Carefully Examining the Text

Psalm 150

“The ancient editors, having chosen to represent the book of Psalms as above all Tehillim, songs of praise, by concluding the collection with six psalms of praise, now climactically set at the end this psalm that begins and ends with ‘hallelujah’” Alter, 515. God is praised “by every means (3-5) and from every person (6)” Motyer, 583. The verb praise is used 13 times in Psalm 150 and forms “a resounding doxological close to the Psalms” NICOT, 1009. There is little descriptive praise in the psalm. 

 The psalm answers five basic questions about praise: 

1. Who is praised- vs. 1-6? Praising the LORD eliminates all other gods. 

2. Where He is praised (vs. 1)? 

3. Why He is praised (vs. 2)? He is praised for what He has done and who He is. 

4. How He is praised (vss. 3-5)? 

5. By whom He is praised (vs. 6)? Willis, vol. 1, 43-44. 

“Between the opening and closing of this inclusio, there are five bicola that conclude with a climactic monocolon. Both cola of the five bicola begins with halelu yah, while the monocolon concludes with the phrase. Thus, the psalmist instructs his hearers presumably fellow worshippers, thirteen times in as many cola praise the Lord” Longman, 476-477. 

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness- 145:3

Vs. 3-5 “describe the method by which the worshippers are to offer praise” NICOT, 1009. 

150:3 Praise Him with trumpet sound-. “The most complete list of musical instruments used in Israel’s worship to be found anywhere in the OT is given here. Perhaps each group began to play upon their instruments at the time they were announced, so that the effect would be an ever-increasing chorus of praise” Miller, 454.

“The trumpet here is the Hebrew shophar, the ram’s horn or goat’s horn, not to be confused with the silver trumpet (Num. 10:2). The shophar might be used for giving signals (cf. Judges 3:27; I Kings 1:34, 39; Isa. 18:3), but was also employed in worship (cf, 47:5-7; 98:6). The silver trumpets were blown by the priests in the worship assemblies (cf. Num. 10:10; I Chron. 15:24; 16:6, 42; II Chron. 5:12; 29:26). The sophar was apparently generally not used in conjunction with other instruments except to increase their noise (I Chron. 15:28; II Chron. 15:14). Apparently the sophar was not generally blown by laymen (but see II Kings 11:14; II Chron. 23:13)” Miller, 454-455.

Praise Him with harp and lyre- Ps. 33:2 The word translated harp “is a stringed instrument made of wood, with gut strings which were plucked with the hand, or an instrument of ivory or metal” Miller, 455. The word lyre “is a small stringed instrument which was portable (137:2)” Miller, 455. 

150:4 Praise Him with timbrel and dancing- Ps. 149:3 “The timbrel is a percussion instrument 

150:5 Praise Him with loud cymbals- 

“The Levites played the harps (nebhalim), lyres, and cymbals (I Chron. 15:16; II Chron. 29:25). Whether the other instruments were restricted to priests and Levites is not clear” Miller, 455. 

In the OT, instrumental music was played at the coronation of a king (I Kings 1:34, 39-42; II Kings 9:13; Ps. 47:5; 98:6). They played at feasts (Ps. 81:3; Num. 10:1-10). They were sounded at battles (Hos. 5:8). They were used in temple worship (II Chron. 29:25)- VanGemeren, 879-880. Passages in the Psalms- 33:2; 43:4; 47:5; 49:4; 57:8; 68:24-25; 71:22; 81:2-3; 92:3; 98:5-6; 108:2; 137:2; 144:9; 147:7; 149:3; 150:3-5.

149:1 Praise the LORD!- This begins with an imperative that calls to praise God. 

Sing to the LORD a new song- Ps. 33:3; 40:3; 96:1-22; 98:1-3; 144:9-10; Isa. 42:10; Rev. 5:9; 14:3. “A new song is a hymn of victory sung after God had made all things new by His defeat of the forces of evil” Longman, 475. The songs “refers to the beginning of a new era, a new epoch in history” NICOT, 1006. They sing recognizing their victories and successes are His work. Psalms 144 and 149 are linked by reference to the new song. “In a real sense, then, Psalm 149 completes the movement of transferring the Davidic theology to the whole people” McCann, 1274. 

And His praise in the congregation of the godly ones- Godly ones are mentioned in vs. 5, 9.

