69
For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Lilies.” By David [Beloved].
Context: Describing the life of a poor, despised and humbled person who lacks any comforting friend. Through no apparent cause of his own, he is surrounded by enemies who wish to cut him down; even his brothers do not render aid. Also contains Messianic prophecy. Written by David [Beloved] before 2 Sam 22:1. (No reference).
1 Save me, God,
for the waters have come up to my neck!
2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold.
I have come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
3 I am weary with my crying.
My throat is dry.
My eyes fail, looking for my God.
4 *Those who hate me without a cause † are more than the hairs of my head.
‡Those who want to cut me off, being my enemies wrongfully, are mighty.
I am forced to restore what I didn’t steal.
5 God, you know my foolishness.
My trespass guilt is not hidden from you.
6 Don’t let those who wait for you be shamed through me, 'Adonay Adonai Tzva'ot [Lord Yahweh Commander of heaven’s armies].
Don’t let those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, God of Israel [God prevails].
7 §Because for your sake, I have borne reproach.
Shame has covered my face.
8 *I have become a stranger to my brothers,
†an alien to my mother’s children.
9 ‡§For the zeal of your house consumes me. *
The insults of those insulting you have fallen on me. †
10 When I wept and I fasted,
that was to my reproach.
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a byword to them.
12 Those who sit in the gate talk about me.
I am the song of the drunkards.
13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, Adonai, in an acceptable time.
God, in the abundance of your loving kindness, answer me in the truth of your yesha' ·salvation·.
14 Deliver me out of the mire, and don’t let me sink.
Let me be delivered from those who hate me, and out of the deep waters.
15 Don’t let the flood waters overwhelm me,
neither let the deep swallow me up.
Don’t let the pit shut its mouth on me.
16 Answer me, Adonai, for your chesed ·loving-kindness· is good.
According to the multitude of your tender rachamim ·merciful loves·, turn to me.
17 Don’t hide your face from your servant,
for I am in distress.
Answer me speedily!
18 Draw near to my soul, and redeem it.
Ransom me because of my enemies.
19 You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor.
My adversaries are all before you.
20 ‡Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness.
§I looked for some to take pity, but there was none;
for comforters, but I found none.
21 *They also gave me gall for my food.
†In my thirst, ‡ they gave me vinegar to drink. §
22 Let their table before them become a snare.
May it become a retribution and a trap.
23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they can’t see.
Let their backs be continually bent. *
24 Pour out your indignation on them.
Let the fierceness of your anger overtake them.
25 †Let their habitation be desolate.
Let no one dwell in their tents. ‡ §
26 For they persecute him whom you have wounded.
They tell of the sorrow of those whom you have hurt.
27 Charge them with depravity (moral evil) upon depravity (moral evil).
Don’t let them come into your righteousness.
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of life,
and not be written with the upright.
29 But I am in pain and distress.
Let your yishu'ah ·salvation·, O God, protect me.
30 I will praise the name of God with a song,
and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
31 It will please Adonai better than an ox,
or a bull that has horns and hoofs.
32 The humble have seen it, and are glad.
You who seek after God, let your heart live.
33 For Adonai sh'ma ·hears obeys· the needy,
and does not despise his captive people.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him;
the seas, and everything that moves therein!
35 For God will save Zion [Mountain ridge, Marking], and build the cities of Judah [Praised].
They shall settle there, and own it.
36 The children also of his servants shall inherit it.
Those who 'ahav ·affectionately love· his name shall dwell therein.
* 69:4 a MP: Hated without a cause. (John 15:24-25) † 69:4 . Quoted in John 15:25 ‡ 69:4 b MP: Accused by false accusations by many enemies. “I am forced to restore what I did not steal.” Consider the parallel and contrast in (Is 53:5-6) “he was afflicted for our crimes.” (See also Is 49:7). (Rom 4:25, 5:8-19) § 69:7 . MP: Messiah will bear reproach, for God’s sake. (Matt 26:65-67; John 5:17-23) * 69:8 . MP: Rejected by the Jews. (John 1:11) † 69:8 b MP: Messiah is refused to be associated with even by his own siblings, children of the same mother. (Mark 3:21; John 7:3-5) ‡ 69:9 (+7) MP: Zeal for God’s reputation and house causes reproach against him. (Mark 14:57-58, 14:64-65) § 69:9 . MP: Messiah is angered by disrespect toward the temple because of his zeal for the house of Adonai. (John 2:13-17) * 69:9 . Quoted in John 2:17 † 69:9 . Quoted in Rom 15:3 ‡ 69:20 a MP: Messiah bears shame and seeks comforting thru companions but finds no one. (Matt 26:38, 26:40) § 69:20 . MP: The Messiah’s disciples will fail him in his time of need. (Mark 14:33-41) * 69:21 a MP: Messiah has gall offered him as food. Gall is a medicinal poison; poisons have a bitter taste and acids, like vinegar, have a sour taste. This mixture has various English simile terms: poisoned water, mixed drink with serpent poison, drinking viper’s poison (Deut 32:32-33; Jer 9:15, 23:15). Gall is a mixture of liver or gallbladder digestive juice, called bile, possibly mixed with poppy seed opium or wormwood. Gall would be offered to a person as an end to pain, cure illness, or overdosing to kill. Ingesting opium, wormwood, or bile is like taking very bitter medicine. Therefore descriptions of eating and drinking the substances are metaphors for very bitter experiences. (See also Ps 22:15b). (Matt 27:34; John 19:29) † 69:21 b MP: Messiah will thirst and be given vinegar / sour wine to drink. Vinegar is an acid and constricts the throat. Vinegar was used for digestive medicine or possibly to suffocate or lower the vocalizations of victims. If myrrh was added to the sour wine vinegar, the purpose is to act as a pain duller, easing the victim’s sense of pain. Myrrh then is used like morphine is today. (See also Ps 22:15b). (Matt 27:34, 27:48; Mark 15:23) ‡ 69:21 . Quoted in John 19:28-29 § 69:21 . Quoted in Matt 27:48; Mark 15:36; Luke 23:36 * 69:23 . (22-23) Quoted in Rom 11:9-10 † 69:25 a MP: The final resting place and family of the companion betrayer will be desolate and uninhabited. This Potter’s Field was used for the burial of foreigners without names. (Acts 1:16-20) ‡ 69:25 . Quoted in Matt 23:38; Acts 1:20 § 69:25 . Paraphrase Quoted in John 17:12 with Acts 1:16-20