Psalm 70 is a compact, urgent prayer for rescue. Nearly identical to Psalm 40:14-18, it stands as an independent plea for God to hurry. The psalmist asks God to deliver him and come quickly to his help. He prays that those who seek his life will be put to shame and driven back in humiliation, while those who seek God will rejoice and say 'God is great!' The psalm closes with the psalmist identifying himself as poor and needy, calling God his help and deliverer, and begging God not to delay.
The brevity of this psalm is itself remarkable. At only six verses (five in Hebrew), it is one of the shortest psalms in the collection and functions almost as a distress signal — concentrated, repeatable, and memorizable. The repetition of 'hurry' (chushah) frames the psalm as a plea against delay. There is no extended complaint, no detailed description of enemies, no theological argument — just the raw request for speed. The psalm's near-duplicate relationship with Psalm 40:14-18 raises questions about how psalms circulated and were adapted for different liturgical purposes. As an independent unit, it reads as a prayer that could be used in any moment of sudden crisis.
The superscription identifies this as 'of David, to bring to remembrance' (lehazkir). The same notation appears on Psalm 38. The phrase may indicate a memorial offering context or simply a prayer for God to 'remember' the supplicant. The relationship to Psalm 40:14-18 is debated: did Psalm 70 extract these verses, or did Psalm 40 incorporate an originally independent prayer? Minor textual differences exist between the two versions (Psalm 70 uses Elohim where Psalm 40 uses YHWH in some instances). The brevity means that every word carries significant weight, making even small textual variants theologically relevant.
The near-duplicate in Psalm 40:14-18 provides the primary literary connection. The plea for divine haste connects to the wider Psalter theme of waiting versus urgency — Psalm 62 emphasizes silent waiting, while Psalm 70 emphasizes speed. The phrase 'poor and needy' (ani ve-evyon) appears across the Psalms (9:18, 35:10, 37:14, 40:18, 72:13, 86:1, 109:22) as a self-identification by the righteous sufferer. The petition for enemies to be 'turned back' and 'put to shame' echoes Psalm 35:4 and 35:26.
לַמְנַצֵּ֬חַ לְדָוִ֗ד לְהַזְכִּֽיר׃
For the director of music. Of David. For remembrance.
KJV To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.
אֱלֹהִ֥ים לְהַצִּילֵ֑נִי יְ֝הוָ֗ה לְעֶזְרָ֥תִי חֽוּשָׁה׃
God, come to rescue me! LORD, hurry to help me!
KJV Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD.
יֵבֹ֣שׁוּ וְיַחְפְּרוּ֮ מְבַקְשֵׁ֢י נַ֫פְשִׁ֥י יִסֹּ֣גוּ אָ֭חוֹר וְיִכָּלְמ֑וּ חֲ֝פֵצֵ֗י רָעָתִֽי׃
Let those who seek my life be put to shame and humiliated; let those who desire my ruin be driven back and disgraced.
KJV Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.
יָ֭שׁוּבוּ עַל־עֵ֣קֶב בׇּשְׁתָּ֑ם הָ֝אֹמְרִ֗ים הֶ֘אָ֥ח ׀ הֶאָֽח׃
Let those who say "Aha! Aha!" be turned back because of their shame.
KJV Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha.
יָ֘שִׂ֤ישׂוּ וְיִשְׂמְח֨וּ ׀ בְּךָ֗ כׇּל־מְבַקְשֶׁ֑יךָ וְיֹאמְר֥וּ תָ֝מִ֗יד יִגְדַּ֥ל אֱלֹהִ֗ים אֹהֲבֵ֥י יְשׁוּעָתֶֽךָ׃
Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; let those who love your deliverance say always, "God is great!"
KJV Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.
וַאֲנִ֤י ׀ עָנִ֣י וְאֶבְי֗וֹן אֱלֹהִ֥ים חֽוּשָׁ֫ה־לִּ֥י עֶזְרִ֣י וּמְפַלְטִ֣י אַ֑תָּה יְ֝הוָ֗ה אַל־תְּאַחַֽר׃
But I — I am poor and needy. God, hurry to me! You are my help and my deliverer; LORD, do not delay!
KJV But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.
This word pair functions as a theological identity marker in the Psalms — those who are materially or socially vulnerable and who depend entirely on God for rescue. It is a position of weakness that becomes a position of access to God.