Psalms 86:1

Psalm 86 ¹ 

A prayer of David.

86:1 Listen ²  O Lord! Answer me!

For I am oppressed and needy.

Psalms 142:1

Psalm 142 ³ 

A well-written song ⁴  by David, when he was in the cave; ⁵  a prayer.

142:1 To the Lord I cry out; ⁶ 

to the Lord I plead for mercy. ⁷ 

[86:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 86. The psalmist appeals to God’s mercy as he asks for deliverance from his enemies.

[86:1]  ² tn Heb “turn your ear.”

[142:1]  ³ sn Psalm 142. The psalmist laments his persecuted state and asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies.

[142:1]  ⁴ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[142:1]  ⁵ sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm while in “the cave.” This probably refers to either the incident recorded in 1 Sam 22:1 or to the one recorded in 1 Sam 24:3. See the superscription of Ps 57.

[142:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “[with] my voice to the Lord I cry out.”

[142:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “[with] my voice to the Lord I plead for mercy.”