F. B. Meyer, “One of David's Cave-Psalms. Maschil means Instruction. How much instruction individuals and the Church have gained from the strait dark caves in which, in every age, the saints have been immured! The prison and the persecutor oppress the soul of the sweet singer, who yet towards the close catches sight of a brighter and better time.”

1. PSALM 142 COMME
TARY
Written and edited by Glenn Pease
PREFACE
My goal has been to collect the comments of those who add to our understanding of the Psalms.
These comments are available to everyone, but I have brought them together in one place to save
the Bible student time in research. There is a great deal more, but this gives a good foundation to
build on. If I quote anyone who does not wish to be quoted in this study they can let me know and
I will remove their wisdom. My e-mail is glenn_p86@yahoo.com
I
TRODUCTIO
1. Calvin, “When Saul came into the cave where David lay concealed, this saint of God might
upon such an occurrence have been either thrown into consternation, or led by his alarm into
some unwarrantable step, it being common for persons in despair either to be prostrated with
dismay, or driven into frenzy. But it appears from this Psalm that David retained his composure,
relying with assured confidence upon God, and resigning himself to vows and prayers instead of
taking any unauthorized steps.”
2. F. B. Meyer, “One of David's Cave-Psalms. Maschil means Instruction. How much instruction
individuals and the Church have gained from the strait dark caves in which, in every age, the
saints have been immured! The prison and the persecutor oppress the soul of the sweet singer,
who yet towards the close catches sight of a brighter and better time.”
3. Steven Cole, “Caves are interesting places to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live in one. I always
enjoy caves if there are lights and safe paths to guide you through. But if they shut off the lights,
you quickly learn that it would be just plain spooky to spend a single night in a cave, especially
alone! They’re cold and damp. There are dangerous dropoffs and confusing labyrinths where you
could easily get lost. And there are all sorts of creepy critters in there! We recently watched a
Planet Earth DVD where the photographers had to descend into a cave that had a 300-foot
mound of bat guano, teeming with giant cockroaches! It was enough to give you nightmares!
I don’t know whether the cave where David was hiding from Saul was teeming with roaches, but
I’m sure that he wasn’t tempted to hang a “Home Sweet Home” sign there! Somewhere outside,
Saul and his army were scouring the countryside looking for David. If they found him, it would
mean instant death. So, here he was in a cave. I don’t know if he had a torch or an oil lamp, but
for sure he didn’t have electric lights! Whether he was literally alone or had already been joined
by the 400 malcontents who eventually joined him (1 Sam. 22:2), we don’t know. But he felt
alone, trapped, with no escape.”
4. William G. Heslop, "This is a Song of supplication. The deep distress of the Psalmist is seen in

2. every stanza of the divinely inspired Hymn. His trouble almost reached the breaking point.
Overwhelmed with deep grief, and finding no might or help in man, the poet appeals to GOD."
5. Spurgeon, “Maschil of David. This Maschil is written for our instruction. It teaches us
principally by example how to order our prayer in times of distress. Such instruction is among
the most needful, practical, and effectual parts of our spiritual education. He who has learned
how to pray has been taught the most useful of the arts and sciences. The disciples said unto the
Son of David, "Lord, teach, us to pray"; and here David gives us a valuable lesson by recording
his own experience as to supplication from beneath a cloud.”
TITLE: A maskil[b] of David. When he was in the cave. A
prayer.
1. Jamison, “ When he was in the cave - either of Adullam (1Sa_22:1), or En-gedi (1Sa_24:3). This
does not mean that the Psalm was composed in the cave, but that the precarious mode of life, of
which his refuge in caves was a striking illustration, occasioned the complaint, which constitutes
the first part of the Psalm and furnishes the reason for the prayer with which it concludes, and
which, as the prominent characteristic, gives its name.
2. Henry, “He calls this prayer Maschil - a psalm of instruction, because of the good lessons he had
himself learnt in the cave, learnt on his knees, which he desired to teach others.
3. Dr. Constable, “The superscription identifies the time when David wrote this psalm. He did so
when he was "in the cave," evidently while Saul was pursuing him (cf. Ps. 57; 1 Sam. 22:1; 24:3).
The psalmist spoke as one who had no other hope of deliverance but Yahweh. This is another
individual lament psalm.”
4. Calvin's editor, “In the history of David we read particularly of the two caves in which he took
shelter, that of Adullam, (1 Samuel 22:1,) and that of En-gedi, (1 Samuel 24:3.) The latter is
generally supposed to be the cave here.”
5. Dr. McGee, “He hid in the cave — if he had not hidden, Saul would have killed him. But, you
may say, he was trusting the Lord. Yes, he was trusting the Lord, but the Lord expected him to
use good old sanctified common sense.”
1 I cry aloud to the LORD;

3. I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.
1. Barnes, “I cried unto the Lord with my voice - “He uttered a loud and audible prayer, though he was
alone. It was not a mental ejaculation, but he gave expression to his desires. With my voice unto the Lord
did I make my supplication -The Hebrew word rendered “did make my supplication,” means to implore
favor or mercy. It denotes the language of petition and entreaty, not the language of claim.”
2. Gill, “I cried unto the Lord with my voice,.... With the voice of his soul, in the language of his mind,
mentally, as Moses and Hannah cried unto the Lord when no voice was heard, or articulate sounds
expressed, since this prayer was put up to the Lord in the cave where Saul was; though it might have been
delivered before he came into it, while he and his men were at the mouth of it, which threw David into this
distress; besides the cave was so large as to hold David and his six hundred men without being seen by
Saul, and who could discourse together, as David and his men did, without being heard by Saul while he
was in it; and so this psalm or prayer might be spoken vocally, though he was there; with my voice unto
the Lord did I make, my supplication: the same thing in other words; "crying" is explained by making
"supplication", which is praying to the Lord in an humble manner for grace and mercy, and not pleading
merit and worthiness.”
3. Henry, “Whether it was in the cave of Adullam, or that of Engedi, that David prayed this prayer, is not
material; it is plain that he was in distress. It was a great disgrace to so great a soldier, so great a courtier,
to be put to such shifts for his own safety, and a great terror to be so hotly pursued and every moment in
expectation of death; yet then he had such a presence of mind as to pray this prayer, and, wherever he
was, still had his religion about him. Prayers and tears were his weapons, and, when he durst not stretch
forth his hands against his prince, he lifted them up to his God. There is no cave so deep, so dark, but we
may out of it send up our prayers, and our souls in prayer, to God.
4. Dr. Constable, “The psalmist spoke as though he was telling others how he had prayed on this
occasion. He prayed audibly, probably out of a desire that God would surely hear him. He poured
out what distressed him to God like one pours water out of a pot, namely, completely.”
5. Calvin, “I cried to Jehovah, etc. It showed singular presence of mind in David that he was not
paralyzed with fear, or that he did not in a paroxysm of fury take vengeance upon his enemy, as
he easily might have done; and that he was not actuated by despair to take away his life, but
composedly addressed himself to the exercise of prayer. There was good reason why the title
should have been affixed to the Psalm to note this circumstance, and David had good grounds for
mentioning how he commended himself to God. Surrounded by the army of Saul, and hemmed in
by destruction on every side, how was it possible for him to have spared so implacable an enemy,
had he not been fortified against the strongest temptations by prayer? The repetition he makes
use of indicates his having prayed with earnestness, so as to be impervious to every assault of
temptation.”
6. Steven Cole, “David writes, “I cry aloud … I make supplication… I pour out my complaint …
I declare my trouble” (vv. 1-2). The first person pronoun continues throughout the psalm. This
teaches us that faith in God must be personal. Your parents’ faith will not do when you find
yourself in a cave. Husbands, your wife’s faith is good for her, but it won’t get you through dark,
difficult trials. You must know God personally through personal repentance and faith in Jesus
Christ. And you must know personally how to call upon Him when you feel trapped, lonely, and
under attack..”

