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PSALM 69
STROPHE DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS
NASB | NKJV | NRSV | TEV | NJB |
A Cry of Distress and Imprecation on Adversaries MT Intro For the choir director; with stringed instruments. According to Shoshannim. A Psalm of David. |
An Urgent Plea for Help in Trouble | Prayer for Deliverance From Personal Enemies | A Cry For Help | Lament |
69:1-4 | 69:1-3 | 69:1-3 | 69:1-3 | 69:1 |
69:2 | ||||
69:3 | ||||
69:4 | 69:4 | 69:4 | 69:4 | |
69:5-12 | 69:5-12 | 69:5 | 69:5-8 | 69:5 |
69:6-8 | 69:6a,b | |||
69:6c,d | ||||
69:7-9 | ||||
69:9-12 | 69:9-12 | |||
69:10-12 | ||||
69:13-15 | 69:13-15 | 69:13-15 | 69:13-15 | 69:13 |
69:14-15 | ||||
69:16-19 | 69:16-18 | 69:16-18 | 69:16-18 | 69:16-18 |
69:19-21 | 69:19-21 | 69:19-21 | 69:19-20 | |
69:20-21 | ||||
69:21-23 | ||||
69:22-28 | 69:22-28 | 69:22-29 | 69:22-28 | |
69:24-26 | ||||
69:29-33 | 69:29-33 | 69:29-33 | ||
69:27-28 | ||||
69:29-31 | ||||
69:30-33 | ||||
69:32-34 | ||||
69:34-36 | 69:34-36 | 69:34-36 | 69:34-36 | |
69:35-36 |
READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")
FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL
This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.
CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS
WORD AND PHRASE STUDY
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 69:1-4
1Save
me, O God,
For the waters
have threatened my life.
2I
have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters, and a
flood overflows me.
3I
am weary with my crying; my throat is parched;
My eyes fail while I wait for my
God.
4Those who
hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head;
Those who would destroy me are
powerful, being wrongfully my enemies;
What
I did not steal, I then have to restore.
69:1-4 This strophe is a prayer for deliverance (BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil IMPERATIVE) using several images for distress.
He repeats this prayer in Ps. 69:14-15. The ancient Israelites lived in semi-arid lands and were afraid of water. Even Solomon manned his fleet with Phoenicians, not Israelites. Palestine is notorious for its dangerous flash floods in the rainy season.
69:1 "Save me" This VERB (BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil IMPERATIVE) means physical deliverance.
▣ "life" This is literally nephesh (BDB 659). Here, it may denote "neck" (KB 712), but if so, this is rare (see possibly Jonah 2:5).
69:2-3 The fluidity of imagery can be seen in the contrast between too much water in Ps. 69:2 and a parched throat in Ps. 69:3 (BDB 359, the word is found only here in OT, cf. NIDOTTE, vol. 2, p. 295). Water is a powerful image.
69:3-4 Psalm 69:3 is figurative language describing sadness and weeping over the situation the psalmist finds himself in (cf. Ps. 69:10-11). That situation is described in Ps. 69:4.
The psalmist asserts that their hatred and attacks are without cause (cf. Ps. 69:4c). He uses this as a way to denote his innocense in all areas related to the Mosaic covenant. He is not claiming sinlessness (cf. Ps. 69:5).
SPECIAL TOPIC: BLAMELESS, INNOCENT, GUILTLESS, WITHOUT REPROACH
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 69:5-12
5O
God, it is You who knows my folly,
And
my wrongs are not hidden from You.
6May
those who wait for You not be ashamed through me, O Lord God of hosts;
May
those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,
7Because for Your sake I
have borne reproach;
Dishonor
has covered my face.
8I
have become estranged from my brothers
And
an alien to my mother's sons.
9For
zeal for Your house has consumed me,
And
the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.
10When I wept in my soul
with fasting,
It became my
reproach.
11When
I made sackcloth my clothing,
I
became a byword to them.
12Those
who sit in the gate talk about me,
And
I am the song of the drunkards.
69:5-12 This strophe describes the situation of all believers. We know we are sinful (Ps. 69:5; Rom. 3:10-18 is a series of OT texts), but we seek to live godly lives (cf. Ps. 69:9a). In light of this tension the psalmist has several requests.
This psalmist is boldly asserting that his problems are caused by his faith in YHWH (cf. Ps. 69:7,9). It is this aspect of the Psalm (Ps. 69:9) that made it a perfect allusion for Jesus (cf. John 2:17). Also note that Paul, in Rom. 15:3, adds the substitutionary aspect (cf. Isaiah 53; Mark 10:45; 2 Cor. 5:21) from Ps. 69:9b to Jesus.
69:5 "my wrongs are not hidden from You" See note at Ps. 44:21.
69:6 "May. . ." This is the first in a series of IMPERFECTS used in a JUSSIVE sense. This Psalm has many of these.
