Save me from the mire, that I not drown. Let me be saved from my foes and from the watery depths. Let the waters’ current not sweep me away and let not the deep swallow me. Psalm 69:15-16a [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter Save me – Back to the beginning. The metaphor of drowning is still…
But I—may my prayer to You, O LORD, come in a favorable hour. God, as befits Your great kindness, answer me with Your steadfast rescue. Psalm 69:14 [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter But I – Most English Bibles gloss this Hebrew word, rendering it as “but as for me.” However, Alter correctly catches the hesitation, the…
And in fasting I wept for my being—it became a reproach for me. I made sackcloth my garment and became for them a byword. I was the talk of those who sit in the gate, the drunkards’ taunting song. Psalm 69:11-13 [Hebrew] Robert Alter Wept for my being – You will remember Alter’s comment that…
For the zeal of Your house has consumed me, the reproach of Your reproachers has fallen on me. Psalm 69:10 [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter Consumed – Do you know what necrotizing fasciitis is? It’s flesh-eating disease. I am reminded of this terrible condition when I read the Hebrew term used here, ʾakal. This Hebrew word…
Because for You I have borne reproach, disgrace has covered my face. Psalm 69:8 [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter Because for You – David makes an astounding claim, a claim that hardly seems accurate. He says that the damage to his reputation is due to his upholding God’s name. Has he forgotten his sins? How can…
Let not those who hope for You be shamed through me. Master, O LORD of Armies. Let those who seek You be not disgraced through me, God of Israel. Psalm 69:7 [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter Through me – As we discovered yesterday, David’s concern is not about his own vindication. It is about the impact…
God, You know my folly, and my guilt is not hidden from You. Psalm 69:6 [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter Not hidden – True confession. David admits his “folly.” God knows all about this ʾiwwelet. These are acts that display moral stupidity, not simply ignorance. This man actually knows what he is doing isn’t proper. He’s…
More numerous than the hairs of my head are my unprovoked foes. My destroyers grow strong, my lying foes. What I have not stolen should I then give back? Psalm 69:5 [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter Give back – David knew his enemies, at least most of them. His poem is addressed to real, tangible foes,…
I am exhausted from my calling out. My throat is hoarse. My eyes fail from hoping for my God. Psalm 69:4 [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter Eyes fail – In Hebrew the expression is כָּל֥וּ עֵינָ֑י (kalu enay). From our perspective, it seems a bit odd. We don’t hope with our eyes. For us, hope is…
Rescue me, God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I have sunk in the slime of the deep, and there is no place to stand. I have entered the watery depths, and the current has swept me away. Psalm 69:2-3 [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter To stand – “Wade in the water” are…
