Psalms 69:1-8

Context

Psalm 69¹

For the music director; according to the tune of “Lilies;”² by David.

69:1 Deliver me, O God,

for the water has reached my neck.³

69:2 I sink into the deep mire

where there is no solid ground;⁴

I am in⁵ deep water,

and the current overpowers me.

69:3 I am exhausted from shouting for help;

my throat is sore;⁶

my eyes grow tired of looking for my God.⁷

69:4 Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head.

Those who want to destroy me, my enemies for no reason,⁸ outnumber me.⁹

They make me repay what I did not steal!¹⁰

69:5 O God, you are aware of my foolish sins;¹¹

my guilt is not hidden from you.¹²

69:6 Let none who rely on you be disgraced because of me,

O sovereign Lord and king!¹³

Let none who seek you be ashamed because of me,

O God of Israel!

69:7 For I suffer¹⁴ humiliation for your sake¹⁵

and am thoroughly disgraced.¹⁶

69:8 My own brothers treat me like a stranger;

they act as if I were a foreigner.¹⁷

[69:1] ¹sn Psalm 69. The psalmist laments his oppressed condition and asks the Lord to deliver him by severely judging his enemies.

[69:1] ²tn Heb “according to lilies.” See the superscription to Ps 45.

[69:1] ³tn The Hebrew term נפשׁ (nefesh) here refers to the psalmist’s throat or neck. The psalmist compares himself to a helpless, drowning man.

[69:2] ⁴tn Heb “and there is no place to stand.”

[69:2] ⁵tn Heb “have entered.”

[69:3] ⁶tn Or perhaps “raw”; Heb “burned; enflamed.”

[69:3] ⁷tn Heb “my eyes fail from waiting for my God.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision.

[69:4] ⁸tn Heb “[with] a lie.” The Hebrew noun שֶׁקֶר (sheqer, “lie”) is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Pss 35:19; 38:19).

[69:4] ⁹tn The Hebrew verb עָצַם (’atsam) can sometimes mean “are strong,” but here it probably focuses on numerical superiority; note the parallel verb רָבַב (ravav, “be many”).

[69:4] ¹⁰tn Heb “that which I did not steal, then I restore.” Apparently אָז (’az, “then”) is used here to emphasize the verb that follows.

[69:5] ¹¹tn Heb “you know my foolishness.”

[69:5] ¹²sn The psalmist is the first to admit that he is not perfect. But even so, he is innocent of the allegations which his enemies bring against him (v. 5b). God, who is aware of his foolish sins and guilt, can testify to the truth of his claim.

[69:6] ¹³tn Heb “O Master, Lord of hosts.” Both titles draw attention to God’s sovereign position.

[69:7] ¹⁴tn Heb “carry, bear.”

[69:7] ¹⁵tn Heb “on account of you.”

[69:7] ¹⁶tn Heb “and shame covers my face.”

[69:8] ¹⁷tn Heb “and I am estranged to my brothers, and a foreigner to the sons of my mother.”