Commentary on Psalms Volume 3 John Calvin (continued)
Psalm 143
PSALM 143
Although the enemies with whom David had to contend were wicked, and their persecution as unjust as it was cruel, David recognized the just judgment of God in it all, and seeks to conciliate his favor by humbly supplicating pardon. Having complained of the cruelty of his enemies, and declared that amidst all his affliction he still remembered God, he prays for restoration, and the guidance of God's Spirit, that the remainder of his life might be devoted to his fear.
A Psalm of David. 689
Psalm 143:1-3
1. Hear my prayer, O Jehovah! give ear to my supplication, in thy truth answer me, in thy righteousness. 2. And enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. 3. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath prostrated my life on the ground: he hath set me in dark places, as the dead of an age.
1. Hear my prayer, O Jehovah! It is evident that the oppression of his enemies must have been extreme, when David laments his case in such earnest and pathetic terms. The introductory words show that the grief
To the title "A Psalm of David," some copies of the Septuagint and the Vulgate add — "when his son Absalom pursued him," (see 2 Samuel 17:24, 25;) and interpreters in general agree that this is the most probable occasion on which it was penned.