Psalms 69:5

5 God, thou knowest mine unknowing (God, thou knowest my foolishness, or my ignorance); and my trespasses be not hid from thee.

Psalms 69:5 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 69:5

O God, thou knowest my foolishness
Not that there was real foolishness in him, who, as man, from his infancy was filled with wisdom, and increased in it; and, as Mediator, had the spirit of wisdom on him, and the treasures of wisdom in him; and, as a divine Person, he is the Wisdom of God, and the only wise God; and, as in our nature, there was no foolishness in his heart, nor in his words, nor in his actions: but this is to be understood either of what was accounted so by others; he and his followers were reckoned foolish and illiterate men, and the Gospel preached by him and his apostles was foolishness to them that perished; or of what he was charged with by his enemies; even with immorality, heresy, blasphemy, and sedition; of all which he was innocent, and therefore could appeal to his divine Father, who knows all things, that he was clear of all such folly; for it may be rendered, "thou knowest as to my foolishness" F24, with respect to what he was charged with, that there was none in him; or else it regards the foolishness of his people imputed to him, the sin that folly of follies, together with all the foolishness in the heart, lip, and lives of his people, before and after conversion; these were all reckoned to him, and reckoned by him, as his own in some sense; and which is confirmed by what follows:

and my sins are not hid from thee;
meaning not any committed by him; for then he could not have said what he does in ( Psalms 69:4 ) ; but the sins of his people imputed to him, which be calls his own, (See Gill on Psalms 40:12): these must be known to his divine Father, since he is God omniscient, and since he laid them upon him, and he made satisfaction for them to him; and which he observes to enforce his petition, ( Psalms 69:1 ) ; with this compare ( Isaiah 53:11 Isaiah 53:12 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F24 (ytlwal) "tu nosti ut res se habeat quoad stultitiam meam", Gussetius, p. 312.

Psalms 69:5 In-Context

3 I travailed crying, my cheeks were made hoarse; mine eyes failed, the while I hope/d into my God. (I am made weary from crying, my voice is made hoarse; my eyes have failed, yet all the while I have hope/d in my God.)
4 They that hated me without cause; were multiplied above the hairs of mine head. Mine enemies that pursued me unjustly were comforted; I paid then (for) those things, which I ravished not. (They who hated me for no reason, were greater in number than the hairs of my head. My enemies who unjustly persecuted me were strong; and I was forced to pay for what I did not steal.)
5 God, thou knowest mine unknowing (God, thou knowest my foolishness, or my ignorance); and my trespasses be not hid from thee.
6 Lord, Lord of virtues; they, that abide thee, be not ashamed in me. God of Israel; they, that seek thee, be not shamed on me. (Lord, Lord of hosts; let they, who wait for thee, be not shamed by me. God of Israel; let they, who seek thee, be not shamed by me.)
7 For I suffered shame for thee; shame covered my face.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.