1
For the leader of music. According to the tune: Lilies. Of David.
(69-2) Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck!
2
(69-3) I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.
3
(69-4) I am weary with crying out; my throat is dry;
my eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4
(69-5) Those who hate me without cause are more than the hairs of my head;
those who would destroy me, my enemies without reason, are many;
I am forced to restore what I did not steal.
5
(69-6) O God, you know my folly,
and my wrongs are not hidden from you.
6
(69-7) Let not those who wait for you be put to shame because of me, O Lord, LORD of hosts!
Let not those who seek you be disgraced because of me, O God of Israel!
7
(69-8) For it is for your sake that I bear reproach;
shame has covered my face.
8
(69-9) I have become a stranger to my brothers,
a foreigner to my mother’s children;
9
(69-10) for zeal for your house has consumed me,
and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
10
(69-11) When I humbled myself with fasting, it became my reproach;
11
(69-12) when I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.
12
(69-13) I am the talk of those who sit at the gate,
and the songs of drunkards are about me.
13
(69-14) But as for me, I pray to you, O LORD, at an acceptable time, O God;
for the greatness of your steadfast love answer me with your faithful help!
14
(69-15) Deliver me from the mire, that I may not sink;
let me be delivered from those who hate me, and from the deep waters!
15
(69-16) Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up,
or the pit close its mouth over me.
16
(69-17) Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good;
turn to me according to your great mercy!
17
(69-18) Hide not your face from your servant, for I am in distress;
make haste to answer me!
18
(69-19) Draw near to me, redeem me, set me free because of my enemies.
19
(69-20) You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;
all my adversaries are before you.
20
(69-21) Reproach has broken my heart, and I am in despair;
I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but found none.
21
(69-22) They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.
22
(69-23) Let the table set before them become a snare, and their peace offerings a trap.
23
(69-24) Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see;
make their loins tremble continually!
24
(69-25) Pour out Your anger upon them, and let Your burning wrath overtake them.
25
(69-26) Let their camp become desolate, and let no one dwell in their tents.
26
(69-27) For they pursue the one whom You have struck, and they add to the pain of those whom You have wounded.
27
(69-28) Add guilt to their guilt, and do not let them be justified before You!
28
(69-29) Let them be blotted out of the book of life; let them not be recorded with the righteous!
29
(69-30) But I am afflicted and in pain; may Your salvation, O God, protect me!
30
(69-31) I will praise the name of God with a song, and magnify Him with thanksgiving;
31
(69-32) this will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with horns and hoofs.
32
(69-33) See this, you humble ones, and be glad; you who seek God, let your heart live again!
33
(69-34) For the LORD hears the needy, and does not despise His people in captivity.
34
(69-35) Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them.
35
(69-36) For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah,
so that people may dwell there and possess it;
36
(69-37) the descendants of His servants shall inherit it, and those who love His name shall dwell there.
🕊️🙏📖 Summary of Psalm 69 – “A Cry from the Depths of Suffering”
Psalm 69 is a lament psalm of David, reflecting deep suffering both physically and spiritually. This psalm is filled with sorrow, betrayal, humiliation, and a plea for divine retribution.
Yet in the midst of all this, David still places his hope in the Lord, and finally turns to praise.
This psalm is highly messianic, because many parts of it are quoted in the New Testament to describe the suffering of Christ.
📌 1. A Cry from the Depths of Suffering (verses 1–4)
➡️ “Save me, O God, for the waters have risen up to my neck!”
➡️ David feels himself sinking in suffering, with no foothold.
➡️ He is persecuted without cause, more than the hairs of his head.
🎯 This psalm expresses the cry of an oppressed soul that still seeks the Lord.
📌 2. Reproach and Humiliation (verses 5–12)
➡️ “For Your sake I bear reproach…”
➡️ He became the object of people’s mockery, and felt estranged from his own family.
🎯 Like Christ, David represents the righteous who are despised because of their faithfulness.
📌 3. Prayer for Help and Vindication (verses 13–29)
➡️ He pleads: “Help me, O Lord, at the time of Your favor!”
➡️ He prays that his enemies would receive repayment for their evil deeds.
🎯 An honest cry — the Lord does not only hear praise, but also tears and complaints.
📌 4. Praise and Hope (verses 30–36)
➡️ “I will praise the name of God with a song…”
➡️ The Lord hears the poor and the oppressed, and Zion will be restored.
🎯 Suffering does not hinder praise — it deepens it.
📖 Main Teaching
- The righteous too can experience great and unjust suffering
- Reproach for faithfulness to God is part of the spiritual journey
- God hears prayers in suffering, even when the answer is delayed
- Honesty in prayer — including lament and complaint — is a true form of faith
- At the end of suffering, praise and hope still prevail
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
Psalm 69 is one of the psalms most often quoted in the New Testament, showing its close connection with the suffering of Jesus.
📖 John 2:17
“Zeal for Your house consumes Me.”
➡️ Quoting Psalm 69:9, when Jesus cleansed the Temple.
📖 Romans 15:3
“The reproaches of those who reproached You have fallen on Me.”
➡️ Refers to Psalm 69:9b, concerning the suffering of Christ.
📖 Matthew 27:34 & John 19:29
“They gave Me wine mixed with gall.”
➡️ From Psalm 69:21 – a literal prophecy fulfilled at the crucifixion.
📖 Acts 1:20
“Let his camp become desolate…”
➡️ Quoting Psalm 69:25, concerning the judgment of Judas.
🎯 David’s suffering becomes a shadow of Jesus’ suffering — and hope in faithfulness to God.
🕊️ “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.” – Psalm 69:1
🕊️ “The reproaches of those who reproached You have fallen on me.” – Psalm 69:9
🕊️ “They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar.” – Psalm 69:21
🕊️ “I will praise the name of God with a song.” – Psalm 69:30
