Psalms 142:1-6

Psalm 142

1

A maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer.

1 I cry out loud for help from the LORD. I beg out loud for mercy from the LORD.

2 I pour out my concerns before God; I announce my distress to him.

3 When my spirit is weak inside me, you still know my way. But they've hidden a trap for me in the path I'm taking.

4 Look right beside me: See? No one pays attention to me. There's no escape for me. No one cares about my life.

5 I cry to you, LORD, for help. "You are my refuge," I say. "You are all I have in the land of the living."

6 Pay close attention to my shouting, because I've been brought down so low! Deliver me from my oppressors because they're stronger than me.

Psalms 142:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave. Of the word "maschil," See Gill on "Ps 32:1," title. This psalm is called a prayer, as some others are, the ninetieth and hundred second psalms: and was composed by David when either in the cave of Adullam, 1 Samuel 22:1; or rather in the cave at Engedi, where he cut off Saul's skirt, 1 Samuel 24:3; as Jarchi and Kimchi think. The psalm represents the troubles of David, and of the Messiah his antitype, and is applicable to the church of God, or to any particular soul when in distress.

Footnotes

• [a]. Perhaps instruction; it also appears in Pss 42, 44–45, 52–55, 74, 78, 88–89, 142; cf 47:7; the root is used in Ps 32:8.