Psalms 140:1-6

Prayer for Rescue

1

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

1 Rescue me, Lord, from evil men. Keep me safe from violent men[a]
2 who plan evil[b] in their hearts. They stir up wars all day long.
3 They make their tongues as sharp as a snake's bite; viper's venom is under their lips.[c] Selah
4 Protect me, Lord, from the clutches of the wicked.[d] Keep me safe from violent men who plan to make me stumble.[e]
5 The proud hide a trap with ropes for me;[f] they spread a net along the path and set snares for me. Selah
6 I say to the Lord, "You are my God."[g] Listen, Lord, to my cry for help.

Psalms 140:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. This psalm, A ben Ezra says, was composed by David before he was king; and Kimchi says, it is concerning Doeg and the Ziphites, who calumniated him to Saul; and, according to our English contents, it is a prayer of David to be delivered from Saul and Doeg. The Syriac inscription is, "said by David, when Saul threw a javelin at him to kill him, but it struck the wall; but, spiritually, the words of him that cleaves to God, and contends with his enemies." R. Obadiah says, it was made at the persecution of David by Saul, which was before the kingdom of David; as the persecution (of Gog) is before the coming of the Messiah. It is indeed before his spiritual coming, but not before his coming in the flesh; and David may be very well considered in the psalm as a type of Christ, for he was particularly so in his sufferings, as well as in other things.

Footnotes 7

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