Psalm 142
מַשְׂכִּ֥יל לְדָוִ֑ד בִּהְיוֹת֖וֹ בַמְּעָרָ֣ה תְפִלָּֽה
BSB
I Lift My Voice to the LORD
(1 Samuel 22:1–5; Psalms 57:1–11)
A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer.
1I cry aloud to the LORD;
I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy.
2I pour out my complaint before Him;
I reveal my trouble to Him.
3Although my spirit grows faint within me,
You know my way.
Along the path I travel
they have hidden a snare for me.
4Look to my right and see;
no one attends to me.
There is no refuge for me;
no one cares for my soul.
5I cry to You, O LORD: “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”
6Listen to my cry,
for I am brought quite low.
Rescue me from my pursuers,
for they are too strong for me.
7Free my soul from prison,
that I may praise Your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because of Your goodness to me.
Introduction
Psalms 142
This psalm is a prayer, the substance of which David offered up to God when he was forced by Saul to take shelter in a cave, and which he afterwards penned in this form. Here is, I. The complaint he makes to God (Psa 142:1, Psa 142:2) of the subtlety, strength, and malice, of his enemies (Psa 142:3, Psa 142:6), and the coldness and indifference of his friends (Psa 142:4). II. The comfort he takes in God that he knew his case (Psa 142:3) and was his refuge (Psa 142:5). III. His expectation from God that he would hear and deliver him (Psa 142:6, Psa 142:7). IV His expectation from the righteous that they would join with him in praises (Psa 142:7). Those that are troubled in mind, body, or estate, may, in singing this psalm (if they sing it in some measure with David's spirit), both warrant his complaints and fetch in his comforts.
Maschil of David. A prayer when he was in the cave.
Cross-references: Ps 142:1 · Ps 142:2 · Ps 142:3 · Ps 142:6 · Ps 142:4 · Ps 142:5 · Ps 142:7