4. 7. Spurgeon, “I cried unto the LORD with my voice. It was a cry of such anguish that he
remembers it long after, and makes a record of it. In the loneliness of the cave he could use his
voice as much as he pleased; and therefore he made its gloomy vaults echo with his appeals to
heaven. When there was no soul in the cavern seeking his blood, David with all his soul was
engaged in seeking his God. He felt it a relief to his heart to use his voice in his pleadings with
Jehovah. There was a voice in his prayer when he used his voice for prayer: it was not vox et
praeterea nihil. It was a prayer vivo corde as well as vivâ voce.
With my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. He dwells upon the fact that he spoke
aloud in prayer; it was evidently well impressed upon his memory, hence he doubles the word
and says, "with my voice; with my voice." It is well when our supplications are such that we find
pleasure in looking back upon them. He that is cheered by the memory of his prayers will pray
again. See how the good man's appeal was to Jehovah only: he did not go round about to men,
but he ran straight forward to Jehovah, his God. What true wisdom is here! Consider how the
Psalmist's prayer grew into shape as he proceeded with it. Its first poured out his natural
longings, -- "I cried"; and then he gathered up all his wits and arranged his thoughts, -- "I made
supplication." True prayers may differ in their diction, but not in their direction: an impromptu
cry and a preconceived supplication must alike ascend towards the one prayer hearing God, and
he will accept each of them with equal readiness. The intense personality of the prayer is
noteworthy: no doubt the Psalmist was glad of the prayers of others, but he was not content to be
silent himself. See how everything is in the first person, -- "I cried with my voice; with my voice
did I make my supplication." It is good to pray in the plural -- "Our Father", but in times of
trouble we shall feel forced to change our note into "Let this cup pass from me."
2 I pour out before him my complaint;
before him I tell my trouble.
1. Henry, “When the danger was over he was not ashamed to own (as great spirits sometimes are)
the fright he had been in and the application he had made to God. Let no men of the first rank
think it any diminution or disparagement to them, when they are in affliction, to cry to God, and
to cry like children to their parents when any thing frightens them. David poured out his
complaint, which denotes a free and full complaint; he was copious and particular in it. His heart
was as full of his grievances as it could hold, but he made himself easy by pouring them out
before the Lord; and this he did with great fervency: He cried unto the Lord with his voice, with
the voice of his mind (so some think), for, being hidden in the cave, he durst not speak with an
audible voice, lest that should betray him; but mental prayer is vocal to God, and he hears the
groanings which cannot, or dare not, be uttered, Rom_8:26. Two things David laid open to God,
in this complaint: - 1. His distress. He exhibited a remonstrance or memorial of his case: I showed
before him my trouble, and all the circumstances of it. He did not prescribe to God, nor show him
his trouble, as if God did not know it without his showing; but as one that put a confidence in
God, desired to keep up communion with him, and was willing to refer himself entirely to him, he
unbosomed himself to him, humbly laid the matter before him, and then cheerfully left it with

5. him. We are apt to show our trouble too much to ourselves, aggravating it, and poring upon it,
which does us no service, whereas by showing it to God we might cast the care upon him who
careth for us, and thereby ease ourselves.
or should we allow of any complaint to ourselves or
others which we cannot with due decency and sincerity of devotion make to God, and stand to
before him. 2. His desire. When he made his complaint he made his supplication (Psa_142:1), not
claiming relief as a debt, but humbly begging it as a favour. Complainants must be suppliants, for
God will be sought unto.”
1B. How would your feel in David's situation. Saul tried to have David murdered 9 times. He was
obsessed with getting David dead, and now he is held up in a cave wondering if this is the time
that Saul will capture him and put him to death. It was a terrible thing to be anointed king when
the reigning king was determined to eliminate you. Most of us will never be in this situation, but
we can feel like David did when life caves in for any number of reasons. Depression sets in on
Christians all the time for a variety of reasons. When it does, we need to pour out of our hearts
and minds all that is bothering us. We need to empty ourselves of all the poison that is corrupting
our faith, hope and joy. This is just good psychology, and nobody is a better listener than God.
Pour our all the pain of your mind. It is bad stuff, but God wants to hear it in order to set you
free from it. The more you keep bad stuff repressed, the longer you will stay in the prison of your
depression.
1C. F. B. Meyer, “poured out my complaint.--Of course God knows all before we tell Him, but it
is our duty--and a great relief--to unbosom ourselves to Him. We often miss the benefit of prayer,
because we deal so much in general and do not enough dwell on the particulars of our need.”
2. Barnes, “I poured out my complaint before him - literally, my meditation; that is, What so
much occupied my thoughts at the time I expressed aloud. The word “complaint” does not
express the idea. The meaning is, not that he “complained” of God or of man; but that his mind
“meditated” on his condition. He was full of care and of anxiety; and he went and poured this out
freely before God. The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate render this, “my prayer.” See Psa_55:2,
where the same Hebrew word is used. I showed before him my trouble - I made mention of it. I
spoke of it.”
3. Gill, “I poured out my complaint before him,....
ot a complaint of the Lord and of his
providences, but of himself; of his sins, and particularly his unbelief; and also of them that
persecuted and afflicted him; which he "poured" out from the abundance of his heart, and in the
bitterness of his soul; denoting the fulness of his prayer, his freedom in it, the power and fervency
of it, and which he left before the Lord, and submitted to his will; see Psa_102:1, title; I showed
before him my trouble; the present trouble he was in, being pursued and surrounded by Saul and
his army; not as if the Lord was ignorant of it, and did not see and observe it, but to affect his
own soul with it, to exercise grace under it, and ease his burdened and distressed mind; the best
of men have their troubles both within and without, and the way to be rid of them is to carry
them to the Lord.”
4. Calvin, “To pour out one’s thoughts and tell over his afflictions implies the reverse of those
perplexing anxieties which men brood over inwardly to their own distress, and by which they
torture themselves, and are chafed by their afflictions rather than led to God; or it implies the
reverse of those frantic exclamations to which others give utterance who find no comfort in the
superintending providence and care of God. In short, we are left to infer that while he did not
give way before men to loud and senseless lamentations, neither did he suffer himself to be

6. tormented with inward and suppressed cares, but made known his grief’s with unsuspecting
confidence to the Lord.”
5. Trouble is used 201 times in the KJV, and the Psalms are loaded with it because the writers are
often in trouble because of the enemies that are determined to make their lives miserable. David
had far more trouble than his share.
6. Spurgeon, “I poured out my complaint before him. His inward meditation filled his soul: the
bitter water rose up to the brim; what was to be done? He must pour out the wormwood and the
gall, he could not keep it in; he lets it run away as best it can, that so his heart may be emptied of
the fermenting mixture. But he took care where he outpoured his complaint, lest he should do
mischief, or receive an ill return. If he poured it out before man he might only receive contempt
from the proud, hardheartedness from the careless, or pretended sympathy from the false; and
therefore he resolved upon an outpouring before God alone, since he would pity and relieve. The
word is Scarcely "complaint"; but even if it be so we may learn from this text that our complaint
must never be of a kind that we dare not bring before God. We may complain to God, but not of
God. When we complain it should not be before men, but before God alone.
I shewed before him my trouble. He exhibited his griefs to one who could assuage them: he did
not fall into the mistaken plan of so many who publish their sorrows to those who cannot help
them. This verse is parallel with the first; David first pours out his complaint, letting it flow forth
in a natural, spontaneous manner, and then afterwards he makes a more elaborate show of his
affliction; just as in the former verse (Psalms 141:1-10) he began with crying, and went on to
"make supplication." Praying men pray better as they proceed.
ote that we do not show our
trouble before the Lord that he may see it, but that we may see him. It is for our relief, and not
for his information that we make plain statements concerning our woes: it does us much good to
set out our sorrow in order, for much of it vanishes in the process, like a ghost which will not
abide the light of day; and the rest loses much of its terror, because the veil of mystery is removed
by a clear and deliberate stating of the trying facts. Pour out your thoughts and you will see what
they are; show your trouble and the extent of it will be known to you: let all be done before the
Lord, for in comparison with his great majesty of love the trouble will seem to be as nothing.”
7. Dr. McGee, “In other words, David laid out before God everything that was in his heart and
life. That is the way you and I should pray. This idea that we should "pray around" something,
or rationalize in our prayers, or pray "all around Robin Hood's barn," is wrong. We ought to
get right down to the nitty-gritty and tell God everything in our lives. David said, "I shewed
before him my trouble." My friend, you can tell Him about your temptations; you can tell Him
about everything.
Years ago Fenelon wrote a wonderful thing along this line, which he has entitled "Tell
God": Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one's heart, its pleasures and its pains, to
a dear friend. Tell Him your troubles, that He may comfort you; tell Him your joys, that
He may sober them; tell Him your longings, that He may purify them; tell Him your
dislikes, that He may help you to conquer them; talk to Him of your temptations, that He
may shield you from them; show Him the wounds of your heart, that He may heal them;
lay bare your indifference to good, your depraved tastes for evil, your instability. Tell
Him how self-love makes you unjust to others, how vanity tempts you to be insincere,
how pride disguises you to yourself as to others.