All of these (except #15 and 16) express the psalmist's prayers for God to act against his enemies. This is the element of the Psalm that is absent from Jesus' use of this Psalm from the cross.
69:9b This line of poetry is applied to the reaction of the Jewish leaders, especially the Sadducees when Jesus cleansed the temple in John's gospel (cf. John 2:17).
69:10-11 The psalmist's very acts of prayer and humility became "a reproach" (BDB 357), "a byword" (BDB 605) to his powerful friends (i.e., "those who sit in the gate," Ps. 69:12a), as well as the drunkards (Ps. 69:12b).
▣ "fasting. . .sackcloth" See SPECIAL TOPIC: GRIEVING RITES and SPECIAL TOPIC: FASTING.
Notice the contrast between the people of verses 5-12.
69:12 "Those who sit in the gate" This is a standard idiom for the leaders of a city (cf. Gen. 19:1; Ruth 4:1). The gate was a place of
This verse describes the abuse the psalmist experienced from two diverse groups.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 69:13-15
13But
as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, at an
acceptable time;
O God, in
the greatness of Your lovingkindness,
Answer
me with Your saving truth.
14Deliver
me from the mire and do not let me sink;
May
I be delivered from my foes and from the deep waters.
15May the flood of water
not overflow me
Nor the
deep swallow me up,
Nor
the pit shut its mouth on me.
69:13-15 The psalmist continues his prayers. They are expressed
Notice the psalmist's trust in YHWH even amidst his troubled times and knowledge that at the appropriate time He will answer and save (cf. Ps. 32:6; Isa. 49:8; 2 Cor. 6:2). There is an appropriate time (cf. Eccl. 3:1-8).
The psalmist trusts in YHWH's
Notice the two IMPERATIVES.
Psalm 69:14-15 describes what the psalmist seeks to be delivered from.
The psalmist describes his adversaries as "his foes" and "deep places of water" (Ps. 69:14b). Psalm 69:14 and 15 use the same imagery as Ps. 69:1-2 (cf. Ps. 124:4-5; Isa. 43:2).
69:15c "the pit" This is imagery for Sheol, the holding place of the dead, which is often parallel to "the pit" (cf. Num. 16:33; Ps. 28:1; 88:3-4; Prov. 1:12). It could refer to the grave (cf. Ps. 141:7).
SPECIAL TOPIC: WHERE ARE THE DEAD?, I. B.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 69:16-19
16Answer
me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good;
According to the greatness of Your
compassion, turn to me,
17And
do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For
I am in distress; answer me quickly.
18Oh
draw near to my soul and redeem it;
Ransom me because of my enemies!
19You know my reproach
and my shame and my dishonor;
All
my adversaries are before You.
69:16-19 This strophe is characterized by IMPERATIVES OF ENTREATY.
Notice the basis for these prayer requests is:
SPECIAL TOPIC: LOVINGKINDNESS (hesed)
69:17 "do not hide your face" This anthropomorphic phrase is imagery for
SPECIAL TOPIC: ANTHROPOMORPHIC LANGUAGE TO DESCRIBE GOD
SPECIAL TOPIC: CHARACTERISTICS OF ISRAEL'S GOD (OT)
▣ "Your servant" This could mean
69:18 "redeem" See SPECIAL TOPIC: RANSOM/REDEEM
69:19 Most English translations see Ps. 69:19 as going with Ps. 69:20-21.
Notice the eastern view of life that emphasizes one's reputation.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 69:20-21
20Reproach
has broken my heart and I am so sick.
And
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
And for comforters, but I found
none.
21They
also gave me gall for my food
And
for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
69:20 | |
NASB, NKJV, JPSOA, LXX, Peshitta | "Reproach" |
NRSV, NJB, REB, TEV | "insults" |
This Hebrew FEMININE NOUN (BDB 357, KB 356) is used of taunting by enemies, cf. Ps. 22:7. This same root is used in Ps. 71:13; 89:51; 119:22; Prov. 18:3.
▣ "heart" See SPECIAL TOPIC: HEART
▣ "I am so sick" This VERB (BDB 633, KB 683) is found only here in the OT.
If "sick," then Ps. 69:29 is a parallel.
▣ "for comforters" This PARTICIPLE (BDB 636, KB 688, Piel ACTIVE) is used of Job's "comforters" in Job 16:2; 21:34,
69:21 The Hebrew word for "gall" (Ps. 69:21) is "poison" (BDB 912 II), but can refer to bad wine (cf. Deut. 32:32). It is the LXX that changed it to "gall" or "bile" (green – cholē). In context this "poison" and "vinegar" refer to the insults of the psalmist's antagonists (i.e., covenant partners, close friends, and family, cf. Ps. 69:8).
This strophe is quoted in Matt. 27:34 as being fulfilled in Jesus' crucifixion. Psalm 69:21b is alluded to in Mark 15:23; Luke 23:36; John 19:28-30. This Psalm and Psalm 22 are the two OT allusions and quotes that the NT uses of Jesus' crucifixion experience.
