Psalms 71

Though this Psalm, like Psalms 86, is little more than a mosaic of fragments and reminiscences of other Psalms, especially 22, 31, 35, 40, it possesses a singular beauty and tenderness of its own. It is the utterance of a faith which has proved the goodness of God in a life of many trials, and trusts to experience it to the end. It is fitly chosen for use in the Order for the Visitation of the Sick. Some commentators regard it as a ‘national’ Psalm, taking the plural ‘us’ in Psalms 71:20 (R.V.) as the key to its interpretation, and supposing the speaker to be not an individual, but suffering Israel. The language of Psa 71:5-6; Psalms 71:9; Psalms 71:17, is not a fatal objection to this theory; for many passages speak of the birth and youth and old age of Israel (Psalms 129:1; Hosea 7:9; Hosea 11:1; Jeremiah 2:2; Isaiah 46:3-4). But the transition from the singular to the plural in Psalms 71:20 is no proof that the Psalm as a whole is the utterance of the nation. It was most natural that the Psalmist should pass from the thought of his own needs to the thought of the needs of the nation, in whose calamity he was involved. Doubtless the language of the Psalm is such as could be adopted by others, or even by the godly nucleus of Israel as a whole; but it bears in the main the stamp of a personal and individual meditation. As to authorship and date, all that can be said is that apparently the Psalmist was an old man (Psalms 71:9; Psalms 71:18), and that Israel was in exile (Psalms 71:20). The latter part of the LXX title, ‘[A Psalm] of the sons of Jonadab and those who were first carried captive,’ may preserve an authentic tradition of its use in the exile. It has been attributed to Jeremiah on the grounds (1) that the free use of earlier Psalms is entirely in his style; (2) that Psalms 71:5-6 refer to his call (Jeremiah 1:5) and Psalms 71:21 to the dignity of his office, and that the general situation of the Psalmist corresponds to that of the persecuted prophet; (3) that his authorship would account for the use of this Psalm by the Rechabites, with whom he had been brought into such close connexion (Jeremiah 35). If it was composed by Jeremiah, it must have been in the latest period of his life, when he had been carried down into Egypt after the Fall of Jerusalem; when the stress and strain of his life was over, and yet he was by no means free from hostility and danger (Jeremiah 44). But the grounds for attributing it to him are quite inconclusive. One thought grows out of another, and there is no marked division into stanzas: but in the first half of the Psalm (Psalms 71:1-13) prayer, in the second half (Psalms 71:14-24) praise, predominates.

Psalms 71:1-3

1–3. The prayer of faith in the midst of danger. These verses are taken, with but little change, from Psalms 31:1-3.

Psalms 71:2

2. Deliver me &c.] In thy righteousness wilt thou deliver me and rescue me: an expansion of the simpler rescue me in Psalms 31:1. In thy righteousness stands emphatically at the beginning of the sentence in the Heb. The righteousness of God is a thought upon which this Psalmist loves to dwell (Psalms 71:2; Psalms 71:15-16; Psalms 71:19; Psalms 71:24). In virtue of that unchanging rectitude which is an inalienable attribute of Deity, He cannot desert His servant. He must be true to His promise. Cp. 2 Timothy 2:13. incline] Or, bow down, as in Psalms 31:2 : i.e. ‘bend a listening ear.’ save me] In Psalms 31:2, deliver me speedily.

Psalms 71:3

3. Be thou my strong habitation] Better as R.V., Be thou to me a rock of habitation. God is called our habitation in Psalms 90:1; and the phrase may be an intentional modification of the words a rock of stronghold in Psalms 31:2. But some Heb. MSS., the LXX, Symm., and Targ., read stronghold here also, and the word mβ‘ τn (ξςεο) so closely resembles mβ‘ τz (ξςεζ) that the variation is probably due to accident. thou hast given commandment] Cp. Psalms 44:4; Psalms 68:28. To the three Heb. words rendered whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment correspond two words in Psalms 31:2, meaning for a fortress-house. The curious similarity of the consonants in the Heb. suggests that the reading of the Massoretic Text here is a restoration of partially obliterated or faded letters: and the LXX translators, though they give a different rendering, appear to have found the same reading here as in Psalms 31:2, or a closely similar one. The other Versions agree with the Massoretic Text. my rock] My cliff: a different word from that in the first line, recalling the ‘cliff’ (sela) where David had been so unexpectedly delivered from Saul (1 Samuel 23:25 ff.). On the metaphors see note on Psalms 18:2.