7. If you thus pour out all your weaknesses, needs, troubles, there will be no lack of what to
say. You will never exhaust the subject. It is continually being renewed. People who have
no secrets from each other never want subjects of conversation. They do not weigh their
words, for there is nothing to be held back; neither do they seek for something to say.
They talk out of the abundance of the heart, without consideration, just what they think.
Blessed are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved intercourse with God.
My friend, David had that marvelous relationship with Almighty God, and he told God
all that was in his heart.
otice that David said, "I poured out my complaint before him; I
shewed before him my trouble." David, as a young man, was anointed king of Israel. In the court
of King Saul, that mad king threw a javelin at David, trying to pin David to the wall, but he
missed, and David had to flee for his life. He complained that he was hunted like a partridge. It
was open season on him all of the time, and he had to keep running. Out of that situation this
young man lifts his heart and cries out to God.”
8. Treasury of David, “Verse 2. Poured out ... before him. Those words teach us that in prayer we
should not try to keep anything back from God, but should show him all that is in our hearts, and
that in his presence in our closet, with the door shut, but not before men. The Carmelite adds that
there is much force in the words with my voice, twice repeated (as in Heb., A.V. Vulgate, etc.) to
show us that we ought to pray to God directly for ourselves, and in person, and not be contented
with an Ora pro me addressed to some one else. -- Cassiodorus and Ayguan, in
eale and
Littledale.
Verse 2. I shewed before him my trouble. Be very particular in secret prayer, both as to sins,
wants, and mercies ... Be not ashamed to open out all thy necessities. David argues because he is
"poor and needy"; four several times he presses his wants and exigencies before God, like an
earnest but holy beggar (Psalms 40:17 70:5 86:1 109:22). He "shewed before him" his trouble. He
presents "before" God his ragged condition, and spreads open his secret wounds; as Job said, he
"would order" his "cause before him": Job 23:4 ... Before God we may speak out our minds
fully, and name the persons that afflict, affront, and trouble us; and woe to them that a child of
God upon a mature judgment names in prayer! I find not that such a prayer in Scripture ever
returned empty ... A great reason why we reap so little benefit in prayer is, because we rest too
much in generals; and if we have success, it is but dark, so that often we cannot tell what to make
of the issues of prayer. Besides, to be particular in our petitions would keep the spirit much from
wandering when we are intent upon a weighty case, and the progress of the soul in grace would
manifest its gradual success in prayer. -- Samuel Lee (1625-1691), in "The Morning Exercises."
Verse 2. The committing of our cause to God is at once our duty, our safety, and our ease. -
-Abraham Wright.
3 When my spirit grows faint within me,
it is you who watch over my way.
In the path where I walk
people have hidden a snare for me.

8. 1. Henry, “ What he complained of: “In the way wherein I walked, suspecting no danger, have they
privily laid a snare for me, to entrap me.” Saul gave Michal his daughter to David on purpose that
she might be a snare to him, 1Sa_18:21. This he complains of to God, that every thing was done
with a design against him. If he had gone out of his way, and met with snares, he might have
thanked himself; but when he met with them in the way of his duty he might with humble
boldness tell God of them.
What comforted him in the midst of these complaints (Psa_142:3): “When my spirit was
overwhelmed within me, and ready to sink under the burden of grief and fear, when I was quite at
a loss and ready to despair, then thou knewest my path, that is, then it was a pleasure to me to
think that thou knewest it. Thou knewest my sincerity, the right path which I have walked in, and
that I am not such a one as my persecutors represent me. Thou knewest my condition in all the
particulars of it; when my spirit was so overwhelmed that I could not distinctly show it, this
comforted me, that thou knewest it, Job_23:10. Thou knewest it, that is, thou didst protect,
preserve, and secure it,” Psa_31:7; Deu_2:7.”
1B. He was overwhelmed with the pressure and probably would have lost his sanity had he not
had this safety valve of opening his grieved heart up up to God. His trust that God was watching
over his way was the only thing that kept him going. His enemies had booby trapped his every
path, but he was still convinced he could walk in safety because the Lord would guide him. His
bomb detector was God, for he lived too early for the modern devices to detect the dangers that
enemies place in our path. He walked in danger, but still walked in faith that he would not be
destroyed.
2. Barnes, “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me - Luther renders this, “When my spirit
was in distress.” The Hebrew word rendered “overwhelmed” means, in Kal, to cover as with a
garment; then, to be covered as with darkness, trouble, sorrow; and then, to languish, to faint, to
be feeble: Psa_77:3; Psa_107:5. The idea here is, that, in his troubles, he had no vigor, no life, no
spirit. He did not see how he could escape from his troubles, and he had no heart to make an
effort.
Then thou knewest my path - Thou didst see all. Thou didst see the way that I was treading,
and all its darkness and dangers, implying here that God had made it an object to mark his
course; to see what egress there might be - what way to escape from the danger. It was in no sense
concealed from God, and no danger of the way was hidden from him. It is much for us to feel
when we are in danger or difficulty that God knows it all, and that nothing can be hidden from
him.
In the way wherein I walked - In my path; the path that I was treading.
Have they privily laid a snare for me - They treated me as a man would treat his neighbor, who
should spread a snare, or set a trap, for him in the path which he knew he must take. The word
rendered “have privily laid” means to hide, to conceal. It was so concealed that I could not
perceive it. They did it unknown to me. I neither knew that it was laid, nor where it was laid.
They meant to spring it upon me at a moment when I was not aware, and when I should be taken
by surprise. It was not open and manly warfare; it was stealth, cunning, trick, art.
3. Clarke, “Then thou knewest my path - When Saul and his army were about the cave in which I
was hidden, thou knewest my path - that I had then no way of escape but by miracle: but thou

9. didst not permit them to know that I was wholly in their power.
3B. F. B. Meyer, “When my spirit was overwhelmed.--There are times when however bravely we
would bear ourselves, our spirit faints (R.V. marg.). What is here said of the "spirit" (rooakh) is
oftener predicted of the "soul" (nephesh) (Psa. 42:6; 43:5); but the dejection and fainting of the
spirit is a more sorrowful condition. Yet how consolatory that God knows our path! His eye is
ever fixed on its perplexities. He sees its hidden pitfalls and snares.”
4. Gill, “ When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,.... Ready to sink and faint under the
present affliction, being attended with the hidings of God's face, and with unbelieving frames;
which is sometimes the case of God's people, and with which they are as it were covered and
overwhelmed, as well as with a sense of sin, and with shame and sorrow for it; see Psa_61:2;
then thou knewest my path: the eyes of the Lord are upon all men, and he knows their goings,
none of them are hid from him; and he sees and approves of the way, of the life and conversation
of his people in general; and particularly observes what way they take under affliction, which is
to apply to him for help and deliverance, Psa_1:6. R. Moses in Aben Ezra and Kimchi interpret it
of the path he walked in, which was right and not evil, for which he could appeal to God, that
knows all things; it may literally intend the path David took to escape the fury of Saul, that
pursued him from place to place; in the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for
me; let him take which way he would, there were spies upon him, or men that were in ambush to
take him; and snares were everywhere laid for him to entrap him; see Psa_140:5.”
5. Calvin, “Though he owns here that he felt anxiety, yet he confirms what he had said as to the
constancy of his faith. The figure which he uses of his spirit being perplexed, aptly represents the
state of the mind in alternating between various resolutions when there was no apparent outgate
from danger, and increasing its distress by resorting to all kinds of devices. He adds, that though
there was no apparent way of safety, God knew from the beginning in what way his deliverance
should be effected. Others put a different meaning upon this clause, thou knowest my way, as if
David asserted God to have been witness of his integrity, but the other is the more correct, that
God knew the way to deliver him, while his own mind was distracted by a variety of thoughts,
and yet could not conceive any mode of extrication. The words teach us, when we have tried
every remedy and know not what to do, to rest satisfied with the conviction that God is
acquainted with our afflictions, and condescends to care for us, as Abraham said —“The Lord
will provide.” (Genesis 22:8.)”
6. Spurgeon, “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. The
bravest spirit is sometimes sorely put to it. A heavy fog settles down upon the mind, and the man
seems drowned and smothered in it; covered with a cloud, crushed with a load, confused with
difficulties, conquered by impossibilities. David was a hero, and yet his spirit sank: he could smite
a giant down, but he could not keep himself up. He did not know his own path, nor feel able to
bear his own burden. Observe his comfort: he looked away from his own condition to the ever
observant, all knowing God: and solaced himself with the fact that all was known to his heavenly
Friend. Truly it is well for us to know that God knows what we do not know. We lose our heads,
but God never closes his eyes: our judgments lose their balance, but the eternal mind is always
clear.
In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. This the Lord knew at the

