
Text -- Psalms 142:5-7 (NET)




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collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)
Even in this life.

Wesley: Psa 142:7 - -- Shall flock to me from all parts, to rejoice and bless God with me and for me.
Shall flock to me from all parts, to rejoice and bless God with me and for me.

JFB: Psa 142:7 - -- Literally, "for praising," or, "that Thy name may be praised," that is, by the righteous, who shall surround me with sympathizing joy (Psa 35:27).
Literally, "for praising," or, "that Thy name may be praised," that is, by the righteous, who shall surround me with sympathizing joy (Psa 35:27).
Clarke: Psa 142:5 - -- Thou art my refuge - Even in these most disastrous circumstances, I will put my trust in thee.
Thou art my refuge - Even in these most disastrous circumstances, I will put my trust in thee.

I am brought very low - Never was I so near total ruin before

Clarke: Psa 142:6 - -- Deliver me from my persecutors - They are now in full possession of the only means of my escape
Deliver me from my persecutors - They are now in full possession of the only means of my escape

Clarke: Psa 142:6 - -- They are stronger than I - What am I and my men against this well-appointed armed multitude, with their king at their head.
They are stronger than I - What am I and my men against this well-appointed armed multitude, with their king at their head.

Clarke: Psa 142:7 - -- Bring my soul out of prison - Bring נפשי naphshi , my life, out of this cave in which it is now imprisoned; Saul and his men being in possessio...
Bring my soul out of prison - Bring

Clarke: Psa 142:7 - -- The righteous shall compass me about - יכתרו yachtiru , they shall crown me; perhaps meaning that the pious Jews, on the death of Saul, would ...
The righteous shall compass me about -
Calvin -> Psa 142:5
Calvin: Psa 142:5 - -- 5.I cried unto thee, O Jehovah ! With a view to hasten God’s interposition, David complains of the low estate he was reduced to, and of his extremi...
5.I cried unto thee, O Jehovah ! With a view to hasten God’s interposition, David complains of the low estate he was reduced to, and of his extremity; the term cry denoting vehemence, as I have elsewhere noticed. He speaks of deliverance as being plainly needed, since he was now held a prisoner. By prison some suppose he alludes to the cave where he was lodged, but this is too restricted a meaning. The subsequent clause, the righteous shall compass me, is translated differently by some, they shall wait me. I have retained the true and natural sense. I grant that it is taken figuratively for surrounding, intimating that he would be a spectacle to all, the eyes of men being attracted by such a singular case of deliverance. If any consider the words not to be figurative, the sense will be, That the righteous would not only congratulate him, but place a crown upon his head in token of victory. Some explain the passage, They will assemble to congratulate me, and will stand round me on every side like a crown. As the words literally read, they will crown upon me, some supply another pronoun, and give this sense, that the righteous would construe the mercy bestowed upon David as a glory conferred upon themselves; for when God delivers any of his children he holds out the prospect of deliverance to the rest, and, as it were, gifts them with a crown. The sense which I have adopted is the simplest, however, That the mercy vouchsafed would be shown conspicuously to all as in a theater, proving a signal example to the righteous for establishment of their faith. The verb
TSK: Psa 142:5 - -- Thou art : Psa 46:1, Psa 46:7, Psa 46:11, Psa 62:6, Psa 62:7, Psa 91:2, Psa 91:9, Psa 91:10; Joh 16:32; 2Ti 4:17
my portion : Psa 16:5, Psa 73:26, Psa...

TSK: Psa 142:6 - -- for I am : Psa 44:24-26, Psa 79:8, Psa 116:6, Psa 136:23, Psa 143:3, Psa 143:7
for they : Psa 3:1, Psa 38:19, Psa 57:3, Psa 57:4, Psa 59:3; 1Sa 24:14;...

TSK: Psa 142:7 - -- my soul : Psa 142:1 *title: Psa 9:3, Psa 9:14, Psa 31:8, Psa 88:4-8, Psa 143:11, Psa 146:7; Isa 61:1; Act 2:24
the righteous : Psa 7:6, Psa 7:7, Psa 2...
my soul : Psa 142:1 *title: Psa 9:3, Psa 9:14, Psa 31:8, Psa 88:4-8, Psa 143:11, Psa 146:7; Isa 61:1; Act 2:24
the righteous : Psa 7:6, Psa 7:7, Psa 22:21-27, Psa 34:2, Psa 107:41, Psa 107:42, Psa 119:74
thou shalt : Psa 13:6, Psa 116:7, Psa 119:17; Jam 5:11

collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)
Barnes: Psa 142:5 - -- I cried unto thee, O Lord - When there was no help; when I saw myself encompassed with dangers; when I looked on every hand and there was no "m...
I cried unto thee, O Lord - When there was no help; when I saw myself encompassed with dangers; when I looked on every hand and there was no "man"that would undertake for me.
I said, Thou art my refuge -
(a) My "only"refuge. I can go nowhere else.
(b) Thou art "in fact"my refuge. I can and do put my trust in thee. See the notes at Psa 46:1.
And my portion - See the notes at Psa 16:5.
In the land of the living - Among all those that live - all living beings. There is no one else among the living to whom I can come but to thee, the living God. My hope is not in human beings, for they are against me; not in angels, for they have not the power to rescue me. It is God only, the living God, whom I make my confidence and the ground of my hope.

