Salmi 69:1-6

1 Al Capo de’ musici. Sopra "i gigli". Di Davide. Salvami, o Dio, poiché le acque mi son giunte fino all’anima.

2 Io sono affondato in un profondo pantano, ove non v’è da fermare il piede; son giunto in acque profonde e la corrente mi sommerge.

3 Sono stanco di gridare, la mia gola è riarsa; gli occhi mi vengon meno, mentre aspetto il mio Dio.

4 Quelli che m’odiano senza cagione sono più numerosi de’ capelli del mio capo; sono potenti quelli che mi vorrebbero distrutto e che a torto mi sono nemici; perfino quello che non avevo preso, l’ho dovuto restituire.

5 O Dio, tu conosci la mia follia, e le mie colpe non ti sono occulte.

6 Non sian confusi, per cagion mia, quelli che sperano in te, o Signore, Eterno degli eserciti! Non siano svergognati per cagion mia, quelli che ti cercano, o Dio d’Israele!

Salmi 69:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, [A Psalm] of David. Of the word "shoshannim," See Gill on "Ps 45:1," title. The Targum renders it, "concerning the removal of the sanhedrim;" which was about the time of Christ's death. The Talmudists {t} say, that forty years before the destruction of the temple, the sanhedrim removed, they removed from the paved chamber, &c. But it can hardly be thought that David prophesied of this affair; nor of the captivity of the people of Israel, as the Targum, Aben Ezra, Kimchi, Arama, and R. Obadiah interpret it: and so Jarchi takes the word "shoshannim" to signify lilies, and applies it to the Israelites, who are as a lily among thorns. But not a body of people, but a single person, is spoken of, and in sorrowful and suffering circumstances; and, if the Jews were not blind, they might see that they are the enemies of the person designed, and the evil men from whom he suffered so much. And indeed what is said of him cannot be said of them, nor of any other person whatever but the Messiah: and that the psalm belongs to Christ, and to the times of the Gospel, is abundantly evident from the citations out of it in the New Testament; as

Psalm 69:4 in John 15:25;
Psalm 69:9 in John 2:17;
Psalm 69:21 in Matthew 27:34;
Psalm 69:22 in Romans 11:9;
Psalm 69:25 in Acts 1:16.

The inscription of the psalm in the Syriac version is, "'a psalm' of David, according to the letter, when Shemuah (Sheba), the son of Bichri, blew a trumpet, and the people ceased from following after him (David); but the prophecy is said concerning those things which the Messiah suffered, and concerning the rejection of the Jews." And Aben Ezra interprets Psalm 69:36 of the days of David, or of the days of the Messiah.

{t} T. Bab. Avoda Zara, fol. 8. 2. & Roshhashanah, fol. 31. 1, 2.