Psalms 70:1 Commentary: Why David Cries 'Hurry, God'

The title of Psalm 70 contains several clues about its setting and use. 'For the Chief Musician' places it within the liturgical repertoire of the Jerusalem temple, likely sung by the levitical choir. 'By David' attributes it to Israel’s most famous psalmist, though the precise historical occasion is not specified. The words 'A reminder' (or 'to bring to remembrance') also appear in the title of Psalm 38, suggesting a particular category of psalms meant to prompt recollection, whether of God’s past deeds, of one’s own sins, or of the need for deliverance. Adam Clarke suggests it serves as 'a memorial that David had been in sore affliction, and that God had delivered him.'

Literarily, this psalm closely mirrors the final five verses of Psalm 40 (verses 13-17). Barnes notes that the similarity is akin to that between Psalm 14 and Psalm 53, not an exact copy, but an adaptation 'apparently introduced to fit it for some new occasion.' The changes are subtle: in Psalm 70 the divine name 'God' (Elohim) appears where Psalm 40 has 'Lord' (Yahweh), and some fuller forms are shortened (e.g., 'help' rather than 'my help' in Psalm 40:17). Keil and Delitzsch suggest the psalm may be 'a fragment that only accidentally came to have an independent existence,' though its placement in Book II of the Psalter (after Psalm 69) may be thematic, the petitioner’s cry of being 'poor and needy' echoes Psalm 69:29. The cross-references to II Samuel 17 (where Ahithophel counsels Absalom to pursue David quickly, and David is warned to flee) offer a plausible backdrop: a king in mortal danger, praying for God’s swift rescue. The urgency of the language, 'hurry,' 'quickly,' 'make no tarrying', reflects the life-and-death stakes of such a flight, though the psalm’s ongoing liturgical use invites every generation to bring their own desperate needs before God.

The Hebrew text of Psalm 70:1 lacks a finite verb in the first clause; the imperative 'Make haste' is supplied from the context, paralleling the second line. Some scholars (Cambridge Bible) suggest that the original reading may have been 'Be pleased' (as in Psalm 40:13), which would connect the request to God’s favorable timing. The divine names also shift between the two psalms: Psalm 70 uses 'God' (Elohim) in the first line and 'Yahweh' in the second, while Psalm 40 uses 'Yahweh' throughout. These small variations point to intentional adaptation for liturgical reuse. The consulted sources note no other significant textual variants.

Early Jewish tradition (reflected in the Septuagint and Targum) read Psalm 70 as a prayer for the time of the Messiah’s coming. In Christian history, commentators often connected the psalm to Christ’s passion: Spurgeon famously paraphrased the opening lines as Christ’s cry from the cross, noting that 'poor and needy' fits the Suffering Servant. Matthew Henry used the psalm devotionally to teach that God welcomes repeated prayers and that remembering past mercies strengthens present faith. Liturgically, the psalm has been sung as a penitential and petitionary hymn across Protestant and Catholic traditions, its brevity making it suitable for moments of communal crisis. Its placement in the Psalter after Psalm 69 (a lament over persecution) reinforces its role as a cry for vindication.

Three-point outline

1. Desperate brevity: The verse strips prayer to its essentials, a cry for God to hurry. No long introduction, no theological justification, just raw need.
2. The posture of poverty: The speaker calls himself 'poor and needy' (v. 5). This is not false humility but honest acknowledgment of powerlessness before God.
3. Remembrance as hope: The title 'to bring to remembrance' turns the psalm into a tool for recalling God’s past faithfulness, anchoring present desperation in past deliverance.

Five-point outline

1. The art of urgency: When crisis hits, prayer becomes immediate, repetitive, and specific, 'hurry,' 'quickly.'
2. God as deliverer and helper: Two verbs ('deliver' and 'help') frame the request, showing that complete rescue and daily support are both needed.
3. The enemy's taunt: Verse 3 mentions enemies who say 'Aha! Aha!', the mockery that deepens the sufferer’s pain.
4. The community of seekers: Verse 4 shifts from the psalmist’s need to the broader hope that 'all those who seek you' will rejoice, preventing the prayer from becoming self-centered.
5. Confident dependence: Despite the panic, the final line (v. 5) calls God 'my help and my deliverer', a statement of trust before the rescue arrives.

Illustration hooks

• Phoning 911 when someone is choking: every second counts, and the caller repeats the address over and over. Urgent prayer sounds like that.
• A parent watching their toddler dart toward a busy street; the shout 'Stop!' is not a suggestion but a life-saving command. The psalmist shouts for God’s intervention with the same intensity.
• The feeling of waiting for test results from a doctor. Minutes stretch into hours. Psalm 70 gives voice to that unbearable waiting and asks God to cut the time short.

Questions your congregation is asking

• If God already knows my need, why do I have to beg him to hurry?
• Does repeating the same prayer over and over show a lack of faith or a desperate faith?
• How can I remember God’s past help when I feel forgotten by him in the present?

Psalm 70 is one of the shortest and most intense prayers in the Bible. It does not explain, argue, or teach, it simply cries out for help. The psalm also carries a title that invites us to remember: Is this prayer a way of reminding God? Or is it a way of reminding ourselves that he has saved us before? As you work through these questions, pay attention to the urgency in the language and the quiet confidence that runs underneath it.

Discussion questions

1. What words or phrases in verse 1 jump out at you as especially urgent? Why do you think the psalmist chooses to repeat the same plea in different words?
2. Read Psalm 40:13-17 alongside Psalm 70. What differences do you notice? What might those changes tell us about how the psalm was adapted for a new situation?
3. The title calls this 'a reminder.' In your own life, what is the value of writing down or speaking out loud the ways God has helped you in the past?
4. Verse 5 says 'I am poor and needy.' How does naming our need honestly change the way we approach God in prayer?
5. Why do you think verse 4 turns from the psalmist’s personal crisis to the joy of 'all those who seek you'? How does that shift affect the tone of the prayer?
6. When have you felt an urgent need for God to act quickly? Did that urgency push you closer to him or create doubt? How does this psalm speak to that experience?
7. This psalm has been used in Christian worship for centuries. How might singing or reciting it together shape a congregation’s trust in God during difficult times?