Barnes: Psa 142:6 - -- Attend unto my cry - Give ear to me when I cry to thee. Do not turn away and refuse to hear me. For I am brought very low - I am reduced ...
Attend unto my cry - Give ear to me when I cry to thee. Do not turn away and refuse to hear me.
For I am brought very low - I am reduced greatly; I am made very poor. The language would be applicable to one who had been in better circumstances, and who had been brought down to a condition of danger, of poverty, of want. It is language which is commonly applied to poverty.
Deliver me from my persecutors - Saul and his followers.
For they are stronger than I - More in number; better armed; better suited for battle.

Barnes: Psa 142:7 - -- Bring my soul out of prison - Bring me out of my present condition which is like a prison. I am as it were shut up; I am encompassed with foes;...
Bring my soul out of prison - Bring me out of my present condition which is like a prison. I am as it were shut up; I am encompassed with foes; I do not know how to escape. Compare Psa 25:17.
That I may praise thy name - Not merely for my own sake, but that I may have occasion more abundantly to praise thee; that thus "thou"mayest be honored; an object at all times much more important than our own welfare - even than our salvation.
The righteous shall compass me about - They shall come to me with congratulations and with expressions of rejoicing. They will desire my society, my friendship, my influence, and will regard it as a privilege and an honor to be associated with me. David looked to this as an object to be desired. He wished to be associated with the righteous; to enjoy their friendship; to have their good opinion; to be reckoned as one of them here and forever. Compare the notes at Psa 26:9. It "is"an honor - a felicity to be desired - to be associated with good people, to possess their esteem; to have their sympathy, their prayers, and their affections; to share their joys here, and their triumphs in the world to come.
For thou shalt deal bountifully with me - Or, when thou shalt deal bountifully with me. When thou dost show me this favor, then the righteous will come around me in this manner. They will see that I am a friend of God, and they will desire to be associated with me as his friend.
Poole: Psa 142:5 - -- Thou only art both my refuge to defend me from all evil, and
my portion to supply me with all the good which I need and desire.
In the land of th...
Thou only art both my refuge to defend me from all evil, and
my portion to supply me with all the good which I need and desire.
In the land of the living even in this life, wherein I doubt not to see God’ s goodness, as he said, Psa 27:13 .

Poole: Psa 142:7 - -- Bring my soul out of prison bring me safe out of this cave, wherein I am imprisoned, and set me at perfect liberty.
Shall compass me about shall fl...
Bring my soul out of prison bring me safe out of this cave, wherein I am imprisoned, and set me at perfect liberty.
Shall compass me about shall flock to me from all parts, partly out of curiosity to see such a spectacle and miracle of God’ s power and mercy; and partly to rejoice and bless God with me and for me, and for all the benefits which they expect from my government.
Haydock: Psa 142:5 - -- Of old. What God had done formerly for me and others. (Worthington) ---
The sacred records of 3,000 years tended to raise the hopes of David. (B...
Of old. What God had done formerly for me and others. (Worthington) ---
The sacred records of 3,000 years tended to raise the hopes of David. (Berthier)

Haydock: Psa 142:6 - -- Water. We can add nothing to this idea. (Calmet) ---
Man can do no good without God's grace, which David implores with his hands stretched out, bo...
Water. We can add nothing to this idea. (Calmet) ---
Man can do no good without God's grace, which David implores with his hands stretched out, both to mortify himself, and to denote fervour. (Worthington)

Haydock: Psa 142:7 - -- Pit. Or "lake," meaning (Haydock) the grave. (Calmet) ---
If man be left to himself, he will presently yield to sin, from which he will not be del...
Pit. Or "lake," meaning (Haydock) the grave. (Calmet) ---
If man be left to himself, he will presently yield to sin, from which he will not be delivered without God's grace.
Gill: Psa 142:5 - -- I cried unto thee, O Lord,.... Finding no help from man, he turns to the Lord, and directs his prayer to him in his distress;
I said, thou art my ...
I cried unto thee, O Lord,.... Finding no help from man, he turns to the Lord, and directs his prayer to him in his distress;
I said, thou art my refuge; as he was, from all his enemies that were in pursuit of him, and from the storm of calamities he apprehended was coming upon him: and a refuge the Lord is to all his people in time of trouble; and where they always meet with sustenance, protection, and safety; he being a strong habitation, a strong hold, a strong refuge, to which they may resort at all times; and such is Christ to all sensible sinners that flee unto him, Heb 6:18;
and my portion in the land of the living; and a most excellent one he is, a large, immense, and inconceivable portion; he and all his perfections, purposes, promises, and blessings, being included in it; a soul-satisfying one, and which will never be taken away nor consumed; it is a portion in the present life; it will last as long as life lasts, and continues unto death, and at death, and for evermore, Psa 73:26.

