Psalms 69:1
in Psalms 69Save me, O God, for the waters are up to my neck.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Save me, O God; For the waters are come in unto my soul.
KJV
Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.
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This verse in Psalms 69
Commentary
3 notes on this verseSave me, O God,.... The petitioner is Christ; not as a divine Person, as such he is blessed for ever, and stands in no need of help and assistance; but as man, and in distressed and suffering circumstances. As a priest, it was part of his work to intercede, as well as to offer sacrifice; and though he did not offer a sin offering for himself, yet he offered up supplications, with strong cryings and tears; and, as the surety of his people, he prayed, in point of right and justice, both for himself and them; see Joh 17:
This site's exposition
Save me, O God
on Psalms 69:1-3
The psalm opens in the water and stays there. The waters are at the neck, the depths are miry with no footing, and the flood engulfs him. Verse 3 adds the body's failure: the throat parched, the eyes failing while he looks for God.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Save me, O God. "He saved others, himself he cannot save." With strong cries and tears he offered up prayers and supplications unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared (Heb 5:7). Thus David had prayed, and here his Son and Lord utters the same cry. This is the second Psalm which begins with a "Save me, O God, "and the former (Psalm 54) is but a short summary of this more lengthened complaint.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
on shoshannim Concerning Israel, who are like a rose (שושנה) among the thorns, pricked by the thorns, and he prayed for them.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הוֹשִׁיעֵ֥נִי | hoshieni | save me | H3467 → | 206 times |
| אֱלֹהִ֑ים | ʾelohim | O God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| בָ֖אוּ | vau | they have come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| מַ֣יִם | mayim | waters | H4325 → | 581 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | to | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| נָֽפֶשׁ׃ | nafesh | [the] neck | H5315 → | 754 times |
הוֹשִׁיעֵ֥נִיsave me
hoshieniH3467 →206 times
אֱלֹהִ֑יםO God
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
בָ֖אוּthey have come
vauH935 →2568 times
מַ֣יִםwaters
mayimH4325 →581 times
עַד־to
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
נָֽפֶשׁ׃[the] neck
nafeshH5315 →754 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 43:2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched;…
it leads to
- Isaiah 41:10
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand…
- Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
- Psalms 66:12
You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us into abundance.
- Psalms 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
- Daniel 3:25–27
“Look!” he exclaimed. “I see four men, unbound and unharmed, walking around in the fire—and the fourth looks like a son of the gods!”
- Isaiah 41:10
Through
Psalms 69:2I have sunk into the miry depths, where there is no footing; I have drifted into deep waters, where the flood engulfs me.
it leads to
- Psalms 40:2
He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm.
- Matthew 7:25
The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.
- Psalms 40:2
Through
Revelation 17:15Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
it leads to
- Revelation 17:1
Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.
- Revelation 17:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Psalms
This page draws on Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 3; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).