Psalm 70

Psalm 70 is the 70th psalm of the Book of Psalms, generally known in English by its first verse, in the King James Version, "Make haste, O God, to deliver me". The Book of Psalms is the third section of the Hebrew Bible,[1] and a book of the Christian Old Testament. In the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible and in the Latin translation, the Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 69 in a slightly different numbering system. In Latin, it is known as "Deus, in adiutorium meum intende".[2] The entire psalm is virtually identical to the closing verses of Psalm 40. The first verse of Psalm 70 became the liturgical opening prayer to every hour of the Liturgy of the Hours.

This article uses the Hebrew (Masoretic) Psalms numbering. Psalm 70 in Septuagint/Vulgate numbering would correspond to Psalm 71 in Hebrew numbering.

Psalm 70
"Make haste, O God, to deliver me"
"Deus in adiutorium meum intende"
in a Mainz Book of Hours, c. 1450
Other name
LanguageHebrew (original)

The psalm is a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant liturgies. It was set to music often, especially in music for vespers which its beginning opens, such as in Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine.

Background and themes

The opening verse in the Hebrew identifies the psalm as one of remembrance (Hebrew: להכיר, "to remember"). This opening term appears in only one other psalm, Psalm 38.[3]

This entire psalm is virtually identical to the closing verses of Psalm 40 (verses 14–18 in the Hebrew, 13–17 in the KJV).[3][4] According to the Malbim, Psalm 40 was composed by David when he was fleeing from Saul. David repeated this psalm now when he was fleeing from Absalom.[3] The Midrash Tehillim notes a slight discrepancy between verse 6 here ("But I am poor and needy, O God, make haste unto me") and verse 18 in Psalm 40 ("But I am poor and needy, may the Lord think of me"). The Midrash teaches that David was telling God, "Think of me in my poverty and in my need, and You will then make haste to deliver me, for You are my help and my deliverer".[5]

Regarding the similarity between Psalms 40 and 70, Matthew Henry notes that it can sometimes be efficacious to recite the prayers one prayed in similar situations, investing them with new emotion.[4]

The opening verse is literally "God, to deliver me, to my help! Hurry!" It is a sped up and abbreviated version of Psalm 40:14. This is consistent with hasten used repeatedly in the opening. In some views, the first verses of Psalm 40 concern the coming anointed and His deliverance, while the later verses concern the desperate in general. It is the later verses of Psalm 40 carried over to Psalm 70[6]

Text

Hebrew Bible version

Following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 70:

Verse Hebrew
1 לַֽ֜מְנַצֵּ֖חַ לְדָוִ֣ד לְהַזְכִּֽיר
2 אֱלֹהִ֥ים לְהַצִּילֵ֑נִי יְ֜הֹוָ֗ה לְעֶזְרָ֥תִי חֽוּשָֽׁה
3 יֵבֹ֣שׁוּ וְיַחְפְּרוּ֘ מְבַקְשֵׁ֪י נַ֫פְשִׁ֥י יִסֹּ֣גוּ אָ֖חוֹר וְיִכָּֽלְמ֑וּ חֲ֜פֵצֵ֗י רָֽעָתִֽי
4 יָשׁוּבוּ עַל־עֵ֣קֶב בָּשְׁתָּ֑ם הָ֜אֹֽמְרִ֗ים הֶ֘אָ֣ח | הֶאָֽח
5 יָ֘שִׂ֚ישׂוּ וְיִשְׂמְח֨וּ | בְּךָ֗ כָּל־מְבַ֫קְשֶׁ֥יךָ וְיֹֽאמְר֣וּ תָ֖מִיד יִגְדַּ֣ל אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֹֽ֜הֲבֵ֗י יְשֽׁוּעָתֶֽךָ
6 וַֽאֲנִ֚י | עָנִ֣י וְאֶבְיוֹן֘ אֱלֹהִ֪ים חֽוּשָׁ֫ה לִּ֥י עֶזְרִ֣י וּמְפַלְּטִ֣י אָ֑תָּה יְ֜הֹוָ֗ה אַל־תְּאַחַֽר

King James Version
  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.

Uses

Judaism

Psalm 70 is traditionally recited in wartime.[7]

Catholic

The first verse of this psalm, "Deus in adjutorium meum intende" (O God, come to my assistance), with the response, "Domine ad adjuvandum me festina" (O Lord, make haste to help me), form the introductory prayer to every Hour of the Roman, monastic, and Ambrosian Breviaries, except during the last three days of Holy Week, and in the Office of the Dead. While they are said, or sung, all present sign themselves with the sign of the cross.[8]

Musical settings

As the standard phrase to open liturgical Hours, the beginning of Psalm 70 was set to music often, especially as part of music for vespers services. Claudio Monteverdi wrote a six-part setting with orchestra to begin his Vespro della Beata Vergine, published in 1610, using a revised version of the opening Toccata of his opera L'Orfeo, scored for two cornettos, three trombones, strings, and continuo. It has been described as a "call to attention" and "a piece whose brilliance is only matched by the audacity of its conception".[9][10]

Baldassare Galuppi composed a four-part setting of the complete psalm in Latin for choir and orchestra.[11]

References
  1. Mazor 2011, p. 589.
  2. "Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 69 (70)". medievalist.net. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  3. Abramowitz, Rabbi Jack (2019). "Remember Psalm 40?". Orthodox Union. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  4. Henry, Matthew (2019). "Psalm 70 Bible Commentary". Christianity.com. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  5. "Midrash Tehillim / Psalms 70" (PDF). matsati.com. October 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2019. (Password: www.matsati.com)
  6. Notes from The Gospel Transformation Bible, Crossway 2013 p. 716
  7. "Protection". Daily Tehillim. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  8. Herbermann 1913.
  9. Whenham, John (1997). Monteverdi: Vespers 1610. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 61–62. ISBN 978-0-521-45377-6.
  10. Free scores by Vespro della Beata Vergine (Claudio Monteverdi) in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
  11. Free scores by Domine ad adjuvandum me (Baldassare Galuppi) in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)

Cited sources
  • Mazor, Lea (2011). Berlin, Adele; Grossman, Maxine (eds.). Book of Psalms. The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-973004-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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