Gill: Psa 142:6 - -- Attend unto my cry,.... His prayer and supplication for help in his distress, which he desires might be hearkened unto and answered;
for I am broug...
Attend unto my cry,.... His prayer and supplication for help in his distress, which he desires might be hearkened unto and answered;
for I am brought very low; in his spirit, in the exercise of grace, being in great affliction, and reduced to the utmost extremity, weakened, impoverished, and exhausted; wanting both men and money to assist him, Psa 79:8;
deliver me from my persecutors; Saul and his men, who were in pursuit of him with great warmth and eagerness;
for they are stronger than I; more in number, and greater in strength; Saul had with him three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, ablebodied men, and expert in war; veteran troops, and in high spirits, with their king at the head of them; David had about six hundred men, and these poor mean creatures, such as were in distress, in debt, and discontented, and in want of provisions, and dispirited; see 1Sa 22:2. So the spiritual enemies of the Lord's people are stronger than they, Jer 31:11.

Gill: Psa 142:7 - -- Bring my soul out of prison,.... Not out of purgatory, to which some Popish writers wrest these words very absurdly; nor out of the prison of his body...
Bring my soul out of prison,.... Not out of purgatory, to which some Popish writers wrest these words very absurdly; nor out of the prison of his body, as Joseph Ben Gorion p; knowing that none but God had a power of removing it from thence; but out of the cave, where he was detained as in a prison, while Saul and his men were about the mouth of it; or rather out of all his straits, distresses, and difficulties, which surrounded and pressed him on all sides, as if he was in a prison;
that I may praise thy name; this release he desired not so much for his own sake, that he might be at ease and liberty, but that he might have fresh occasion to praise the Lord, and an opportunity of doing it publicly, in the assembly and congregation of the people;
the righteous shall compass me about; in a circle, like a crown, as the word q signifies; when delivered, they should flock to him and come about him, to see him and look at him, as a miracle of mercy, whose deliverance was marvellous; and to congratulate him upon it, and to join with him in praises unto God for it. The Targum is,
"for my sake the righteous will make to thee a crown of praise.''
And to the same purpose Jarchi,
"for my sake the righteous shall surround thee, and praise thy name.''
Aben Ezra interprets it,
"they shall glory as if the royal crown was on their heads;''
for thou shalt deal bountifully with me; in delivering him from his enemies, settling him on the throne, and bestowing upon him all the blessings of Providence and grace; see Psa 116:7; and thus the psalm is concluded with a strong expression of faith in the Lord, though in such a low estate.

expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes: Psa 142:5 Heb “my portion.” The psalmist compares the Lord to landed property, which was foundational to economic stability in ancient Israel.


NET Notes: Psa 142:7 The Hebrew idiom גָּמַל עַל (gamal ’al) means “to repay,” here in a positive s...
Geneva Bible: Psa 142:5 I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou [art] my ( b ) refuge [and] my portion in the land of the living.
( b ) Though all means failed him, yet he k...

Geneva Bible: Psa 142:7 Bring my soul out of ( c ) prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall ( d ) compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.
(...

expand allCommentary -- Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis -> Psa 142:1-7
TSK Synopsis: Psa 142:1-7 - --1 David shews that in his trouble all his comfort was in prayer unto God.
MHCC -> Psa 142:1-7
MHCC: Psa 142:1-7 - --There can be no situation so distressing or dangerous, in which faith will not get comfort from God by prayer. We are apt to show our troubles too muc...
Matthew Henry -> Psa 142:4-7
Matthew Henry: Psa 142:4-7 - -- The psalmist here tells us, for our instruction, 1. How he was disowned and deserted by his friends, Psa 142:4. When he was in favour at court he se...
Keil-Delitzsch -> Psa 142:3-5; Psa 142:6-7
Keil-Delitzsch: Psa 142:3-5 - --
The prayer of the poet now becomes deep-breathed and excited, inasmuch as he goes more minutely into the details of his straitened situation. Everyw...

Keil-Delitzsch: Psa 142:6-7 - --
His request now ascends all the more confident of being answered, and becomes calm, being well-grounded in his feebleness and the superiority of his...
Constable: Psa 107:1--150:6 - --V. Book 5: chs. 107--150
There are 44 psalms in this section of the Psalter. David composed 15 of these (108-110...

Constable: Psa 142:1-7 - --Psalm 142
The superscription identifies the time when David wrote this psalm. He did so when he was "in ...
