David lifted up his soul to Yahweh in trust, confident that God would not let him down or let his enemies overcome him. He believed no one who put his hope in God would suffer disappointment, though the treacherously wicked would."The mood changes from confidence in God’s justice to submission to God’s guidance. The heart of the believer is never confident without also being submissive to his God." [Note: VanGemeren, p. 228.] read more
1. Requests for guidance and pardon 25:1-7 read more
Psalms 25David appealed to God for wisdom and forgiveness because of His goodness to Israel. This is one of the acrostic psalms in which each verse in the Hebrew Bible begins with the succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet, here with an occasional irregularity. Two verses begin with the letter resh, the letters waw and qof are absent, and the last verse begins with the letter pe, which is out of normal alphabetical order. The psalm is an individual lament that transforms at the end into a... read more
This is the second of the ’acrostic’ or ’alphabetic’ Pss. (cp. 9, 10). As it now stands there are a few irregularities in the arrangement, some of which appear again in Psalms 34. The closing v. suggests the circumstances of the exile, but it is probably an addition, as the last letter of the alphabet is reached in Psalms 25:21. The rest of the Ps. contains nothing to indicate its date or authorship, and its value is independent of any view that may be taken as to these. Some have supposed that... read more
(3) Wait on thee.—More literally, as in LXX., wait for thee, with idea of strong endurance. The root means to make strong by twisting. (Comp. Psalms 25:5; Psalms 25:21, where the same word occurs, though in a different conjugation.) The Vulgate has qui sustinent te, “who maintain thee,” i.e., as their God. The Authorised Version is in error in following the imperative of the LXX. in this verse. It should run, none that wait for thee shall be ashamed.Transgress without cause.—Better, practise... read more
Psalms 25:7 Pico della Mirandola quotes this text in a letter to his nephew in which he advises him with regard to daily prayer. 'When I stir thee up to prayer,' he wrote, 'I stir thee not to the prayer that standeth in many words, but to that prayer which in the secret chamber of the mind, in the privy-closet of the soul, with very affect speaketh unto God, and in the most lightsome darkness of contemplation, not only presenteth the mind to the Father, but also uniteth it with Him by... read more
Psalms 25:1-22THE recurrence of the phrase "lift up the soul" may have determined the place of this psalm next to Psalms 24:1-10. It is acrostic, but with irregularities. As the text now stands, the second, not the first, word in Psalms 25:2 begins with Beth; Vav is omitted or represented in the "and teach me" of the He verse (Psalms 25:5); Qoph is also omitted, and its place taken by a supernumerary Resh, which letter has thus two verses (Psalms 25:18-19); and Psalms 25:22 begins with Pe, and... read more
Psalm 25-39 The fifteen Psalms which follow give the deep soul exercise of the godly. All fifteen, except the thirty-third, are marked as Psalms of David. Much of it expresses undoubtedly his own individual experience during the days of his suffering and at other occasions. Prophetically these Psalms give again the experience of the godly remnant of Israel in the time of trouble, preceding the coming of the King. We also can trace in these experiences much which concerns our Lord in His... read more
25:2 O my God, I {b} trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.(b) That you will take away my enemies, which are your rods. read more
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Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Psalms 25:3
3. The prayer generalized as to all who wait on God—that is, who expect His favor. On the other hand, the disappointment of the perfidious, who, unprovoked, have done evil, is invoked (compare :-). read more