“The phrase is equivalent to ‘congregation of the righteous’ (1:5)” VanGemeren, 876. This phrase seems to be used interchangeably with Israel (vs. 2), sons of Zion (vs. 2), His people (vs. 4), afflicted ones (vs. 4), godly ones (vs. 5). “These various designations make a colorful mosaic of the salvific relationship between the LORD and His people…The former use of the assembly (qahal) as a denotation of Israel in the wilderness (cf. Num. 14:5; 20:4, 6) is narrowed to a specific group within Israel, also known as ‘the humble’ (Ps. 9:12) or ‘the people of Zion’” VanGemeren, 876. 

149:2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker- 95:6 “Then three verses follow which invite them (Let…Hb. Jussive or wish, vv. 2-3, 5 to perform His praise with joy” Broyles, 517.

The LORD as Israel’s Maker is stressed in Isa. 45:1; 51:11-12; 54:5; Ps. 95:6. “His Maker is plural in Hebrew, a plural of intensity or majesty” Miller, 452. 

Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King- The phrase sons of Zion is used in Lam. 4:2; Joel 2:23. God is viewed as the people’s King in Ps. 145:1. “Within 146-150 only 149:2 describes the Lord as King to whom (vs. 8) the kings submit. Thus, the psalm takes the metaphor of kingship seriously, including the extenstion of the kingdom by force of arms. But it is just a metaphor, just as Isa. 9:4, 5, 7 militarism is metaphorical of the extension of the kingdom of peace as in Acts 15:14-18. Amos’ picture of Gentiles subservience to David is metaphorical of the spreading the gospel” Motyer, 583.

The words be glad and rejoice are sometimes used together for the people’s attitude toward God- Ps. 32:11. In contrast, the Babylonians use these words of their god- Hab. 1:15.

“He deserves Israel’s praise because He is their Maker and King” Longman, 475. “As their ‘Maker’ He has elected, redeemed, and fashioned the descendants of Jacob (95:6; 100:3; Isa. 44:21; 51:13) into a coming characterized by holiness and royalty (cf. Ex. 19:5-6)” VanGemeren, 876. 

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Psalm 148

“The whole creation, animate and inanimate, is called upon to praise God” Miller, 450. “The poem expressed a grand cosmic vision” Alter, 509. “This hymn of praise consists almost entirely of imperative calls to praise” Broyles, 515. “’Praise the LORD’ occurs twelve times in Psalm 148” NICOT, 1002. 

“The psalm is naturally divined into two parts by the poetic structure. First, the summons goes out to praise the Lord from the heavens (vs. 1) and then from the earth (vs. 7). Next, in each section certain persons and things which inhabit the heavens (vss. 1b-4) and the earth (vss. 7b-12) are addressed in the second person and exhorted to praise God. Finally, in each section a partial refrain is uttered in the third person in which reasons for praising God are stated (vss. 5-6, 13-14). The psalmist moves from conscious (vs. 2) to unconscious (vss. 3-4) praise and then from unconscious (vss. 7b-10) to conscious praise (vss. 11-12)” Miller, 450. “This psalm rather regards worship as virtually inherent in the world’s structures” NICOT, 1004. 

“Psalm 148 displays the typical structure of a song of praise- invitation to praise followed by reasons for praise” McCann, 1271. 

 1.     Hallelujah, praise Jehovah,

From the heavens praise His name;

Praise Jehovah in the highest,

All His angels praise proclaim.

All His hosts together praise Him,

Sun, and moon, and stars on high;

Praise Him, O ye heav'n of heavens,

And ye floods above the sky.

Refrain:

Let them praises give Jehovah,

For His name alone is high,

And His glory is exalted,

And His glory is exalted,

And His glory is exalted,

Far above the earth and sky.

2.     Let them praises give Jehovah,

They were made at His command,

Them forever He established;

His decree shall ever stand.

From the earth, oh, praise Jehovah,

All ye floods, ye dragons all;

Fire, and hail, and snow, and vapors,

Stormy winds that hear His call.

Refrain:

Let them praises give Jehovah,

For His name alone is high,

And His glory is exalted,

And His glory is exalted,

And His glory is exalted,

Far above the earth and sky

3.     All ye fruitful trees and cedars,

All ye hills and mountains high,

Creeping things, and beasts, and cattle,

Birds that in the heavens fly.