These Psalms are not predictive but typological. See notes at Psalm 22. Psalm 69:22-28 does not fit Jesus' attitudes or words from the cross.
69:21 "vinegar" This term (BDB 330) refers to a cheap wine (cf. Num. 6:3). See SPECIAL TOPIC: ALCOHOL AND ALCOHOLISM.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 69:22-28
22May
their table before them become a snare;
And
when they are in peace, may it become a trap.
23May their eyes grow dim
so that they cannot see,
And
make their loins shake continually.
24Pour
out Your indignation on them,
And
may Your burning anger overtake them.
25May
their camp be desolate;
May
none dwell in their tents.
26For
they have persecuted him whom You Yourself have smitten,
And they tell of the pain of those
whom You have wounded.
27Add
iniquity to their iniquity,
And
may they not come into Your righteousness.
28May they be blotted out
of the book of life
And
may they not be recorded with the righteous.
69:22-28 This strophe discusses what the psalmist requests that YHWH will do to his enemies. See notes at Ps. 69:6 (IMPERFECTS used as JUSSIVES). There are
This strophe is alluded to or quoted several times in the NT.
69:22b | |
NASB | "when they are in peace" |
NKJV | "their well-being" |
TEV | "sacred feasts" |
NJB | "their abundance" |
REB | "when they feel secure" |
JPSOA | "a snare for their allies" |
Peshitta | "that which should have been for their reward, let it be a trap" |
LXX | "a retribution and a stumbling block" |
The MT has "security" (BDB 1022) but the Aramaic Targums have "sacrificial feasts" (cf. NRSV, TEV). The NRSV changes it to "a snare for their allies" (cf. JPSOA) using an idiom from Ps. 55:20 (i.e., close friends).
The problem is the root, שׁלם. It can mean
The UBS Text Project, p. 301, gives a "C" rating to "and for the secure ones."
69:25 This is imagery from the Wilderness Wandering Period; a common idiom from Israel's past.
69:26 This verse seems to reflect Isa. 53:4 and 10 (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21).
The VERB form (BDB 319) of the NOUN translated "wounded" appears in Isa. 53:5 (BDB 319, KB 320, Poal PARTICIPLE). The VERB "smitten" (BDB 645, KB 697, Hophal PARTICIPLE) also occurs in Isa. 53:4.
Psalm 69:21 and 26 surely would have caused the Gospel writers to see a connection!
69:28 In the ANE names of citizens of a city were recorded on a roll. The Bible uses this imagery to reflect God's knowledge.
SPECIAL TOPIC: THE TWO BOOKS OF GOD
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 69:29-33
29But
I am afflicted and in pain;
May
Your salvation, O God, set me securely on high.
30I will praise the name
of God with song
And
magnify Him with thanksgiving.
31And
it will please the Lord better than an ox
Or a young bull with horns
and hoofs.
32The
humble have seen it and are glad;
You
who seek God, let your heart revive.
33For
the Lord hears the needy
And does not despise His who are
prisoners.
69:29-33 This strophe describes what the delivered psalmist will do because YHWH's salvation has set him securely on high.
This implies a tabernacle/temple setting, as does Ps. 69:31 (a sacrifice). Psalm 69:9 is also an allusion to the tabernacle/temple (i.e., "Your house" and "consumed as a sacrificial fire").
YHWH's deliverance of the falsely accused and abused psalmist causes others to rejoice and trust in Him (cf. Ps. 69:32-33).
69:29 "afflicted" From this term (BDB 776) and the rare word in Ps. 69:20, "sick" or "in despair," many commentators have asserted that the psalmist is ill, but I think the context denotes persecution and psychological distress, not physical illness, though they are often connected (i.e., cause and effect).
It is also possible that the imagery of illness is used as another way to affirm the psalmist's sense of sin (cf. Ps. 69:5). Healing is often an idiom for forgiveness (cf. Ps. 103:3; Isa. 1:5-6).
69:31 This verse is used theologically by post A.D. 70 Judaism for the substitution of "praise" for "sacrifice" (cf. Ps. 40:6; 50:13-14; 51:16-17; 141:2). Praise pleases God.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 69:34-36
34Let
heaven and earth praise Him,
The
seas and everything that moves in them.
35For
God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah,
That they may dwell there and
possess it.
36The
descendants of His servants will inherit it,
And those who love His name will
dwell in it.
69:34-36 As so often in the Psalm, there is a final small strophe which is used in corporate worship (i.e., Ps. 103:19-22). The God of creation is also the God of Israel, who dwells in Zion/Judah with His people. They are characterized as
If this Psalm were of David's time, it would have "Israel," not "Judah," so either
69:34 "heaven and earth. . .seas" These three NOUNS are used to denote all of creation (cf. Exod. 20:4,11; Deut. 5:8; Ps. 96:11; 135:6; 146:6; Hag. 2:6).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
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