rumbling, commonly used of a deep heaving of waters, here signifies an abyss. “The abysses of the earth” (lxx ἐκ τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς γῆς , just as the old Syriac version renders the New Testament ἄβυσσος , e.g., in Luke 8:31, by Syr. tehūmā' ) are, like the gates of death (Psalms 9:14), a figure of extreme perils and dangers, in the midst of which one is as it were half hidden in the abyss of Hades. The past and future are clearly distinguished in the sequence of the tenses. When God shall again raise His people out of the depth of the present catastrophe, then will He also magnify the גּדלּה of the poet, i.e., in the dignity of his office, by most brilliantly vindicating him in the face of his foes, and will once more ( תּסּוב , fut. Niph . like תּשׁוּב ekil .h above) comfort him. He on his part will also (cf. Job 40:14) be grateful for this national restoration and this personal vindication: he will praise God, will praise His truth, i.e., His fidelity to His promises. בּכלי נבל instead of בּנבל sounds more circumstantial than in the old poetry. The divine name “The Holy One of Israel” occurs here for the third time in the Psalter; the other passages are Psalms 78:41; Psalms 89:19, which are older in time, and older also than Isaiah, who uses it thirty times, and Habakkuk, who uses it once. Jeremiah has it twice (Jeremiah 50:29; Jeremiah 51:5), and that after the example of Isaiah. In Psalms 71:23, Psalms 71:24 the poet means to say that lips and tongue, song and speech, shall act in concert in the praise of God. תּרנּנּה with Dagesh also in the second Nun , after the form תּקוננּה , תּשׁכּנּה , side by side with which we also find the reading תּרנּנּה , and the reading תּרנּנה , which is in itself admissible, after the form תּאמנה , תּעגנה , but is here unattested.
(Note: Heidenheim reads תּרנּנּה with Segol , following the statement of Ibn-Bil'am in his טעמי המקרא and of Mose ha-Nakdan in his דרכי הנקוד , that Segol always precedes the ending נּה , with the exception only of הנּה and האזנּה . Baer, on the other hand, reads תונּנּה , following Aben-Ezra and Kimchi ( Michlol 66b ).)
The cohortative after כּי (lxx ὅταν ) is intended to convey this meaning: when I feel myself impelled to harp unto Thee. In the perfects in the closing line that which is hoped for stands before his soul as though it had already taken place. כי is repeated with triumphant emphasis.