Psalm 69:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me.

NIV: Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.

NASB: May the flood of water not overflow me Nor the deep swallow me up, Nor the pit close its mouth on me.

CSB: Don’t let the floodwaters sweep over me or the deep swallow me up; don’t let the Pit close its mouth over me.

NLT: Don’t let the floods overwhelm me, or the deep waters swallow me, or the pit of death devour me.

KJV: Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.

NKJV: Let not the floodwater overflow me, Nor let the deep swallow me up; And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.

Psalm 69:1–21 is a cry over David's troubles and a call for God's rescue from them. Enemies lie and conspire, including even family members. The sheer volume of opposition is overwhelming. These attacks come because David has enthusiastically defended the Lord; he takes attacks against God as harms to his own self. David calls on God to provide relief from such persecution.

David opens with a passionate plea for God's rescue. He feels as if he is drowning among enemies and liars. These opponents hate David for his loyalty to the Lord. They even hate him for faithfully continuing to practice his faith. David wants more than to be rescued, however. He calls on God to bring brutal justice to these enemies, including seeing them die with no hope of eternity. David closes the psalm on a more positive note: planning to worship God. This means he fully expects God's long-awaited answer to come in the form of rescue.

David gives no explicit event as the inspiration for his writing. This psalm has messianic overtones, and it is frequently quoted in the New Testament (John 2:17; 15:25; Romans 11:9–10; Acts 1:20). It is also an imprecatory psalm: a call for God to severely punish His enemies. The words of this psalm may have been set to the same musical tune as psalm 45. Similar psalms include 35, 40, and 109.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.

Accessed 11/22/2024 4:35:05 PM