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Psalm 70[a]

Insistent Prayer for Divine Assistance

For the director.[b] Of David. For remembrance.

[c]Make haste, O God, to rescue me;
    Lord, come quickly to my aid.
[d]May all those who seek to take my life
    endure shame and confusion.
May all those who desire my ruin
    be turned back and humiliated.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 70:1 The psalmist’s cry is that of all who cannot endure suffering any longer and have no hope except in God. He calls upon God to come to his aid quickly. It is a slightly revised duplicate of Ps 40:14-18.
    Every Christian (and the whole Church) can naturally recite this psalm in his or her own right as one really (though not yet completely) saved.
  2. Psalm 70:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. For remembrance: see note on Ps 38:1.
  3. Psalm 70:2 Distress can remind a person of his attachment to sin. Is there any reason why people should vilify the person who acknowledges his faults? Realizing his strong attraction toward evil, the psalmist cries out to God, and the poor man rediscovers with astonishment the joyous assurance that God thinks about him.
  4. Psalm 70:3 The psalmist prays for the downfall of his enemies, somewhat as Christians pray for the kingdom of God to come, which includes the petition that the Lord will come to vindicate his own and avenge the wrongs done by his enemies (see 2 Thes 1:5-10; see also notes on Pss 5:11; 35).