Version: King James Version (public domain)
Psalm 70
Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O Lord.
Psalm 70 is an urgent cry for help in just five verses: “Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O Lord.” It ends with the same plea: “make no tarrying”.
Bible text
1 Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O Lord.
2 Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.
3 Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha.
4 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.
5 But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O Lord, make no tarrying.
Original text
v. 2 (Hebrew): Elohim lehatsileni, Adonai le’ezrati chushah.
Plain-language version
v. 1 God, come quickly and save me. Lord, hurry to help me.
vv. 2–3 Let those who want to destroy me and those who mock me be put to shame.
v. 4 Let everyone who seeks you be glad and always say: God is great!
v. 5 I am poor and I need you. You are the one who helps and frees me. Lord, do not delay.
Historical context
Heading. The Hebrew reads “to the chief Musician, of David, to bring to remembrance” (lehazkir). The same term appears only in the heading of Psalm 38. In Hebrew numbering the heading counts as verse 1, so the psalm has six verses.
A repeated psalm. The text is almost identical to the end of Psalm 40 (40:13–17). One difference: where Psalm 40 uses the name YHWH (“Lord”), Psalm 70 sometimes uses Elohim (“God”).
The Elohistic Psalter. Psalms 42 to 83 prefer the name Elohim, and many scholars attribute the change of names to that collection.
Explanation
Haste
The psalm opens and closes with urgency: “make haste” twice in verse 1, “make haste unto me” and “make no tarrying” in verse 5. There is no introduction and no explanation: it is the prayer of someone with no time.
Two groups
Verses 2 to 4 contrast those “that seek after my soul” with “all those that seek thee”. The psalmist asks that the first be ashamed and the second rejoice and say, “Let God be magnified.”
Poor and needy
“But I am poor and needy” (v. 5). The psalmist offers no merits; the reason for the plea is his own weakness. Then comes the confession of faith: “thou art my help and my deliverer”.
How each tradition reads it
Catholic
In the Vulgate numbering it is Psalm 69. Its first verse in Latin, Deus, in adiutorium meum intende; Domine, ad adiuvandum me festina, opens every hour of the Liturgy of the Hours. In the fifth century John Cassian recommended repeating this verse as a continual prayer (Conferences X, 10).
Protestant
For many Protestants it is a model of a short prayer for emergencies: honest, direct and full of trust. Verse 5 is read as an admission that help comes from God, not from one’s own resources.
Jewish
Rashi (commentary on Psalm 38:1) understands lehazkir, “to bring to remembrance”, as a prayer that brings Israel’s distress to remembrance before God. The psalm belongs to the block of Psalms 42–83, where the name Elohim predominates.
Academic
Scholars debate the relationship with Psalm 40: Psalm 70 may be a section detached from it for separate use, or a standalone prayer that was also built into Psalm 40. Some link the heading lehazkir to the azkarah, the “memorial portion” of offerings (Leviticus 2:2).
Each reading is attributed to the tradition that holds it. VersePath does not take sides.
Reflect
Not every prayer has to be long. Sometimes the most honest one fits in a sentence: “make haste to help me”. What would your one-line prayer be today?
Did you know?
- It is one of the shortest psalms: five verses in translations, six in Hebrew.
- It is practically a copy of Psalm 40:13–17, one of the Bible’s “duplicate psalms”, like Psalms 14 and 53.
- Its first verse in Latin is prayed at every hour of the Divine Office.
Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of Psalm 70?
It is an urgent plea for help from someone who knows he is weak and trusts that only God can deliver him, without delay.
Who wrote Psalm 70?
The heading attributes it to David. The same text appears at the end of Psalm 40, also attributed to him.
When should I pray Psalm 70?
In tight, urgent moments when there are no words for a long prayer. In Catholic tradition its first verse opens the Liturgy of the Hours.
What is the difference between Psalm 70 and Psalm 40?
Psalm 70 repeats Psalm 40:13–17 almost word for word, with small changes, such as “God” where Psalm 40 says “Lord”.