10. time, and gave his servant warning of it. Looking back, the sweet singer is rejoiced that he had so
gracious a Guardian, who kept him from unseen dangers.
othing is hidden from God; no secret
snare can hurt the man who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, for he shall abide under
the shadow of the Almighty. The use of concealed traps is disgraceful to our enemies, but they
care little to what tricks they resort for their evil purposes. Wicked men must find some exercise
for their malice, and therefore when they dare not openly assail they will privately ensnare. They
watch the gracious man to see where his haunt is, and there they set their trap; but they do it
with great caution, avoiding all observation, lest their victim being forewarned should escape
their toils. This is a great trial, but the Lord is greater still, and makes us to walk safely in the
midst of danger, for he knows us and our enemies, our way and the snare which is laid in it.
Blessed be his name.”
7. Treasury of David, ““When my spirit was overwhelmed within me. "When even my spirit (the
higher faculty) is wrapped in darkness upon me" that is, when even my spirit (ruach), which
ought to elevate my soul (nephesh) falls heavily upon me, as in a swoon.
"When heavy, like a veil of woe,
My spirit on me lay."
What is here said of the spirit, is oftener predicted of the soul, the seat of the passions. See Psalms
42:6 43:5 131:2. The dejection of the spirit represents a still more sorrowful and downcast
condition, than the fainting of the soul. See Ps 143:3-4, and compare our Lord's words, "My soul
is troubled" (John 12:27) with the Evangelist's statement, "Jesus was troubled in spirit" (John
13:21 11:33). -- Christopher Wordsworth.
Verse 3. Thou knewest.
From human eyes 'tis better to conceal
Much that I suffer, much I hourly feel;
But, oh, this thought can tranquillize and heal,
All, all is known to thee.
ay, all by thee is ordered, chosen, planned,
Each drop that fills my daily cup, thy hand
Prescribes for ills, none else can understand,
All, all is known to thee. --Charlotte Elliott.
Verse 3. Although we as Christians possess the full solution of the problem of suffering, yet we
frequently find ourselves in the position of Job, in regard to this or that particular affliction.
There are sorrows so far reaching, so universal; there are losses so absolute, and blows so terrible
and inexplicable, that it seems for a time as if we were wrapped in thickest gloom, and as if the
secret of the Lord had not been revealed. Why was this man stricken, and that man spared? Why
was such and such a being, in whom so many hopes centred, or who had already realised so many
pleasant expectations, why was he withdrawn? Why was that other person left, a useless
encumbrance to earth? Why was that voice, which found echo in so many hearts, suddenly
silenced? Why have I been smitten? Why have I lost that which rendered my moral life beautiful
and useful? Oftentimes the soul seems lost for awhile in thoughts which overwhelm it, it loses its
foothold, it tumbles about helplessly amid the deep waters of affliction. It seems as if all were
over. Do not believe it. Remember Job; you cannot go to greater lengths of despair than he, and
yet God had pity on him. There is much comfort for you in this example of indescribable

11. suffering, exasperated to the highest degree, and yet pardoned and consoled. Cling to the
memory of this blessed fact as to a cable of deliverance, a board or a plank amidst the shipwreck.
And then remember that affliction forms part of God's plan, and that he also asks you to
manifest ready and absolute confidence in him. --E. De Pressense, D.D., in "The Mystery of
Suffering", 1869.
Verse 3. They have privily laid a snare for me. Snares on the right hand, and snares on the left:
snares on the right hand, worldly prosperity; snares on the left hand, worldly adversity; snares
on the right hand, flattery; snares on the left hand, alarm. Do thou walk in the midst of the
snares: depart not from the way: let neither flattery ensnare thee, nor alarm drive thee off it.
--Augustine.
4 Look and see, there is no one at my right hand;
no one is concerned for me.
I have no refuge;
no one cares for my life.
1. Henry, “The psalmist here tells us, for our instruction, 1. How he was disowned and deserted
by his friends, Psa_142:4. When he was in favor at court he seemed to have a great interest, but
when he was made an out-law, and it was dangerous for any one to harbour him (witness
Ahimelech's fate), then no man would know him, but every body was shy of him. He looked on his
right hand for an advocate (Psa_109:31), some friend or other to speak a good word for him; but,
since Jonathan's appearing for him had like to have cost him his life, nobody was willing to
venture in defence of his innocency, but all were ready to say they knew nothing of the matter. He
looked round to see if any would open their doors to him; but refuge failed him.
one of all his
old friends would give him a night's lodging, or direct him to any place of secresy and safety. How
many good men have been deceived by such swallow-friends, who are gone when winter comes!
David's life was exceedingly precious, and yet, when he was unjustly proscribed, no man cared
for it, nor would move a hand for the protection of it. Herein he was a type of Christ, who, in his
sufferings for us, was forsaken of all men, even of his own disciples, and trod the wine-press
alone, for there was none to help, none to uphold, Isa_63:5.”
1B.
o one cared to hide or defend David, for to be friendly to a man the king is trying to kill was
to commit suicide.
o one was willing to risk their lives to help David. Even Jonathan was afraid
of his own father at this point. He was a hero loved by all, but now he is an outcast ignored by all.
1C. Henry Law, “Worldly friends soon vanish when the trouble is adverse. Such desertion is
grievous aggravation of distress. To this the blessed Jesus was most exposed. They all forsook
Him and fled. Such, also, is the common lot of His true disciples. Paul mourned, Know you not
that all who are in Asia have turned away from me. But God is still near, and full of compassion.
We can approach His ready smile. We shall ever find in Him a sufficiency which no creatures

12. could supply. Safe are those who can say, "You are my refuge." Rich are those who can add, "You
are my portion." Let us flee to this fortress. Let us rejoice in this portion. Loneliness dwells not in
this climate.”
2. Jamison, “Utter desolation is meant. right hand — the place of a protector (Psa_110:5). cared
for — literally, “sought after,” to do good.”
2B. Dr. Constable, “Evidently if David had had a human defender that person would have
been standing at his right hand, but no one was there. He felt totally forsaken by all other
people, and without God's help escape was impossible.”
3. Barnes, “I looked on my right hand, and beheld - Margin, “Look on the right hand and see
The words translated “looked” and “beheld” are in the imperative mood in the Hebrew. They are
not, however, improperly rendered as to the sense. They refer to David’s state of mind at the time,
and give vividness to the description. The psalmist seems to be in the presence of others. He calls
upon them to look around; to see how he was encompassed with danger. Look, says he, in every
direction; see who there is on whom I may rely; what there is to which I may trust as a refuge. I
can find none; I see none; there is none. The “right hand” is referred to here as the direction
where he might look for a protector: Psa_109:6, Psa_109:31.
But there was no man that would know me -
o man to be seen who would recognize me as his
friend; who would stand up for me; on whom I could rely.
Refuge failed me - Margin, as in Hebrew, “perished from me.” If there had been any hope of
refuge, it has failed altogether. There is none now.
o man cared for my soul - Margin, “
o man sought after my soul.” Hebrew, after my “life.”
That is,
o one sought to save my life; no one regarded it as of sufficient importance to attempt to
preserve me.
4. Gill, “ I looked on my right hand, and beheld,.... On the left, so Kimchi supplies it, and after
him Piscator; he looked about him every way to the right and left, to see if he could get any help,
or find out any way of deliverance. To this sense the Targum, Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac,
and Arabic versions render the words; and so Kimchi and Aben Ezra understand them: but some
render them in the imperative, "look on the right hand, and behold" (n); and consider them;
either as spoken to his own soul, to stir up himself to look around him for help and relief; or as an
address to God, to look and behold, as in Psa_80:14; and R. Obadiah reads them, "look, O right
hand"; O right hand of God, that does valiantly: but looking cannot properly be ascribed to the
right hand; and besides it is not the Lord the psalmist is speaking to, or looking after, but men, as
follows;
but there was no man that would know me; take notice of him, and acknowledge and own him, or
show him any favour, or even own that they had any knowledge of him; which is often the case
when men are in affliction and distress, their former friends, acquaintance, yea, relations, keep at
a distance from them; so it was with Job, the Messiah, and others; see Job_19:13;
refuge failed me; as he could get no help from men, so there was no way open for his escape, or by
which he could flee and get out of the hands and reach of his enemies; in these circumstances he
was when in the cave;

