Psalm 144

A Psalm of David

“Herman Gunkel once proposed that this poem was an ‘imitation’ of Psalm 18, but, especially because some of the topics it touches on are unlike anything in Psalm 18, it seems more accurate to speak of certain citations from the earlier psalms woven into a different poetic context” Alter, 495.

Psalm 144 is often called by form critics a royal psalm. This is because of the mention of David within the psalm-144:10 and because of the connections to Psalm 18.

“The psalm may be divided into two major sections, based on the switch from first person singular language in vv. 1-11 to first person plural language in vv. 12-15” NICOT, 985.

This psalm incorporates Psalms 18, 8, 39, and 33. “Our circumstances change, but the words that sustained us in the past continue to sustain in the present and will continue to sustain us in the future. For that is the nature of Scripture- indeed ‘old, tried, and true,’ but ever new in changing circumstances” NICOT, 989.

144:1 Blessed be the LORD, my rock- Ps. 18:2, 31, 46; 19:14; 28:1; 62:2, 6, 7; Deut. 32:4, 13, 15, 18, 30, 31.

Who trains my hands for war- Ps. 18:34; II Sam. 22:35. Vs. 1 deals with the Psalmist’s hands, vs. 7 God’s hands, vs.7, 8, 11, 11 the alien’s hands. The word trains was translated teach in 143:10.

And my fingers for battle- The fingers may be mentioned because “the fingers refer to the pulling of the bowstring” Alter, 495. The only other mention of fingers in Psalms is God’s finger in Ps. 8:3.

144:2 My lovingkindness and my fortress- Speaking of God as my lovingkindness “is not unique: cf. Jonah 2:8 (9 Heb.), where it should against be taken as a designation of the Lord and His loyalty, rather than of man’s loyalty to Him” Kidner, 478. Similar uses of this word in Psalm 59:10, 17; 89:28 emphasize God’s lovingkindness to us and not man’s response to God. Lovingkindness in Ps. 143:8, 12 and Pss. 107:1, 8, 15, 21, 31, 43; 108:4; 109:12, 16, 21, 26.

Fortress in Ps. 18:2; 31:2, 3; 71:3; 91:2. God’s defense of him is because of God’s love.

My stronghold- Ps. 9:9; 18:2; 46:7, 11 and my deliverer- Ps. 18:2; 40:17; 70:5

My shield- 3:3; 5:12; 7:10; 18:2, 30, 35 and He in whom I take refuge- 141:8; 142:5; 7:1; 11:1; 16:1; 31:1.

Who subdues my people under me- Ps. 18:39, 47 “The violence of the verb suggests that ‘my people’ is not intended. A plural ‘peoples’ appears in the seemingly basis 18:48 (47) and II Sam. 22:48.

“Every virtue he possesses every victory won…are His alone (I Cor. 15:10)” Laymen, 698.

144:3 O LORD, what is man that You take knowledge of him?- Ps. 8:4; Job 7:17. His view of God is exalted in 144:1-2, 5-8 leads him here in vs. 3-4 to humble himself and be astonished that God cares for him. This contrast between God’s greatness and man’s dependence on Him is seen in II Cor. 4:7. “What is man, king or commoner, that he should be worthy of such glorious beneficence from God?” Alter, 496.

144:4 Man is like a mere breath- Ps. 39:5-6, 11; 62:9; 90:9; 109:23 “The word breath is hebel, the same word used by the author of Qoheleth to describe life in this world” NICOT, 987.

His days are like a passing shadow- Job 8:9; 14:2; Psalm 102:11; 109:23. “The line moves from mere breath to something still more insubstantial, a passing shadow” Alter, 496.

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143:1 Hear my prayer, O LORD- Hear is often used in the Psalms as an imperative directed to God (17:7; 27:7; 28:2; 30:10; 54:2; 64:1).

Give ear to my supplications! Give ear is also an imperative addressed to God in the Psalms (5:1; 17:1; 39:12; 54:2; 55:1; 84:8; 86:6; 140:6; 141:1; 143:1). The fact these imperatives are used together stresses the urgency of the request. For supplications the ESV and NIV have cries for mercy. Supplications are found in Ps. 28:2, 6; 31:22; 116:1; 130:2; 140:6.

Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness- “The psalmist makes his plea for deliverance, not on the merit of his own righteousness (vs. 2), but on that basis of God’s righteousness (vss. 1, 11)” Miller, 436. “His only claim is to a covenant relationship with his God (servant, cf. vs. 10), initiated and maintained by divine grace” Laymen 697. “His confidence lies, not in himself, but in the one who promised. He is true, faithful, and righteous” VanGemeren, 856.

“Righteousness is an appositive of faithfulness, so that the one word helps explain the other. The use of righteousness with steadfast love (covenant loyalty, vss. 11-12) also tempers the meaning of righteous (innocent) before God’s courts (vs. 2). God is faithful to His covenant commitment to His servant (vss. 2a, 12) and He is true to His own righteousness (character) in forgiving the penitent sinner” Miller, 436.

143:2 And do not enter into judgment with Your servant- The writer describes His relationship to God as Your servant (2, 12).

