Psalms 109:21
in Psalms 109But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for the sake of Your name; deliver me by the goodness of Your loving devotion.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But deal thou with me, O Jehovah the Lord, for thy name’s sake: Because thy lovingkindness is good, deliver thou me;
KJV
But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.
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This verse in Psalms 109
Commentary
9 notes on this verseBut do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name's sake,.... The sense of the petition is, and which is a prayer of Christ as man, that the Lord God would take his part, be on his side, be present with him, work with him, help and assist him, and that for his own honour and glory, for his truth and faithfulness sake, who had promised him help and assistance, Psa 89:
This site's exposition
deal kindly with me
on Psalms 109:21-22
The psalm turns to the speaker himself. He asks God to deal kindly with him for the sake of His name and to deliver him by His loving devotion. He is poor and needy with a wounded heart, the same words verse 16 used of the ones he pursued.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"O deliver me, for I am needy and poor" (ver. 21). Need and poverty is that weakness, through which He was crucified. "And my heart is disturbed within me." This alludeth to those words which He spoke when His Passion was drawing near, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death."
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): " Do thou for me, O God the Lord! appear for me, act for me." If God be for us, he will do for us, will do more abundantly for us than we are able either to ask or think.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Save me, not according to my merit, for I have none to pretend to, but according to thy mercy; let that be the fountain, the reason, the measure, of my salvation." Lastly, He concludes the psalm with joy, the joy of faith, joy in assurance that his present conflicts would end in triumphs. He promises God that he will praise him (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name's sake. How eagerly he turns from his enemies to his God! He sets the great thou in opposition to all his adversaries, and you see at once that his heart is at rest. The words are very indistinct and though our version may not precisely translate them, yet it in a remarkable manner hits upon the sense and upon the obscurity which hangs over it. "Do thou for me"—what shall he do? Why, do whatever he thinks fit.
But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name's sake. How eagerly he turns from his enemies to his God! He sets the great thou in opposition to all his adversaries, and you see at once that his heart is at rest. The words are very indistinct and though our version may not precisely translate them, yet it in a remarkable manner hits upon the sense and upon the obscurity which hangs over it. "Do thou for me"—what shall he do? Why, do whatever he thinks fit. He leaves himself in the Lord's hands, dictating nothing, but quite content so long as his God will but undertake for him. His plea is not his own merit, but the name. The saints have always felt this to be their most mighty plea. God himself has performed his grandest deeds of grace for the honour of his name, and his people know that this is the most potent argument with him. What the Lord himself has guarded with sacred jealousy we should reverence with our whole hearts and rely upon without distrust. "Because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me." Not because I am good, but because thy mercy is good: see how the saints fetch their pleadings in prayer from the Lord himself. God's mercy is the star to which the Lord's people turn their eye when they are tossed with tempest and not comforted, for the peculiar bounty and goodness of that mercy have a charm for weary hearts. When man has no mercy we shall still find it in God. When man would devour we may look to God to deliver. His name and his mercy are two firm grounds for hope, and happy are those who know how to rest upon them.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
But do thou for me - While they use horrible imprecations against me, and load me with their curses, act thou for me, and deliver me from their maledictions. While they curse, do thou bless. This verse is a farther proof of the correctness of the interpretation given above.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name’s sake - That is, Interpose for me; exert thy power in my behalf. The phrase “for thy name’s sake” implies that the motive which prompted him was a desire that God might be honored. It was not primarily or mainly for his own happiness; it was that God might be glorified, that his character might be illustrated, that his plans might be accomplished. Compare the notes at Dan 9:18-19. Because thy mercy is good - That is, It is the characteristic of mercy to do good; to show kindness. Deliver thou me - He prays that God would “manifest” himself as he really was, as a God of mercy.
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאַתָּ֤ה׀ | veatah | and you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| יְה֘וִ֤ה | yahweh | O Yahweh | H3069 → | 306 times |
| אֲדֹנָ֗י | ʾadonai | O Lord | H136 → | 440 times |
| עֲֽשֵׂה־ | ʾaseh- | deal | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| אִ֭תִּי | ʾiti | with me | H854 → | 929 times |
| לְמַ֣עַן | lemaan | for [the] sake of | H4616 → | 272 times |
| שְׁמֶ֑ךָ | shemekha | name your | H8034 → | 864 times |
| כִּי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| ט֥וֹב | tov | [is] good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| חַ֝סְדְּךָ֗ | chasdekha | covenant loyalty your | H2617 → | 247 times |
| הַצִּילֵֽנִי׃ | hatzileni | deliver me | H5337 → | 212 times |
וְאַתָּ֤ה׀and you
veatahH859 →1094 times
יְה֘וִ֤הO Yahweh
yahwehH3069 →306 times
אֲדֹנָ֗יO Lord
ʾadonaiH136 →440 times
עֲֽשֵׂה־deal
ʾaseh-H6213 →2628 times
אִ֭תִּיwith me
ʾitiH854 →929 times
לְמַ֣עַןfor [the] sake of
lemaanH4616 →272 times
שְׁמֶ֑ךָname your
shemekhaH8034 →864 times
כִּי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
ט֥וֹב[is] good
tovH2896 →538 times
חַ֝סְדְּךָ֗covenant loyalty your
chasdekhaH2617 →247 times
הַצִּילֵֽנִי׃deliver me
hatzileniH5337 →212 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
Psalms 63:3Because Your loving devotion is better than life, my lips will glorify You.
it leads to
- Psalms 69:16
Answer me, O LORD, for Your loving devotion is good; turn to me in keeping with Your great compassion.
- Philippians 1:23
I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed.
- Psalms 51:15
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.
- Psalms 30:5
For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.
- Hebrews 13:15
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name.
- Psalms 69:16
Through
Psalms 69:16Answer me, O LORD, for Your loving devotion is good; turn to me in keeping with Your great compassion.
it leads to
- Psalms 25:16
Turn to me and be gracious, for I am lonely and afflicted.
- Psalms 25:16
Through
Psalms 31:3For You are my rock and my fortress; lead me and guide me for the sake of Your name.
it leads to
- Psalms 143:10–11
Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
- Luke 1:79
to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
- Psalms 143:10–11
Where this verse is studied
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About Psalms
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, On the Psalms, Psalm 109; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 5; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.