13. no man cared for my soul; or "life" (o); to save it, protect and defend it, that is, very few;
otherwise there were some that were concerned for him, as the men that were with him, and
Jonathan, Saul's son; but none of Saul's courtiers, they were not solicitous for his welfare, but on
the contrary sought his life, to take it away. This is an emblem of a soul under first awakenings
and convictions, inquiring the way of salvation, and where to find help, but at a lois for it in the
creature.
5. K&D, “ The fact that David, although surrounded by a band of loyal subjects, confesses to
having no true fiend, is to be understood similarly to the language of Paul when he says in
Phi_2:20 : “I have no man like-minded.” All human love, since sin has taken possession of
humanity, is more or less selfish, and all fellowship of faith and of love imperfect; and there are
circumstances in life in which these dark sides make themselves felt overpoweringly, so that a
man seems to himself to be perfectly isolated and turns all the more urgently to God, who alone is
able to supply the soul's want of some object to love, whose love is absolutely unselfish, and
unchangeable, and unbeclouded, to whom the soul can confide without reserve whatever burdens
it, and who not only honestly desires its good, but is able also to compass it in spite of every
obstacle. Surrounded by bloodthirsty enemies, and misunderstood, or at least not thoroughly
understood, by his friends, David feels himself broken off from all created beings. On this earth
every kind of refuge is for him lost (the expression is like Job_11:20). There is no one there who
should ask after or care for his soul, and should right earnestly exert himself for its deliverance.”
6. Calvin, “He shows that there was good cause for the dreadful sufferings he experienced, since
no human aid or comfort was to be expected, and destruction seemed inevitable. When he speaks
of having looked and yet not perceived a friend amongst men, he does not mean that he had
turned his thoughts to earthly helps in forgetfulness of God, but that he had made such inquiry
as was warrantable after one on the earth who might assist him. Had any person of the kind
presented himself, he would no doubt have recognized him as an instrument in the hand of God’s
mercy, but it was God’s purpose that he should be abandoned of all assistance from man, and
that his deliverance from destruction should thus appear more extraordinary. In the expression,
none seeking after my soul, the verb to seek after is used in a good sense, for being solicitous about
any man’s welfare or safety.”
7. Spurgeon, “I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me.
He did not miss a friend for want of looking for him, nor for want of looking in a likely place.
Surely some helper would be found in the place of honour; some one would stand at his right
hand to undertake his defence. He looked steadily, and saw all that could be seen, for he
"beheld"; but his anxious gaze was not met by an answering smile. Strange to say, all were
strange to David. He had known many, but none would know him. When a person is in ill odour
it is wonderful how weak the memories of his former friends become: they quite forget, they
refuse to know. This is a dire calamity. It is better to be opposed by foes than to be forsaken by
friends, When friends look for us they affect to have known us from our birth, but when we look
for friends it is wonderful how little we can make them remember: the fact is that in times of
desertion it is not true that no man did know us, but no man would know us. Their ignorance is
wilful.
Refuge failed me. Where in happier days I found a ready harbour I now discovered none at all.
My place of flight had taken to flight. My refuge gave me a refusal.
o man cared for my soul. Whether I lived or died was no concern of anybody's. I was cast out as
an outcast.
o soul cared for my soul. I dwelt in
o man's land, where none cared to have me,

14. and none cared about me. This is an ill plight -- no place where to lay our head, and no head
willing to find us a place. How pleased were his enemies to see the friend of God without a friend!
How sad was he to be utterly deserted in his utmost need! Can we not picture David in the cave,
complaining that even the cave was not a refuge for him, for Saul had come even there? Hopeless
was his looking out, we shall soon see him looking up.
8. Treasury of David
Verse 4. I looked on my right hand, and beheld. The first two verbs must be translated as
imperatives, as in the margin of the English Bible. ("Look on the right hand, and see.") The right
hand is mentioned as the post of a protector. --Joseph Addison Alexander.
Verse 4. Looked on my right hand. The allusion here, it is supposed, is to the observance of the
ancient Jewish courts of judicature, in which the advocate, as well as the accuser, stood on the
right hand of the accused (Psalms 110:5). The Psalmist felt himself in the condition of one who
had nobody to plead his cause, and to protect him in the dangerous circumstances in which he
was placed. --James Anderson's
ote to Calvin in loc.
Verse 4. There was no man that would know me. The fact that David, although surrounded by a
band of loyal subjects, confesses to having no true friend, is to be understood similarly to the
language of Paul when he says in Philippians 2:20: "I have no man like minded." All human love,
since sin has taken possession of humanity, is more or less selfish, and all fellowship of faith and
of love imperfect; and there are circumstances in life in which these dark sides make themselves
felt overpoweringly, so that a man seems to himself to be perfectly isolated, and turns all the
more urgently to God, who alone is able to supply the soul's want of some object to love, whose
love is absolutely unselfish, and unchangeable, and unclouded, to whom the soul can confide
without reserve whatever burdens it, and who not only honestly desires its good, but is able also
to compass it in spite of every obstacle. Surrounded by bloodthirsty enemies, and misunderstood,
or at least not thoroughly understood by his friends, David feels himself broken off from all
created beings. --Franz Delitzsch.
Verse 4. There was no man that would know me. Teacheth us of what little estimation God's
children be, with the world and worldly men. --Thomas Wilcocks.
Verse 4. There was no man that would know me. Persecution from the side of our enemies presses
sorely, but abandonment by our friends, who should have stood by one's side as helpers and
defenders, presses more sorely still. --Taube, in Lange's Commentary.
Verse 4. Observe the beautiful opposition between "Thou knewest" (Psalms 142:3) and "no man
would know me." Refuge failed me, -- literally "perished" from me (Jeremiah 25:35 Amos 2:14).
But "thou hast been my refuge in the day of my trouble"; Ps 59:16. --Andrew Robert Fausset.
Verse 4-5. Refuge failed me ... Thou art my refuge. Travellers tell us that they who are at the top
of the Alps can see great showers of rain fall under them, but not one drop of it falls on them.
They who have God for their portion are in a high tower, and thereby safe from all troubles and
showers. A drift rain of evil will beat in at the creature's windows, be they never so well pointed;
all the garments this world can make up cannot keep them that travel in such weather from being
wet to the skin.
o creature is able to bear the weight of its fellow creature; but as reeds, they
break under the pressure, and as thorns, they run into the sides of those who lean on them. The
bow drawn beyond its compass breaks in sunder, and the string wound above its strength snaps
in pieces. Such are outward helps to all that trust to them in hardships. --George Swinnock.