For in Your sight no man living is righteous- Job 4:17; 9:2; 15:4; 25:4; Eccl. 7:20. “No creature (not even the angels, according to Job) can hope to be blameless before God’s inexorable judgment” Alter, 492. “The OT also teaches that God freely forgives because of His grace (cf. Pss. 32:1-2, 5; 51:1-2; 103:3, 11-13; 130:3-4)” Miller, 437. This word righteous is a verb while vs. 1 and 11 are nouns. While God is righteous in the sense that He is faithful to His covenant, we are not righteous.

“While the psalmist is aware that no-one is perfectly righteous (v. 2), he does believe that he has grounds for saying that he does not deserve the violent treatment of those who are persecuting (pursuing) him” Longman, 462. “The reference to human waywardness (cf. 130:3; I Kings 8:46) is no shoulder-shrugging excuse but expresses a conviction of the power of sin” Laymen, 697. “The covenant relationship can be sustained only on the basis of continual divine forgiveness (cf. 51:5)” Allen, 281.

143:3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul- “Three metaphors describe the intensity of His suffering” Miller, 437. “Like a hunted beast he has been chased, grounded, caged (3; cf. 142 title)” Motyer, 580. The word enemy or enemies is used in vs. 3, 9, 12.

He has crushed my life to the ground- “Like the suffering servant in the book of Isaiah, crushed (see Isa. 53:5, 10; see also Ps. 94:5; Lam. 3:34)” McCann, 1251.

He has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead-

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142:1 I cry aloud with my voice to the LORD- “The synonymous parallelism repeats the phrase ‘with my voice’ to emphasize that he cries aloud” Miller, 435. “In Psalm 142:1 is za’aq, conveys the idea of crying out in acute distress and seeking deliverance. The verbal root occurs only five times in the Psalter, twice in Psalm 142” NICOT, 978. “Although the Hebrew root translated ‘cry’ in vv. 1, 5 does not occur often in the psalms (see Pss. 22:5; 107:13, 19), it is an important theological word. For instance, it recalls the exodus (see Exod. 2:23); it is a crucial part of the pattern in the book of Judges (see Judg. 3:9, 15; 6:6-7); indeed, it became understood as a typical element in God’s dealing with God’s people (see Neh. 9:28)” McCann, 1247.

“To make supplication is to appeal to kindness (so the Hebrew word suggests)” Kidner, 473.

142:2 I pour out my complaint before Him- The six Hebrew words that make up this verse are a chiasm. pour out is used in 42:4; 62:8. The word before Him twice in vs. 2. The word complaint is used in Pss. 55:2; 64:1; 102:1 (heading); 104:34.

I declare my trouble before Him- Trouble is used in parallelism with complaint. This word appears in 77:2; 86:7.

142:3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me- Faint or overwhelmed is used in Ps. 61:2; 77:3; 143:4; Jonah 2:7. The word is used twice in Gen. 30:42 for the feeble among the flocks becoming Laban’s. “He is at his wit’s end and does not know how to pray adequately” Miller, 435. “He describes his emotional state as his spirit growing faint, probably referring to deep disappointment or depression” Longman, 461.

You knew my path- The you is emphatic. Knew in Ps. 1:6; 139:1-4. He finds comfort that God understands. “His only help in this time of distress is God, who watches over his life” Longman, 461.

They have hidden a trap for me- Trap lead for him in 140:5; 141:9-10.

142:4 Look to the right and see- “To the right suggests the place where a helper would stand (cf. 16:8; 109:31; 110:5; 121:5)” Miller, 435. “The right was the place where the witness for the defense stood (109:31)” Allen, 276.

No one cares for my soul- “David was completely helpless before his enemies and no one seemed to care for his life” BK, 894. II Tim. 4:17 “He stands alone” Laymen’s, 697. “On the horizontal plane he stands alone” Allen, 279. “God hears persons whom nobody else bothers to hear, and that God cares for those whom nobody else appears to care for (v. 4d)” McCann, 1248.

142:5 I cried to You, O LORD- 140:6

I said, ‘You are my refuge- Ps. 14:6; 46:1; 61:3; 62:7, 8; 71:7; 73:28; 91:2, 9; 94:22; 104:18; 142:5; Isa. 4:6; 25:4.

My portion in the land of the living’- “Claiming Yahweh as my portion in the land of the living is particularly associated with the Levites (Num. 18:20; Deut. 10:9)” Broyles, 495.

“The land of the living is opposite of Sheol, the place of the dead (cff. Pss. 27:13; 52:5; 116:9)” Miller, 435.

142:6 For I am brought very low- brought low in Judges 6:6; Ps. 79:8; 116:6.

For they are too strong for me- Ps. 79:8 God is big enough to defeat every foe.

142:7 Bring my soul out of prison- Isa. 42:7; Ps. 102:20; 107:10. God can deliver us from every bondage. “He pleads his weakness and implicitly confesses God’s sovereign power” Laymen’s 697.

So that I may give thanks to Your name- 18:49; 20:1; 140:13 “The psalm-singer