Psalm 71
Psalm 71 is the 71st psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion". It has no title in the Hebrew version. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 70. In Latin, it is known as "In te Domine speravi".
The psalm has 24 verses in both English and Hebrew verse numbering. It forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been paraphrased in hymns and set to music.
Commentary
Psalm 71 in the Hebrew text does not have a title, one of four such psalms in the first two books of the Psalter. However, the Greek Septuagint text bears the title: "By David, of the sons of Jonadab and the first ones taken captive".Theologian Albert Barnes suggests that it "belongs to the "class" of psalms which refer to the trials of the righteous".
Verses 9, 17 and 18 suggest that the psalmist is an old man, perhaps a king towards the end of his reign, seeking relief from distress in form of severe illness or the approach of death, as well as the taunts of his "enemies" asserting that God has abandoned him. The writer affirms his close relationship with God as he speaks of the faith in God which has sustained him all his life, praying that God will not reject him, declaring his witness to God's salvation, while asking for renewed health and the discrediting of his
enemies, then he will renew his praises.
Ignatius M.C. Obinwa wrote a book on this psalm, based on his doctoral thesis. Obinwa uses a quantitative lexical analysis to argue that the theme of the psalm is not old age, but refuge and YHWH's righteousness.
One unique feature of this psalm is the frequent allusion to other psalms such as:
- Verses 1–3 almost matches Psalm 31:1–3
- Verses 5–6 alludes to Psalm 22:9–10
- Verse 11 to Psalm 22:1
- Verses 12–13 to Psalm 35:22; 38:21; 40:13–14
- Verse 24 to Psalm 35:4, 26; 40:14.
Uses
Judaism
- Verse 19 is part of Tzidkatcha.
Book of Common Prayer
Musical settings
set Psalm 71 in a metred version in German, "Auf dich, Herr, trau ich alle Zeit", SWV 168, as part of the Becker Psalter, first published in 1628.Marc-Antoine Charpentier, "In te Domine speravi" H.228, for soloists, chorus, strings and continuo
Text
The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the Koine Greek text in the Septuagint and the English translation from the King James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text come from different textual traditions. In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 70.| # | Hebrew | English | Greek |
| 1 | In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. | Τῷ Δαυΐδ· υἱῶν ᾿Ιωναδὰβ καὶ τῶν πρώτων αἰχμαλωτισθέντων. - ΕΠΙ ΣΟΙ, Κύριε, ἤλπισα, μὴ καταισχυνθείην εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. | |
| 2 | Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. | ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ σου ῥῦσαί με καὶ ἐξελοῦ με, κλῖνον πρός με τὸ οὖς σου καὶ σῶσόν με. | |
| 3 | Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress. | γενοῦ μοι εἰς Θεὸν ὑπερασπιστὴν καὶ εἰς τόπον ὀχυρὸν τοῦ σῶσαί με, ὅτι στερέωμά μου καὶ καταφυγή μου εἶ σύ. | |
| 4 | Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. | ὁ Θεός μου, ῥῦσαί με ἐκ χειρὸς ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ἐκ χειρὸς παρανομοῦντος καὶ ἀδικοῦντος· | |
| 5 | For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth. | ὅτι σὺ εἶ ἡ ὑπομονή μου, Κύριε· Κύριε, ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἐκ νεότητός μου, | |
| 6 | By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee. | ἐπὶ σὲ ἐπεστηρίχθην ἀπὸ γαστρός, ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου σύ μου εἶ σκεπαστής· ἐν σοὶ ἡ ὕμνησίς μου διαπαντός. | |
| 7 | I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge. | ὡσεὶ τέρας ἐγενήθην τοῖς πολλοῖς, καὶ σὺ βοηθὸς κραταιός. | |
| 8 | Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day. | πληρωθήτω τὸ στόμα μου αἰνέσεως, ὅπως ὑμνήσω τὴν δόξαν σου, ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν μεγαλοπρέπειάν σου. | |
| 9 | Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth. | μὴ ἀπορρίψῃς με εἰς καιρὸν γήρως, ἐν τῷ ἐκλείπειν τὴν ἰσχύν μου μὴ ἐγκαταλίπῃς με. | |
| 10 | For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together, | ὅτι εἶπαν οἱ ἐχθροί μου ἐμοὶ καὶ οἱ φυλάσσοντες τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐβουλεύσαντο ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό | |
| 11 | Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him. | λέγοντες· ὁ Θεὸς ἐγκατέλιπεν αὐτόν· καταδιώξατε καὶ καταλάβετε αὐτόν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ρυόμενος. | |
| 12 | O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help. | ὁ Θεός μου, μὴ μακρύνῃς ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ· ὁ Θεός μου, εἰς τὴν βοήθειάν μου πρόσχες. | |
| 13 | Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt. | αἰσχυνθήτωσαν καὶ ἐκλιπέτωσαν οἱ ἐνδιαβάλλοντες τὴν ψυχήν μου, περιβαλλέσθωσαν αἰσχύνην καὶ ἐντροπὴν οἱ ζητοῦντες τὰ κακά μοι. | |
| 14 | But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. | ἐγὼ δὲ διαπαντὸς ἐλπιῶ ἐπὶ σὲ καὶ προσθήσω ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν αἴνεσίν σου. | |
| 15 | My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof. | τὸ στόμα μου ἐξαγγελεῖ τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου, ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν σωτηρίαν σου, ὅτι οὐκ ἔγνων γραμματείας. | |
| 16 | I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only. | εἰσελεύσομαι ἐν δυναστείᾳ Κυρίου· Κύριε, μνησθήσομαι τῆς δικαιοσύνης σοῦ μόνου. | |
| 17 | O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. | ὁ Θεός, ἃ ἐδίδαξάς με ἐκ νεότητός μου, καὶ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν ἀπαγγελῶ τὰ θαυμάσιά σου. | |
| 18 | Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come. | καὶ ἕως γήρως καὶ πρεσβείου, ὁ Θεός, μὴ ἐγκαταλίπῃς με, ἕως ἂν ἀπαγγελῶ τὸν βραχίονά σου τῇ γενεᾷ πάσῃ τῇ ἐπερχομένῃ, | |
| 19 | Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee! | τὴν δυναστείαν σου καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου. ὁ Θεός, ἕως ὑψίστων ἃ ἐποίησας μεγαλεῖα· ὁ Θεός, τίς ὅμοιός σοι; | |
| 20 | Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. | ὅσας ἔδειξάς μοι θλίψεις πολλὰς καὶ κακάς, καὶ ἐπιστρέψας ἐζωοποίησάς με, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς γῆς πάλιν ἀνήγαγές με. | |
| 21 | Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. | ἐπλεόνασας ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ τὴν μεγαλωσύνην σου καὶ ἐπιστρέψας παρεκάλεσάς με καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀβύσσων τῆς γῆς πάλιν ἀνήγαγές με. | |
| 22 | I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. | καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι ἐν σκεύει ψαλμοῦ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου, ὁ Θεός· ψαλῶ σοι ἐν κιθάρᾳ, ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ. | |
| 23 | My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed. | ἀγαλλιάσονται τὰ χείλη μου, ὅταν ψάλω σοι, καὶ ἡ ψυχή μου, ἣν ἐλυτρώσω. | |
| 24 | My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt. | ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἡ γλῶσσά μου ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν μελετήσει τὴν δικαιοσύνην σου, ὅταν αἰσχυνθῶσι καὶ ἐντραπῶσιν οἱ ζητοῦντες τὰ κακά μοι. |