15. Verse 4-5. Refuge failed me ... Thou art my refuge. Are there any among us to whom the world's
face is quite changed, and the brooks of comfort in it are dried up, and they are so tossed, chased,
and harassed in it that they have forgotten their resting place? Are any of you "become a
stranger unto your brethren and an alien unto your mother's children"? Ps 69:8. Is it grown such
a strange world, that even "your own familiar friend, in whom you trusted, which did eat of your
bread, hath lifted up his heel against you"? (Psalms 41:9); and that wherever you turn yourselves
in it, to find rest and refuge, the door is shut in your face? Here is a refuge for you; here is one
open door; come in, thou blessed of the Lord: "the Lord gathereth the outcasts of Israel" Psalms
147:2. It seems the Lord minds to have you in: he is doing with you as a father with a stubborn
son who ran away from his father's house, thinking to shift for himself among his friends, and
not come back: the father sends peremptory word through them all, saying, "In whoever's house
my son is skulking, presently turn him out of doors, and let none of you take him in; and if he
come to you give him not one night's lodging, nay, let him not eat in your house." Wherefore is all
this but just to get him back again to his father's house? --Thomas Boston, 1676-1732.
Verse 4-5. When all slighted him, when none took care of him; what doth David in this case? The
words in Psalms 142:5 tell us what. I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and
my portion in the land of the living. As if he had said, Upon these unkindnesses, disrespects, and
slightings which I found in the world, I took occasion, yea, I was stirred in my spirit to cry unto
thee, O Lord, and to say, "Thou art my refuge", that is, then I made thee my refuge more than
ever. Having made thee my choice in my best times, when men honoured and embraced me, I am
much encouraged in these evil times when men regard me not to shelter my weather beaten self
in thy name and power. When we have most friends in the world, then God is our best friend, but
when the world hates us, and frowns upon us, especially when (as the prophet speaks of some,
Isaiah 66:5) "our brethren hate us, and cast us out for the name's sake of God himself", saying,
"Let the Lord be glorified", when 'tis thus with us (I say) our souls are even forced into the
presence of God, to renew our interests in his love, and to assure our souls that we are accepted
with him. --Joseph Caryl.
5 I cry to you, LORD;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”
1. Henry, “Lovers and friends stood aloof from him, and it was in vain to call to them. “But,” said
he, “I cried unto thee, O Lord! who knowest me, and carest for me, when none else will, and wilt
not fail me nor forsake me when men do;” for God is constant in his love. David tells us what he
said to God in the cave: “Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living; I depend
upon thee to be so, my refuge to save me from being miserable, my portion to make me happy. The
cave I am in is but a poor refuge. Lord, thy name is the strong tower that I run into. Thou art my
refuge, in whom alone I shall think myself safe. The crown I am in hopes of is but a poor portion;
I can never think myself well provided for till I know that the Lord is the portion of my
inheritance and of my cup.” Those who in sincerity take the Lord for their God shall find him all-

16. sufficient both as a refuge and as a portion, so that, as no evil shall hurt them, so no good shall be
wanting to them; and they may humbly claim their interest: “Lord, thou art my refuge and my
portion; every thing else is a refuge of lies and a portion of no value. Thou art so in the land of the
living, that is, while I live and have my being, whether in this world or in a better.” There is
enough in God to answer all the necessities of this present time. We live in a world of dangers and
wants; but what danger need we fear if God is our refuge, or what wants if he be our portion?
Heaven, which alone deserves to be called the land of the living, will be to all believers both a
refuge and a portion.”
2. Barnes, “I cried unto thee, O Lord - When there was no help; when I saw myself encompassed
with dangers; when I looked on every hand and there was no “man” that would undertake for
me.
I said, Thou art my refuge -
(a) My “only” refuge. I can go nowhere else.
(b) Thou art “in fact” my refuge. I can and do put my trust in thee. See the notes at Psa_46:1.
And my portion - See the notes at Psa_16:5.
In the land of the living - Among all those that live - all living beings. There is no one else
among the living to whom I can come but to thee, the living God. My hope is not in human
beings, for they are against me; not in angels, for they have not the power to rescue me. It is God
only, the living God, whom I make my confidence and the ground of my hope.
3. Gill, “ I cried unto thee, O Lord,.... Finding no help from man, he turns to the Lord, and
directs his prayer to him in his distress;
I said, thou art my refuge; as he was, from all his enemies that were in pursuit of him, and from
the storm of calamities he apprehended was coming upon him: and a refuge the Lord is to all his
people in time of trouble; and where they always meet with sustenance, protection, and safety; he
being a strong habitation, a strong hold, a strong refuge, to which they may resort at all times;
and such is Christ to all sensible sinners that flee unto him, Heb_6:18;
and my portion in the land of the living; and a most excellent one he is, a large, immense, and
inconceivable portion; he and all his perfections, purposes, promises, and blessings, being
included in it; a soul-satisfying one, and which will never be taken away nor consumed; it is a
portion in the present life; it will last as long as life lasts, and continues unto death, and at death,
and for evermore, Psa_73:26.”
4. F. B. Meyer, “said, Thou my refuge my portion!--The loneliness and isolation of the soul from
all human love often makes us turn the more urgently to God, who can be loved without satiety
and whose love is unchangeable, unselfish and eternal. How often does God diminish and break
off our portion in this life that we may be driven to seek it again in Himself! (Lam. 3:24).”
5. Jonathan Edwards, “God is the highest good of the reasonable creature; and the enjoyment of
him is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy
God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers,
husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but the
enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are
but streams; but God is the fountain. These are but drops; but God is the ocean. Therefore it

17. becomes us to spend this life only as a journey towards heaven, as it becomes us to make the
seeking of our highest end and proper good, the whole work of our lives; to which we should
subordinate all other concerns of life. Why should we labor for, or set our hearts on, any thing
else, but that which is our proper end, and true happiness?”
6. Spurgeon, “I cried unto thee, O Lord. As man would not regard him, David was driven to
Jehovah, his God. Was not this a gain made out of a loss? Wealth gained by a failure? Anything
which leads us to cry unto God is a blessing to us. This is the second time that in this short psalm
we find the same record, "I cried unto thee, O LORD": the saintly man is evidently glad to
remember his cry and its results. We hear often of the bitter cry of outcast London, here is
another bitter cry, and it comes from an outcast, in wretched lodgings, forgotten by those who
should have helped him.
I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. There is a sort of progressive
repetition all through this sacred song; he cried first, but he said afterwards: his cry was bitter,
but his saying was sweet; his cry was sharp and short, but his saying was fresh and full. It gives a
believer great pleasure to remember his own believing speeches: he may well desire to bury his
unbelieving murmurings in oblivion, but the triumphs of grace in working in him a living faith,
he will not dream of forgetting. What a grand confession of faith was this! David spoke to God,
and of God "Thou art my refuge."
ot thou hast provided me a refuge, but thou, thyself, art my
refuge. He fled to God alone; he hid himself beneath the wings of the Eternal. He not only
believed this, but said it, and practised it.
or was this all; for David, when banished from his
portion in the promised land, and cut off from the portion of goods which he by right inherited,
found his portion in God, yea, God was his portion. This was so not only in reference to a future
state, but here among living men. It is sometimes easier to believe in a portion in heaven than in a
portion upon earth: we could die more easily than live, at least we think so. But there is no living
in the land of the living like living upon the living God. For the man of God to say these precious
things in the hour of his dire distress was a grand attainment. It is easy to prate bravely when we
dwell at ease, but to speak confidently in affliction is quite another matter.
Even in this one sentence we have two parts, the second rising far above the first. It is something
to have Jehovah for our refuge, but it is everything to have him for our portion. If David had not
cried he would not have said; and if the Lord had not been his refuge he would never have been
his portion. The lower step is as needful as the higher; but it is not necessary always to stop on the
first round of the ladder.
7. Treasury of David
Verse 5. I have cried unto thee, Jehovah, I have said, etc. I have cried and still cry; I have said and
still say. --Joseph Addison Alexander.
Verse 5. I said. This imports,
1. A remembrance of the solemn transaction, Psalms 103:18. This is a deed never to be
forgotten, but always to be kept in remembrance. But, O ye who have said this, remember,
a. What you said. You said that God in Christ should be your refuge, that under the
shade of his wings you hid yourselves, and that, renouncing all other refuges, as
refuges of lies, you did betake yourselves to the covert of Christ's righteousness,
and that there ye would abide for your portion; which was a formal acceptance of
and laying hold on the covenant.
b. To whom you said it. To God in Christ speaking to you in the gospel offer, and

