Psalms 69:13

AN INTENSIFIED APPEAL TO GOD

"But as for me, my prayer is unto thee,

O Jehovah, in an acceptable time:

O God, in the abundance of thy lovingkindness,

Answer me in the truth of thy salvation.

Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink:

Let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.

Let not the waterflood overwhelm me,

Neither let the deep swallow me up;

And let not the pit shut its mouth upon me.

Answer me, O Jehovah, for thy lovingkindness is good:

According to thy tender mercies turn thou unto me.

And hide not thy face from thy servant;

For I am in distress; answer me speedily.

Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it:

Ransom me because of mine enemies."

"In an acceptable time" (Psalms 69:13). This expresses a hope that his prayer may come to God in an acceptable time, rather than an assertion that it was an acceptable time. If it was the latter, then, "It may have been revealed to him as other things were."[7]

"The abundance of thy lovingkindness" (Psalms 69:13,16). This is almost the equivalent of a Davidic signature.

"The mire ... the deep waters ... the waterflood ... the pit" (Psalms 69:14-15). Those who try to find Jeremiah in this psalm point out that he was indeed cast into a pit, but the pit into which Jeremiah was cast was a literal pit, there was no flood, and the floodwaters were not a danger. Furthermore, that pit was not threatening to "shut its mouth" upon that prophet. The pit here was in no sense whatever a literal pit. It means Sheol, or the grave, and is a word frequently used with that denotation in the Old Testament. The floodwaters and "the deep" were also metaphors, just like, the pit. The real trouble is merely represented by all these figures of speech. What was the real trouble? Them that hate me... that would cut me off ... mine enemies" (Psalms 69:4). These are also named again in Psalms 69:14,18.

"Hide not thy face from me" (Psalms 69:17). "David often complained that God was far from him (Psalms 10:1; 22:19; 38:21; 71:12; etc.)."[8]