Chapter Overview
Summary
Psalm 71 (MT) / Psalm 70 (LXX) is an anonymous prayer of old-age — 'do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent' (v. 9) and 'even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me' (v. 18). The psalm shares substantial content with Pss 22, 31, 35, 40, 109, and 143 — a composite of classic petitionary-phrases compiled for use in the later-life crisis. Its signature theological claim — lifelong-divine-teaching (v. 17, 'O God, from my youth you have taught me') — anticipates the generational-faithfulness theology.
Notable Variants
71:6 'from my mother's womb' as prenatal-divine-election language; 71:15 'my mouth will tell of your righteous acts all day long'; the compilation-of-earlier-psalm-phrases marking this as late-composition; the old-age-fidelity prayer posture.
Structural Notes
MT Ps 71 = LXX Ps 70. 24 verses. Lacks a superscription (unusual in Book II).
In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge — let me never be put to shame.
'In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame!' tracks MT. // Ps 31:1.
In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; turn Your ear toward me and save me.
'In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me!' tracks MT.
Be for me a rock of refuge, a stronghold to enter continually. You have commanded my deliverance, for You are my rock and my fortress.
'Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress' tracks MT. // Ps 31:2–3.
My God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and ruthless.
'Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked' tracks MT.
For You are my hope, Lord GOD, my trust since my youth.
'For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth' tracks MT. LIFELONG-HOPE theology.
On You I have leaned from the womb; from my mother's body You drew me out. My praise is continually of You.
'Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb' tracks MT. PRENATAL-DIVINE-ELECTION. The 'from my mother's womb' language parallels Jeremiah 1:5 ('before I formed you in the womb I knew you'), Isaiah 49:1 ('the LORD called me from the womb'), and Galatians 1:15 ('God, who had set me apart before I was born'). The womb-election theology grounds Paul's prophetic-calling vocabulary.
I have become a sign to many, but You are my strong refuge.
'I have been as a portent to many' tracks MT.
Let my mouth be filled with Your praise, all day long with Your splendor.
'My mouth is filled with your praise and with your glory all the day' tracks MT.
Do not cast me off in the time of old age; when my strength is spent, do not abandon me.
'Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent' tracks MT. OLD-AGE PRAYER. One of the Psalter's most tender prayers addressing the fear of late-life-divine-abandonment.
For my enemies speak against me, and those who watch for my life conspire together,
'For my enemies speak concerning me; those who watch for my life consult together' tracks MT.
saying, 'God has abandoned him. Pursue and seize him, for there is no one to rescue him.'
'Saying: God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him' tracks MT. The enemies' theological-mockery: divine-forsaking assumed. Matthew 27:43 ('he trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him') applies this mockery-pattern to the crucified Jesus.
O God, do not be far from me; my God, hurry to help me!
'O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me!' tracks MT. // Ps 22:11, 19.
Let those who accuse my life be shamed and consumed; let those who seek my ruin be wrapped in disgrace and humiliation.
'May my accusers be put to shame and consumed' tracks MT.
But I — I will hope continually, and I will add still more to all Your praise.
'But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more' tracks MT. Hope-continually + praise-more-and-more — late-life fidelity-growth theology.
My mouth will declare Your righteousness, all day long Your salvation, for I cannot count them.
'My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge' tracks MT. DIVINE-DEEDS-BEYOND-COUNTING — theological-wonder at the multitude of divine actions.
I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD; I will declare Your righteousness — Yours alone.
'With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone' tracks MT.
O God, You have taught me from my youth, and until now I have declared Your wonders.
'O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds' tracks MT. LIFELONG-DIVINE-PEDAGOGY. God-as-teacher-from-youth — anticipating the John 6:45 (citing Isa 54:13) 'they will all be taught by God' theology.
And even to old age and gray hair, O God, do not abandon me, until I declare Your arm to a generation, Your power to all who are yet to come.
'So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation' tracks MT. INTER-GENERATIONAL-TRANSMISSION — the old-saint's request for time-to-teach-the-young. 2 Timothy 2:2 ('what you have heard from me … entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also') carries the pattern into NT apostolic-succession theology.
Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heights; You who have done great things — O God, who is like You?
'Your power and your righteousness, O God, reach the high heavens' tracks MT.
You who have made us see many and bitter troubles will revive us again, and from the depths of the earth You will bring us up again.
'You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again' tracks MT. REVIVE-FROM-DEPTHS-OF-THE-EARTH — one of the Psalter's strongest proto-resurrection expressions. The 'bring me up again' (anagageis me) resurrection-vocabulary.
You will increase my honor and turn to comfort me.
'You will increase my greatness and comfort me again' tracks MT.
I also will praise You with the harp for Your faithfulness, my God. I will make music to You with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
'I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God' tracks MT.
My lips will shout for joy when I make music to You — my very life, which You have redeemed.
'My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed' tracks MT.
My tongue also, all day long, will murmur of Your righteousness, for those who sought my ruin have been shamed and disgraced.
'And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt' tracks MT. Closing with tongue-talking-all-day-long — the persistent-praise posture of the aged-believer.