18. inviting you into the refuge. What men say to their superiors, they think themselves
specially concerned to mind. And surely what ye have said to God, ye ought in a
peculiar manner to remember, and awe your hearts with the consideration of the
majesty of the party to whom ye said it, Ps 16:2: "O my soul, thou hast said unto
the Lord, Thou art my Lord"; for he is not one with whom we may deal falsely.
c. How ye said it. Did ye not say it in your hearts, while God in Christ was held out as
a refuge for you? And the language of the heart is plain language with a heart
searching God. Did not some of you say it with your mouths? And did not all
communicants say it solemnly before the world, angels, and men, by their receiving
the elements of bread and wine?
d. Upon what grounds you said it. Did you not see a necessity of a refuge for you, and
a necessity of taking God in Christ for your refuge? Ye had rational grounds for it,
and lasting grounds that can never fail; so that ye can never have ground to retract
nor shift about for another refuge. Jeremiah 2:31.
e. Where ye said it. Remember the spot of ground where ye said it in prayer, where ye
said it at the communion table. Psalms 42:6. The stones of the place will be
witnesses of your saying it. Joshua 24:27.
2. A standing to it, without regretting that we said it, remembering what is said, John 6:66-
69: "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then
said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord,
to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that
thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." Men often repent what they have said,
and therefore will not own that they have said it. But gracious souls will not repent their
saying this, but will abide by it. If they were to make their choice a thousand times, having
chosen God in Christ for their refuge and portion, they would not alter; Jeremiah 3:19: "I
said, Thou shalt call me, My Father; and shalt not turn away from me." Many alterations
may be in men's circumstances in the world, but there can never be one that will afford
ground for retracting this saying.
3. An owning of the obligation of it: I said, and am obliged thereby to stand to it, "For I have
opened my mouth unto the Lord and I cannot go back", Judges 11:35. God in Christ is
yours, and ye are his by his own consent; ye are no more your own; ye have said the word,
and must own that it is binding on you; and ye must beware that after vows ye make not
enquiry. Whoever may pretend they have their choice yet to make of a refuge and portion
to themselves, ye cannot: ye are engaged already, and ye are not at liberty to hearken to
any other proposals, any more than a woman who has already signed her contract with
one man.
4. A professing of it confidently without being ashamed of it; as though you should say, "I
own it before all men, and am not ashamed of my choice." Antichrist allows some of his
vassals to carry his mark in their right hand. Revelation 13:16. But all the followers of the
Lamb have their mark on their foreheads, where it will not hide, Revelation 14:1. The
world would put the people of God to shame on the head of their refuge and portion, as if
they had made a foolish bargain of it, Psalms 14:6: "Ye have shamed the counsel of the
poor, because the LORD is his refuge." But sincerity will make men despise that shame, as
David said, "And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight."
5. A satisfaction of heart in it: as though you should say, I said it", and, Oh, but I am well
pleased that ever I said it; it was the best saying I could ever say. Psalms 16:2,5-7. And this
is in effect to say it over again. And good reason there is for them who have sincerely said
it to be well satisfied in their refuge, and to rejoice in their portion. The reflecting upon it
may afford solid delight and content of heart. Ye who have taken the Lord for your refuge

19. may with much satisfaction reflect upon what you have done. --Thomas Boston.
6 Listen to my cry,
for I am in desperate need;
rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.
1. Henry, “ “Lord, give a gracious ear to my cry, the cry of my affliction, the cry of my
supplication, for I am brought very low, and, if thou help me not, I shall be quite sunk. Lord,
deliver me from my persecutors, either tie their hands or turn their hearts, break their power or
blast their projects, restrain them or rescue me, for they are stronger than I, and it will be thy
honour to take part with the weakest. Deliver me from them, or I shall be ruined by them, for I
am not yet myself a match for them. Lord, bring my soul out of prison, not only bring me safe out
of this cave, but bring me out of all my perplexities.” We may apply it spiritually: the souls of
good men are often straitened by doubts and fears, cramped and fettered through the weakness
of faith and the prevalency of corruption; and it is then their duty and interest to apply
themselves to God, and beg of him to set them at liberty and to enlarge their hearts, that they
may run the way of his commandments.”
2. Barnes, “Attend unto my cry - Give ear to me when I cry to thee. Do not turn away and refuse
to hear me. For I am brought very low - I am reduced greatly; I am made very poor. The
language would be applicable to one who had been in better circumstances, and who had been
brought down to a condition of danger, of poverty, of want. It is language which is commonly
applied to poverty. Deliver me from my persecutors - Saul and his followers. For they are
stronger than I - More in number; better armed; better suited for battle.
3. Clarke, “I am brought very low -
ever was I so near total ruin before.Deliver me from my
persecutors - They are now in full possession of the only means of my escape. They are stronger
than I - What am I and my men against this well-appointed armed multitude, with their king at
their head.
4. Gill, “Attend unto my cry,.... His prayer and supplication for help in his distress, which he
desires might be hearkened unto and answered; for I am brought very low; in his spirit, in the
exercise of grace, being in great affliction, and reduced to the utmost extremity, weakened,
impoverished, and exhausted; wanting both men and money to assist him, Psa_79:8; deliver me
from my persecutors; Saul and his men, who were in pursuit of him with great warmth and
eagerness; for they are stronger than I; more in number, and greater in strength; Saul had with
him three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, ablebodied men, and expert in war; veteran
troops, and in high spirits, with their king at the head of them; David had about six hundred
men, and these poor mean creatures, such as were in distress, in debt, and discontented, and in
want of provisions, and dispirited; see 1Sa_22:2. So the spiritual enemies of the Lord's people are
stronger than they, Jer_31:11.

20. 5. Spurgeon, “Attend unto my cry. Men of God look upon prayer as a reality, and they are not
content without having an audience with God; moreover, they have such confidence in the Lord's
condescending grace, that they hope he will even attend to that poor broken prayer which can
only be described as a cry.
For I am brought very low, and therefore all the prayer I can raise is a mournful cry. This is his
argument with God: he is reduced to such a sad condition that if he be not rescued he will be
ruined. Gracious men may not only be low, but very low; and this should not be a reason for their
doubting the efficacy of their prayers, but rather a plea with the Lord why they should have
special attention.
Deliver me from my persecutors. If he did not get out of their hands, they would soon kill him out
of hand, and as he could not himself effect an escape, he cried to God, "deliver me."
For they are stronger than
1. As he before found a plea in his sadness, so now in his feebleness: Saul and his courtiers
were in power, and could command the aid of all who sought royal favour; but poor David
was in the cave, and every
abal girded at him. Saul was a monarch, and David a fugitive;
Saul had all the forms of law on his side, while David was an outlaw: so that the prayer
before us comes from the weak, who proverbially go to the wall, -- a good place to go to if
they turn their faces to it in prayer, as Hezekiah did in his sickness. The Lord is wont to
take the side of the oppressed, and to show his power by baffling tyrants; David's
supplication was therefore sure to speed. In these sentences we see how explicitly the man
of God described his case in his private communings with his Lord: in real earnest he
poured out his complaint before him and showed before him his trouble.
6. Treasury of David
Verse 6. Attend unto my cry.
Can I see another's woe,
And not be ill sorrow too?
Can I see another's grief,
And not seek for kind relief?
Can I see a falling tear,
And not feel my sorrow's share?
Can a father see his child
Weep, nor be with sorrow filled?
Can a mother sit and hear
An infant groan, an infant fear?
o, no; never can it be!
ever, never can it be!
And can he, who smiles on all,
Hear the wren, with sorrows small --
Hear the small bird's grief and care,
Hear the woes that infants bear,

21. And not sit beside the nest,
Pouring pity in its breast?
And not sit the cradle near,
Weeping tear on infant's tear?
And not sit both night and day
Wiping all our tears away?
Oh, no! never can it be!
ever, never can it be!
He doth give his joy to all;
He becomes an infant small;
He becomes a man of woe;
He doth feel the sorrow too.
Think not thou canst sigh a sigh,
And thy Maker is not by;
Think not thou canst weep a tear,
And thy Maker is not near.
Oh! he gives to us his joy,
That our grief he may destroy:
Till our grief is fled and gone,
He doth sit by us and moan.
--William Blake (1757-1828), in "Songs of Innocence", 1789.
Verse 6. I am brought very low, etc. However true this may have been of David lurking in a cave,
while his enemy, Saul, was at the head of a powerful army, it is more literally true of Christ, who
could truly say, "I am brought very low", because "he himself became obedient unto death, even
to the death of the cross." He was also "brought very low", when he, that had the right of sitting
on the cherubim, hung between two robbers. Truly also were his enemies "stronger than he"
when "their hour came", and "power was given to darkness", so as to appear, for awhile, to
eclipse the sun of justice itself. -- Robert Bellarmine.
7 Set me free from my prison,
that I may praise your name.
Then the righteous will gather about me
because of your goodness to me.
1. Henry, “How much he expected his deliverance would redound to the glory of God. (1.) By his
own thanksgivings, into which his present complaints would then be turned: “Bring my soul out

