Psalms 142

Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave.

The psalm commemorates a great deliverance. The impressions made by recent dangers still agitate the author’s soul. The memory of the wily artifice and malice of enemies, among whom he stood alone without a friend or advocate, Psalms 142:4 his imprisonment, Psalms 142:7 his inability to escape or to defend himself the long days and nights during which his life was in suspense are still present as the darkening shadows of a frightful dream. The psalm properly dates immediately after David’s escape from Gath to the cave. 1 Samuel 22:1. See note on title, and compare Psalms 34, 56 .TITLE: For Maschil, see note on title, Psalms 32:0.

A prayer A tephillah, or prayer-song, as distinct from a praise-song, or tehillah, as Psalms 145:0, title, where see note.

When he was in the cave One other psalm (Psalms 57:0) is also thus dated by the title. As that refers to the cave of Engedi, (see note there,) so does this to the cave of Adullam. See the notes. The cave to which tradition has given this name is about six miles southeast from Bethlehem, in the wild gorge of the Wady Urtas, on the eastern slope of the mountains of Judah. It is made up of a perfect labyrinth of apartments, so numerous and complicated that it has never been explored. Being in the vicinity of Bethlehem, David must have become considerably familiar with portions of its interior arrangement in his earlier life. Here his father’s family came to him, and also four hundred retainers. 1 Samuel 22:1-2. The cave is to this day the wonder and terror of travellers and natives. David afterward occupied it as a “stronghold,” or encampment, in his war with the Philistines, while the latter garrisoned Bethlehem. 2 Samuel 23:13-14