Psalms 71:4-8

4–8. The ground of the Psalmist’s appeal for deliverance.

Psalms 71:5-6

5, 6. A free imitation of Psa 22:9-10. my hope … my trust] Cp. Jeremiah 14:8; Jeremiah 17:7; Jeremiah 17:13; and “Christ Jesus our hope” (1 Timothy 1:1). By thee &c.] Better (cp. Isaiah 48:2), On thee have I stayed myself from (my) birth. The same word is used in Psalms 3:5; Psalms 51:12. thou art he that took me] A different word from that similarly translated in Psalms 22:9, and of doubtful meaning. The rendering, Thou hast been my benefactor from my mother’s womb (cp. R.V. marg.), suits the parallelism well. But cp. Jeremiah 1:5.

Psalms 71:7

7. I am &c.] Or, I have been as a wonder. Many of those who saw my sufferings regarded me as a typical example of divine chastisement, but my faith has remained unshaken throughout. Cp. Isaiah 52:14; and Deuteronomy 28:46, where the punishment of Israel for its sins is spoken of as “a sign and a wonder.” In a somewhat different sense Ezekiel was a ‘wonder’ to his contemporaries (Ezekiel 12:6; Ezekiel 12:11; Ezekiel 24:24; Ezekiel 24:27). The explanation ‘I have been a sign and example of God’s protecting care’ is less natural. ‘Monster’ in P.B.V. is an archaism for ‘portent,’ or, ‘prodigy,’ from Lat. monstrum. my strong refuge] Cp. Psalms 71:1, and Jeremiah 17:17, R.V.

Psalms 71:8

8. My mouth shall be filled with thy praise, And with thy honour all the day (R.V.). Cp. 1 Chronicles 29:11 “Thine, O Jehovah, is the greatness, and the might, and the honour, and the victory, and the majesty.” The P.B.V. that I may sing of thy glory and honour all the day long comes from the LXX through the Vulg.

Psalms 71:9-13

9–13. Repeated deprecations and prayers.

Psalms 71:10

10. against me] R.V. concerning me. Cp. Psalms 3:2; Psalms 41:5. What they say follows in Psalms 71:11. they that lay wait for my soul] Or, they that watch for my life.

Psalms 71:11

11. God hath forsaken him] Cp. Psalms 22:1; Psalms 38:21 b. persecute] R.V. pursue. But cp. Psalms 69:26; Jeremiah 15:15; Jeremiah 17:18; Jeremiah 20:11.

Psalms 71:12-13

12, 13. Reminiscences of Psa 35:22 b; Psalms 40:13 b, 14 (Psalms 70:1 b, 2): cp. Psalms 22:11 a; Psalms 38:21-22; Psalms 35:4; Psalms 35:26; Psalms 109:29. make haste for my help] R.V. make haste to help me. let them be confounded] R.V. as in Psalms 71:1, let them be ashamed. consumed] Some editors would read dishonoured as in Psalms 40:14, with some MSS. and the Syr. The Hebrew words differ in one letter only. But the LXX and Jer. support the M.T., for which cp. Psalms 37:20.

Psalms 71:14-16

14–16. Vows of praise and thanksgiving.

Psalms 71:15

15. My mouth shall tell of thy righteousness, And of thy salvation all the day; For I know not the tale thereof. Salvation is coupled with righteousness, because the one is the outcome and visible manifestation of the other. Cp. Psalms 71:2; Isaiah 45:21. There is a play in the Heb. on the words tell and tale. They are derived from the same root, which, like tell in old English, means both to count and to recount. God’s mercies are an inexhaustible theme. Cp. Psalms 40:5; Psalms 139:17-18.

Psalms 71:16

16. I will go &c.] Better, I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord Jehovah, bringing them as my theme for praise. Cp. Psalms 106:2. The A.V. would at any rate require the singular, which is however read by the LXX and some other Versions.

Psalms 71:17-20

17–20. Past mercies are the ground of hope alike for the Psalmist and for the nation.

