Psalm 69

Psalm 69 belongs to Book II of the Psalms (Psalms 42–72). Its superscription attributes it to David. It immediately follows Psalm 68, a hymn celebrating God's triumphal procession, and the mood shifts to an individual lament in which one person cries out in distress.

Structure

• Verses 1–4: The psalmist describes waters that have come in even unto his soul and a deep mire where there is no standing. Those who hate him without a cause are more than the hairs of his head, and he has been made to restore what he did not take away.
• Verses 5–12: He confesses his foolishness and his sins. He asks that those who wait on the Lord not be put to shame on his account. Because of his zeal for God's house he has become a stranger to his brethren, and his fasting and sackcloth have made him the mockery of those who sit in the gate and the song of the drunkards.
• Verses 13–18: He prays to be delivered out of the mire and the deep waters, asking God not to hide His face but to answer him speedily.
• Verses 19–21: With no one to comfort him, he laments that his enemies gave him gall for his food and vinegar to drink.
• Verses 22–28: He asks that his enemies' table become a snare, that their eyes be darkened, that their habitation be desolate, and that they be blotted out of the book of the living.
• Verses 29–33: He asks God to set him, poor and sorrowful, on high. He declares that song and thanksgiving will please the LORD better than an ox or bullock offered in sacrifice, and affirms that the LORD hears the poor.
• Verses 34–36: He calls on heaven, earth, and the seas to praise God, proclaiming that God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, and that the seed of His servants will inherit the land.

Key Verses

• Psalm 69:9: "For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up" is quoted in John 2 to explain the cleansing of the Temple.
• Psalm 69:21: "In my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink" is the verse the Gospels connect with the moment at the crucifixion when Jesus was offered sour wine.
• Psalm 69:30–31: This confession that praise and thanksgiving are better than the sacrifice of an ox reflects a recurring emphasis in the Psalms on the heart over ritual sacrifice.

People and Places

• David: The king of Israel named as author in the superscription.
• Zion: A name for Jerusalem, particularly as the place where God dwells.
• The cities of Judah: The towns in the territory of the southern tribe of Judah, mentioned as objects of restoration.

Interpretive Considerations

Psalm 69 is one of the psalms most frequently quoted in the New Testament. Verse 4 is cited in John 15:25, and verse 9 in Romans 15:3. Verses 22–23 are quoted in Romans 11, and verse 25 is applied in Acts 1 to the position vacated by Judas Iscariot. For this reason, there is a widespread tradition of reading the psalm as a messianic psalm in which David's sufferings foreshadow the sufferings of Christ. Some verses, however, such as the confession of sin in verse 5, are not applied to Jesus in the New Testament. Consequently, many interpreters regard David as a shadow (type) of Christ rather than applying every verse directly to Him.

Interpreters differ on how to read the imprecations of verses 22–28 alongside the command to "love your enemies" (see love of enemies). Some view them as an honest prayer that leaves vengeance to God rather than taking it into one's own hands; others view them as prophetic declarations of God's righteous judgment. On the basis of the reference to rebuilding cities in verses 35–36, some scholars suggest that this section may have been added by the postexilic community.