Kings of earth, and all ye people,

Princes great, earth's judges all,

Praise His name, young men and maidens,

Aged men and children small.

Refrain:

Let them praises give Jehovah,

For His name alone is high,

And His glory is exalted,

And His glory is exalted,

And His glory is exalted,

Far above the earth and sky

Jesus and Psalm 148

“The intimate turn taken by the psalm at its close reminds the Christian of the progression from old song to new in Rev. 4:11; 5:9ff.” Laymen, 701. 

In Rev. 5:8-14 ever increasing numbers are praising the one on the throne and the Lamb. 

148:2 The angels praise Him- Luke 2:13-14

148:8 The stormy wind shows God’s power and Jesus controlled the winds and waves- Matt. 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25.

All nature proclaims the identity of Jesus- Luke 19:39-40.

148:11-12 Kings, princes, judges bowed before Him- Matt. 2:1-12.

148:14 Kidner, 488, regards raising up a horn as a Messianic prophecy- Luke 1:69.

Psalm 147 

“The Greek and Latin textual traditions associate Psalm 147 with Haggai and Zechariah” McCann, 1267. 

“The five psalms that close Book Five move from the praise of an individual in Psalm 146, through the praise of a community of faith in Psalm 147, to the praise of all creation in concert with the community of faith in Psalms 148-150” NICOT, 999. 

“At times this psalm takes up the rhetorical questions of Isaiah 40, and at times the challenges of the Lord to Job, turning them into praise, and linking the wonder of creation with the glories of providence and grace” Kidner, 485. 

“The Septuagint treats this as two psalms, of which the second begins at verse 12. So its numbering of the Psalter, which has diverged from that of the Hebrew Bible (familiar to Protestants) from Psalm 10 onwards, comes into step again for the last three psalms, 148-150” Kidner, 485. Allen, 307-308, does a good job showing the unity of Psalm 147. Israel is used in vs. 2, 19. The verbal stems for praise in vs. 1 are picked up in vs. 7, 12. “All the strophes end with antithetical statement, in vs. 6, 10-11, 19-20. Repetition of vocabulary in adjacent line marks each strophe, being climactically intensified in the third (vv. 4-5, 10-11, 18-19, 19-20). A group of three participles prefixed with the article appears in both the second and third strophes (vv. 8, 14-16), and so does the particular participle ‘giving’ (vv. 9, 16)” Allen, 308.

147:1-6 The LORD is builder of Jerusalem

147:7-11 He is Creator of all the universe

147:12-20 He is God of Zion 

Psalm 147 and Jesus 

This psalm “articulates the incarnation of God’s word (see John 1:1, 14). The cosmic God is personally, intimately, inextricably involved in the lives and futures of human beings…The only proper response to the good news of God’s incarnational involvement with the world is to stand in awe (v. 11a) and to sing the words that convey the grateful offering of our lives, ‘Praise the LORD!’” McCann, 1269. 

147:3 Jesus heals the broken hearted in Luke 4:18. The same word in the LXX is used in this verse. 

147:6 The word used in the LXX for gentle is used in Matt. 11:29.

147:8, 15-18 Jesus controls the weather in Matt. 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25

147:11 Jesus is the object of hope in Matt. 12:21; Rom. 15:12; I Cor. 15:19; Phil. 2:19

147:14 Jesus is the Prince of peace in Eph. 2:14

147:14 Jesus came offering Jerusalem peace, but they closed their eyes to it- Luke 19:42.

147:14 Jesus satisfies with the finest of wheat- John 6:12

147:15, 18, 19 Jesus is the Word of God- John 1:1-3, 14.

147:19-20 The gospel is available to all nations- Matt. 28:18-20.

Psalm 146 

145:21 prepared for these psalms from Psalms 146-150.

This psalm “is a general celebration of God’s benevolent qualities” Alter, 503. “These five Hallelujah psalms have the characteristic genre of the hymn of descriptive praise” VanGemeren, 846. Psalms 146-150 are psalms of praise. “In these psalms there is no reference to personal need, no petition, little that could be called historical allusion; all is focused on God; all is praise. But there is step-by-step progression in this praise. It begins with the individual (146:1), involves the community (147:1, 12), extends to heaven and earth (148:1, 7). If, however, the whole world is to offer praise for what the Lord has done for Israel (148:13-14) there is need for the praise of a people committed to mission (149) until everything that has breath praises the Lord (150:6)” Motyer, 581. These Psalms bring “the book of Psalms to a conclusion with a crescendo of praise” McCann, 1262. “In this respect as in many others, the Psalms are a miniature of our story as a whole, which will end in unbroken blessing and delight” Kidner, 483. 

