What does Psalm 25:19 mean?
ESV: Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.
NIV: See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me!
NASB: Look at my enemies, for they are many, And they hate me with violent hatred.
CSB: Consider my enemies; they are numerous, and they hate me violently.
NLT: See how many enemies I have and how viciously they hate me!
KJV: Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.
NKJV: Consider my enemies, for they are many; And they hate me with cruel hatred.
Verse Commentary:
David feared for his life because his enemies were numerous. The specific occasion is not revealed, but we may be certain it posed a formidable threat. David felt so fiercely hated that he described the hatred as "violent." This word implies injustice and cruelty. David had done nothing to merit such aggressive treatment. As his enemies increased, David became increasingly alarmed, but he turned the situation over to the Lord.
In Exodus 14 we read that the Lord delivered His people from an impossible situation. The Egyptian army prepared to pounce on the fleeing Hebrews, but the Lord came to the defense of His people. We read in verse 24, "And in the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels." Later in the chapter we learn that the Lord drowned all the Egyptians in the sea but gave the Hebrews dry passage through the sea. The Lord was also able to deliver David from his enemies.
Verse Context:
Psalm 25:15–22 records more of David's prayer. He is facing multiple dangers, but he trusts the Lord to deliver him. In this regard, his plea resembles that of his prayer for deliverance in Psalm 22. The concluding section of Psalm 25 naturally follows David's description of the Lord's steadfast love and mercy. The Lord cares for those who obey Him, so He will not disappoint David in David's time of great need.
Chapter Summary:
This prayer of David uses the Hebrew alphabet as a pattern. This is an acrostic, where verses each begin with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The final verse, however, repeats the letter used in verse 16. David declares his trust in God and the value of the Lord's wisdom. Mixed into these praises of God's truth are multiple requests that David be forgiven of his sins. The psalm ends with David asking for rescue from his enemies, and for a similar redemption for the nation of Israel.
Chapter Context:
Psalm 25 finds David facing difficulty and seeking the Lord's guidance. Proverbs 3:5–6 offers a similar emphasis on divine guidance for those who seek the Lord's will. Deuteronomy 32 provides parallel teaching, as do Psalm 37:1–7 and Psalm 40.
Book Summary:
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 4/29/2024 12:11:03 PM
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