Psalms 71:18

18. Now also when I am old and grayheaded] Better, And even when I am old and grayheaded: lit. and even unto old age and gray hairs. Cp. 1 Samuel 12:2; Isaiah 46:4. until &c.] Better with R.V., Until I have declared thy strength unto (the next) generation, Thy might unto every one that is to come. Thy strength, lit., thine arm, implies more than power; it suggests “thoughts of guidance, support, protection, government, chastisement, conflict, victory.” (Kay). Cp. Psalms 77:15; Isaiah 53:1. &c. It is more natural to supply the next (R.V.) than this with generation. But generation needs some qualification; and the Syr. (with which the LXX nearly agrees) may be right in reading, until I have declared thy strength, and thy might to the generation to come. Cp. Psalms 22:30-31, and the note there.

Psalms 71:19

19. is very high] Lit., (reacheth) unto the height, of heaven. Cp. Psalms 36:5; Psalms 57:10; Job 11:8. who hast done &c.] It is better with R.V. to connect this clause with what follows: Thou who hast done great things, O God, who is like unto thee? Jehovah is incomparable for power and goodness. The fundamental passage is Exodus 15:11; cp. Psalms 35:10; Psalms 86:8; Psalms 89:6; Psalms 89:8; Micah 7:18.

Psalms 71:20

20. Thou which haat shewed us many and sore troubles, Shalt quicken us again, And shalt bring us up again from the depths of the earth. So R.V., with marg. note, ‘Another reading is, me.’ The Kthîbh or written text (p. lxvii) has us; but the Qrç, or accepted reading of the Jewish textual tradition, is me. The latter reading is supported in the first line by all the Versions except Aquila: in the second and third lines the LXX and Syr. read me, Targ. and Jer. us. The plural, whether it is the original reading or not, points to the correct interpretation. The Psalmist’s hopes are not merely personal; he speaks on behalf of the nation whose representative he is; he looks for its restoration from its present state of humiliation. It is as it were dead and sunk in the depths of Sheol, but God can and will recall it to life. Cp.

Hosea 6:1-2; Ezekiel 37:12 ff.; Psalms 80:18 : Psalms 85:6. Again hardly expresses the full meaning: lit. thou wilt turn, or, return (and) quicken us. Cp. Psalms 6:4; Psalms 80:14; Psalms 85:4; Isaiah 63:17. the depths of the earth] The ‘depths’ denote (1) the vast masses of water stored away in the earth (Psalms 33:7), and hence (2) the subterranean abysses where Sheol was supposed to be situated. Cp. “the lower parts of the earth” (Psalms 63:9), and Job 26:5-6.

Psalms 71:21-24

21–24. Repeated prayers and vows of thanksgiving.

Psalms 71:22

22. I will also &c.] I also will give thanks unto thee: in response to this new proof of Thy love. psaltery] See on Psalms 57:8. thy truth] For in this manifestation of mercy to Israel God has shewn Himself true to His promises. Cp. Micah 7:20. unto thee &c.] Unto thee will I make melody. O thou Holy One of Israel] A title which is found frequently in the Book of Isaiah, but elsewhere only twice again in the Psalter (Psalms 78:41; Psalms 89:18), twice in the Book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 50:29; Jeremiah 51:5), and once in a modified form in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 39:7). Cp. too Hosea 11:9; Habakkuk 1:12. Its use here in connexion with the redemption of Israel is significant. It denotes that God in His character of a Holy God has entered into covenant with Israel, and His holiness is pledged to redeem His people. For a fuller explanation of this title the present writer may be allowed to refer to his Doctrine of the Prophets, pp. 177 ff.

Psalms 71:23

23. My lips shall sing aloud when I make melody unto thee. P.B.V. ‘my lips shall be fain,’ i.e. glad: Vulg. exultabunt. my soul] His whole self and personality, delivered from danger, will join in the glad thanksgiving. Cp. Psalms 34:22; Psalms 55:18.

Psalms 71:24

24. My tongue &c.] From Psalms 35:28. The word for talk denotes musing, meditative speech. for they &c.] For they are ashamed, for they are confounded, that seek my hurt (R.V.). A reminiscence of Psa 35:4; Psalms 35:26; Psalms 40:14 (Psalms 70:2). His faith realises the discomfiture of his enemies as though it had already taken place.