“The LXX and Vulgate attribute Psalm 146 and 147 (which is divided into two psalms (147-148) to Haggai and Zechariah” VanGemeren, 864; Allen, 300.

146:1   Praise the LORD, O my soul- 103:1, 22; 104:1, 35. 

146:3 Do not trust in princes- 118:8-9; Jer. 17:5-8. Vss. 3-4 emphasizes the negative to stress the importance of putting our trust in God. “Humanism is essentially doomed. To commit oneself wholeheartedly to one’s fellows leads to a dead end. Any man or group of men are transitory, and so are their philosophies and panaceas” Laymen’s, 700. 

146:5 How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob- Jer. 17:7 “This is the last of twenty-six beatitudes in the Psalter” Miller 445. Psalms 1:1; 2:12; 32:1, 2; 33:12; 34:8; 40:4; 41:1; 65:4; 84:4, 5, 12; 89:15; 94:12; 106:3; 112;1; 119:1, 2; 127:5; 128:1; 137:8, 9; 144:15, 15; 146:5. Miller, 445, groups them in categories. This final beatitude “effectively summarizes all the others (see 1:2; 2:12). 

146:6 Who made heaven and earth- 115:15; 124:8; 134:3; Jer. 32:17, 27 

Jesus and Psalm 146

146:3-4 Jesus can give salvation that earthly rulers cannot give- Acts 4:12

146:6 Jesus is the Maker of heaven and earth- John 1:1-3, 10.

146:7 Jesus gives food to the hungry- Matt. 14:13-21; 15:32-39; Mark 6:30-44; Mark 8:1-10.

146:7 Jesus sets the prisoners free- Luke 4:18-19; Acts 5:17-26; 12:5-12; 16:25-34.

146:8 Jesus opens the eyes of the blind- Matt. 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52.

146:8 Jesus raises up all who are bowed down- Luke 13:10-17.

“Like Father, like Son. For us, these lines may bring to mind the oracle of Isaiah 61 by which Jesus announced His mission, and the further clues to His identity which He sent back to John the Baptist (Luke 4:18f; 7:21f.)” Kidner, 484. Jesus, the Son of God and Messiah (King), helped the vulnerable. He upheld the cause of the oppressed, gave food to the hungry, set the prisoner free, gave sight to the blind and lifted those who were bowed down….Thus, the psalm can be read as a call to praise Jesus” Longman, 470. 

146:9 But He thwarts the way of the wicked- “The relation between judgment and salvation in the work of Christ is one of the themes of the gospel: e.g.( John 3:17-19; 5:25-29). The eventual finality of both is a clearer prospect there than in the psalms” Kidner, 484. 

A few notes from Psalm 145:14-21 and Jesus' fulfillment of Psalm 145 

145:20 The LORD keeps all who love Him- There is a wordplay between the first word of the verse שםר and the last word of the verse  שםדOne describing the LORD actions towards the righteous and the other His actions towards the wicked.

 Is watches over a better translation? How much does it promise? It certainly does not mean the absence of all trouble. “What hints it does offer of the human condition are not all sweetness and light: God’s people may be bowed down and thus call and cry to Him for salvation (vv. 14, 18-19)” Broyles, 504. 

But all the wicked He will destroy- Wicked see 1:6; 104:35; 143:12. “He differentiates between those who love Him and those who are wicked, taking care of the former, but destroying the latter. In this He is a righteous God” Longman, 469. “This verse has the only direct mention of the wicked in the psalm…God’s faithfulness be fully seen without reference to His uncompromising judgment” Kidner, 482. “His righteousness is indeed a righteousness of grace- loving, fulfilling desires, saving, watching over, but it is also the righteousness of holiness” Motyer, 581. 

“The sharp distinction between the wicked and those who love God recalls Psalm 1, and what applies to Psalm 1 applies to Psalm 145 as well” McCann, 1260. 

Psalm 145 and Jesus

Jesus is King who has established God’s kingdom. 

