Psalms 70King James Version
1[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.] Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD.
2Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.
3Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha.
4Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.
5But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.
About Psalms 70
Make haste, O God, to deliver me. A short cry echoing Psalm 40.
What happens here?
A brief urgency psalm, nearly identical to the last section of Psalm 40. Five verses of concentrated petition: make haste, let them be ashamed, let those who seek my soul be put to confusion. Let those who love God's salvation say continually, Let God be magnified. I am poor and needy; make haste. The brevity is itself the point: this is the prayer for when there is no time for a longer one.
The big idea?
In extremity, the whole theology of trust and petition compresses to a single urgent request: make haste unto me, O God.
A line to remember
verse: "But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying." The triple urgency at the close is the whole psalm concentrated.
Set the scene
Superscription: 'To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.' The dedication 'to bring to remembrance' appears also on Psalm 38, suggesting a memorial or penitential liturgy. Its shortness relative to Psalm 40 indicates selective extraction for specific use.
Who's in it?
David as the poor and needy petitioner; unnamed enemies who seek his soul; God as help and deliverer; those who love salvation as the counterweight community.
Why it matters
Psalm 70's near-duplication of Psalm 40:13-17 shows how the same material could be excerpted and used as a standalone piece in different liturgical contexts. Its brevity made it portable. It became one of the most used prayer fragments in monastic traditions, particularly as a call to prayer at the Divine Office.
For when you feel...
For the moment of crisis when you cannot construct a longer prayer and you need five verses. This is exactly that.