22. of prison, not that I may enjoy myself and my friends and live at ease, no, nor that I may secure
my country, but that I may praise thy name.” This we should have an eye to, in all our prayers to
God for deliverance out of trouble, that we may have occasion to praise God and may live to his
praise. This is the greatest comfort of temporal mercies that they furnish us with matter, and give
us opportunity, for the excellent duty of praise. (2.) By the thanksgivings of many on his behalf
(2Co_1:11): “When I am enlarged the righteous shall encompass me about; for my cause they shall
make thee a crown of praise, so the Chaldee. They shall flock about me to congratulate me on my
deliverance, to hear my experiences, and to receive (Maschil) instructions from me; they shall
encompass me, to join with me in my thanksgivings, because thou shalt have dealt bountifully
with me.”
ote, The mercies of others ought to be the matter of our praises to God; and the
praises of others, on our behalf, ought to be both desired and rejoiced in by us.”
1B. David was in bondage, and he longed to be set free. It was not just for his own pleasure, but
that he might be free to join others in worship and praise God. If he could just be free from this
terrible life of being hunted down like an animal, he could again win the hearts of people, and
they would join him in praise because of the Lord's deliverance. He would be the hero again by
God's grace, and popular among the people.
2. Barnes, “Bring my soul out of prison - Bring me out of my present condition which is like a
prison. I am as it were shut up; I am encompassed with foes; I do not know how to escape.
Compare Psa_25:17.
That I may praise thy name -
ot merely for my own sake, but that I may have occasion more
abundantly to praise thee; that thus “thou” mayest be honored; an object at all times much more
important than our own welfare - even than our salvation.
The righteous shall compass me about - They shall come to me with congratulations and with
expressions of rejoicing. They will desire my society, my friendship, my influence, and will regard
it as a privilege and an honor to be associated with me. David looked to this as an object to be
desired. He wished to be associated with the righteous; to enjoy their friendship; to have their
good opinion; to be reckoned as one of them here and forever. Compare the notes at Psa_26:9. It
“is” an honor - a felicity to be desired - to be associated with good people, to possess their esteem;
to have their sympathy, their prayers, and their affections; to share their joys here, and their
triumphs in the world to come.
For thou shalt deal bountifully with me - Or, when thou shalt deal bountifully with me. When
thou dost show me this favor, then the righteous will come around me in this manner. They will
see that I am a friend of God, and they will desire to be associated with me as his friend.
3. Clarke, “Bring my soul out of prison - Bring נפשי naphshi, my life, out of this cave in which it
is now imprisoned; Saul and his men being in possession of the entrance.
The righteous shall compass me about - יכתרו yachtiru, they shall crown me; perhaps meaning
that the pious Jews, on the death of Saul, would cheerfully join together to make him king, being
convinced that God, by his bountiful dealings with him, intended that it should be so. The old
Psalter, which is imperfect from the twenty-frst verse of Psalm 119 to the end of Psa_141:1-10,
concludes this Psalm thus: “Lede my saule oute of corruption of my body; that corrupcion is
bodely pyne, in whilk my saule is anguyst; after that in Godes house, Sal al be louyng (praising)
of the.”
4. Gill, “Bring my soul out of prison,....
ot out of purgatory, to which some Popish writers wrest

23. these words very absurdly; nor out of the prison of his body, as Joseph Ben Gorion (p); knowing
that none but God had a power of removing it from thence; but out of the cave, where he was
detained as in a prison, while Saul and his men were about the mouth of it; or rather out of all his
straits, distresses, and difficulties, which surrounded and pressed him on all sides, as if he was in
a prison; that I may praise thy name; this release he desired not so much for his own sake, that he
might be at ease and liberty, but that he might have fresh occasion to praise the Lord, and an
opportunity of doing it publicly, in the assembly and congregation of the people;
the righteous shall compass me about; in a circle, like a crown, as the word (q) signifies; when
delivered, they should flock to him and come about him, to see him and look at him, as a miracle
of mercy, whose deliverance was marvellous; and to congratulate him upon it, and to join with
him in praises unto God for it. The Targum is, "for my sake the righteous will make to thee a
crown of praise.''
And to the same purpose Jarchi, "for my sake the righteous shall surround thee, and praise thy
name.'' Aben Ezra interprets it, "they shall glory as if the royal crown was on their heads;'' for
thou shalt deal bountifully with me; in delivering him from his enemies, settling him on the
throne, and bestowing upon him all the blessings of Providence and grace; see Psa_116:7; and
thus the psalm is concluded with a strong expression of faith in the Lord, though in such a low
estate.”
5. Dr. Constable, “Again the psalmist begged God to help him escape from his overpowering
enemies. He felt imprisoned with no escape possible if God failed to save him. If God did deliver
him he would thank the Lord, and other godly people would join David in his praise because of
God's abundant goodness. When God's people feel forsaken by all other human allies, we may
turn to the Lord who is always with the righteous. God is able to deliver His own even if there are
no other helpers. "
o matter the circumstances around us or the feelings within us, God cares for
us (1 Peter 5:7)."
6. Calvin, “..the righteous shall compass me, is translated differently by some, they shall wait me. I
have retained the true and natural sense. I grant that it is taken figuratively for surrounding,
intimating that he would be a spectacle to all, the eyes of men being attracted by such a singular
case of deliverance. If any consider the words not to be figurative, the sense will be, That the
righteous would not only congratulate him, but place a crown upon his head in token of victory.
Some explain the passage, They will assemble to congratulate me, and will stand round me on
every side like a crown. As the words literally read, they will crown upon me, some supply another
pronoun, and give this sense, that the righteous would construe the mercy bestowed upon David
as a glory conferred upon themselves; for when God delivers any of his children he holds out the
prospect of deliverance to the rest, and, as it were, gifts them with a crown. The sense which I
have adopted is the simplest, however, That the mercy vouchsafed would be shown conspicuously
to all as in a theater, proving a signal example to the righteous for establishment of their faith.
The verb גמל , gamal, in the Hebrew, is of a more general signification than to repay, and means to
confer a benefit, as I have shown elsewhere.”
7. F. B. Meyer, “Bring my soul out of prison.--Is there not an allusion here to the history of
Joseph? "Lead me out of distress," as Joseph from prison (see also Psa. 102:10, 13; Isa. 42:7; Acts
12:7-9; 16:39). The compassing of the righteous indicates their sympathy with the Psalmist when
they press in to offer their congratulations as garlands and crowns. God's mercy to him would be

24. a source of joy to others, who would bind the story on their brows as a festal crown.”
8. Spurgeon, “Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name. That God may be
glorified is another notable plea for a suppliant. Escaped prisoners are sure to speak well of those
who give them liberty; Soul emancipation is the noblest form of liberation, and calls for the
loudest praise: he who is delivered from the dungeons of despair is sure to magnify the name of
the Lord. We are in such a prison that only God himself can bring us out of it, and when he does
so he will put a new song into our mouths. The cave was not half such a dungeon to David's body
as persecution and temptation made for his soul. To be exiled from the godly is worse than
imprisonment, hence David makes it one point of his release that he would be restored to church
fellowship --
The righteous shall compass me about. Saints gather around a child of God when his Father
smiles upon him; they come to hear his joyful testimony, to rejoice with him, and to have their
own faith encouraged. All the true believers in the twelve tribes were glad to rally to David's
banner when the Lord enlarged his spirit; they glorified God for him and with him and through
him. They congratulated him, consorted with him, crowned him, and championed him. This was
a sweet experience for righteous David, who had for awhile come under the censure of the
upright. He bore their smiting with patience, and now he welcomes their sanction with gratitude.
For thou shalt deal bountifully with me. God's bountiful dealing is sure to bring with it the
sympathy and alliance of all the favourites of the Great King. What a change from looking for a
friend and finding none to this enthusiastic concourse of allies around the man after God's own
heart! When we can begin a psalm with crying, we may hope to close it with singing. The voice of
prayer soon awakens the voice of praise.
9. Treasury of David
Verse 7. Bring my soul out of prison, etc. As if he should say, O Lord, I confess I am a poor
prisoner to sin and Satan, I would fain be set at liberty to believe thy word, and to do thy will;
but, alas, I cannot. I find many a door fast shut upon me in this prison, and many a lock upon the
doors, many lets and impediments which I am never able to remove; and therefore, gracious
Lord, do that for me, which neither I myself nor all the friends I can make are ever able to do for
me; pay the debts of thy poor prisoner in my blessed Surety, and set open the prison doors:
"Bring my soul out of prison, O Lord, that I may praise thy name!" --Matthew Lawrence, in
"The Use and Practice of Faith", 1657.