145:1 I will extol You, my God- The word extol in LXX is the word for Jesus lifted up on the cross- John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32- and Jesus being exalted to God’s right hand in Acts 2:33; 5:31.

145:1 Jesus is King- Matt. 2:2; 21:5; 25:34, 40; 27:11, 29, 37,42; John 19:19, 21, 21; Acts 17:7; Rev. 17:14

145:1, 2, 21 I will bless your name- The word for Name in the LXX is the word used in Phil. 2:9-10 for Jesus being given a name above every name. Acts 3:6, 16, 16; 4:7, 10, 12, 17, 18, 30; Eph. 1:21. 

145:14 The LORD raises up all who are bowed down- The verb raises in the LXX is used three times in the NT- Luke 13:13; Acts 15:16; Heb. 12:12. Luke 13:13 deals with Jesus healing the woman who could not stand up straight in the synagogue.

145:15 The word translated look in the NASB and is hope in the LXX. It is applied to Jesus in Matt. 12:21; I Cor. 15:19. It is the word in I Tim. 4:10; 5:5; 6:17 for hoping in God and not material wealth. The terms applied to God in the Psalms are applied to Jesus in the gospels. 

145:15 You give them their food- The word give in the LXX is used nearly 500 times in the NT but it is used in Jesus feeding miracles (Matt. 14:19; 15:36; Mark 6:41; 8:6; Luke 9:16). 

145:16 Jesus satisfies the desire of every living thing. The word satisfies in the LXX is the people being filled when Jesus multiplied the five loaves and two fish in John 6:12. 

145:20 The LORD guards all who love Him. The word is applied to Jesus in John 17:12; II Tim. 1:12.

Psalm 145

A Psalm of Praise, of David- This is the only Psalm designated as a psalm of praise. “Here begins the grand doxology of the entire collection., for praise plays a greater part in Psalms 145-150 than in most of the others. The word ‘praise’ occurs 46 times in these six psalms” BK, 895.

“The Hebrew tehilah yields in rabbinic Hebrew the plural tehilim, which is set title in Hebrew for the Book of Psalms. Although psalms of supplication are actually more numerous in the canonical collection, the assumption of post-biblical Jewish was that purpose par excellence of the poetry of psalms was to praise God. This assumption accords with the view of the ancient editors, for the last six psalms, beginning with this one, are all psalms of praise” Alter, 500.

This is “the last psalm of David in the Psalter and the last of the eight acrostics found there, of which no less than five bear his name” Kidner, 480. It is the fourth acrostic in Book Five. Three other acrostics appear in Book 1 (Pss. 25 34, 37)- NICOT, 990. 

All ( כל) is used in Psalm 145 in vss. 2, 9, 9, 10, 13, 13, 14, 14, 15, 16, 17, 17, 18, 18, 20, 20, 21. This expresses an exuberant ring- Laymen’s , 699.

The psalm “alternates between ‘you’ sections, addressing Yahweh directly, and ‘He’ sections, referring to Him in the third person” Broyles, 504. You is found in vss. 1-2, 4-7, 10-12 and He in vss. 3, 8-9, 13b, 14, 17-18, 19-20)

The Talmud stresses the value of repeating this prayer, the Tehillah of David- Berekot, 4b. “In Jewish practice this psalm was recited twice in the morning and once in the evening service. The Talmud commends all who repeat it three times a day as having a share in the world to come” VanGemeren, 860. 

“Psalm 145 appears in the Jewish prayer book more than any other psalm in the Psalter. The Dead Sea Psalm scroll in 11QPs contains a version of Psalm 145 in which the refrain, ‘Blessed is the LORD and blessed is His name forever and ever,’ is included after each verse, suggesting some sort of liturgical use. All indications are that the words of this psalm were and are a vital part of the faith of the Jewish people” NICOT, 990. 

145:8 The LORD is gracious and merciful- Ex. 34:6-7; Num. 14:18; II Chron. 30:9; Neh. 9:17; Pss. 86:15; 103:8; 111:4; 112:4; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2” Miller, 441. “When Jonah quoted it back to God with disapproval, he received a reply which confirmed not only this but the truth of our verse 9 by revealing God’s pity for the very cattle of Nineveh (Jonah 4:2, 11)” Kidner, 481. 

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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. 

Write for more notes

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