Psalm 25
25
Teach Me Your Paths
# 25:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet Of David.
1To you, O Lord, I #Ps. 86:4; 143:8; Lam. 3:41; [Ps. 24:4]lift up my soul.
2O my God, in you I #See Ps. 11:1 trust;
# ver. 20; Ps. 31:1, 17; 71:1 let me not be put to shame;
# [Ps. 13:4] let not my enemies exult over me.
3Indeed, #Isa. 49:23; [Rom. 5:5; Phil. 1:20] none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
they shall be ashamed who are #[Ps. 59:3, 4] wantonly #[Jer. 3:20]treacherous.
4 #
Ps. 27:11; 86:11; 143:8, 10; Ex. 33:13; [Ps. 5:8; 119:35] Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
5Lead me in your #Ps. 26:3; 86:11truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.
6Remember your #Ps. 51:1; [Ps. 103:17; Isa. 63:15] mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,
# [Gen. 8:1; 9:15; 19:29] for they have been from of old.
7Remember not #Job 13:26; 20:11; Jer. 3:25 the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your #Ps. 51:1steadfast love remember me,
for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!
8 #
Ps. 100:5 Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he #Ps. 32:8instructs sinners in the way.
9He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10All the paths of the Lord are #[John 1:17]steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11For your #See Ps. 23:3 name’s sake, O Lord,
pardon my guilt, for it is #[Rom. 5:20]great.
12Who is the man who fears the Lord?
Him #[See ver. 8 above]will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
13His soul shall #[Prov. 1:33; 19:23] abide in well-being,
and his #Ps. 112:2 offspring #See Ps. 37:9shall inherit the land.
14 # [Amos 3:7; See Job 29:4] The friendship#25:14 Or The secret counsel of the Lord is for those who fear him,
and he makes known to them his covenant.
15My #Ps. 123:1, 2; 141:8; [2 Chr. 20:12] eyes are ever toward the Lord,
for he will #Ps. 31:4pluck my feet out of the net.
16 #
Ps. 69:16; 86:16; 119:132 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
bring me out of my distresses.
18 # [Job 10:15] Consider my affliction and my trouble,
and forgive all my sins.
19Consider how many are my foes,
and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!
# See ver. 2 Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
for I wait for you.
22 #
Ps. 34:22; 71:23; 130:8; Lam. 3:58; [2 Sam. 4:9] Redeem Israel, O God,
out of all his troubles.
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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Psalms 25
25
Psalm 25#sn Psalm 25. The psalmist asks for divine protection, guidance and forgiveness as he affirms his loyalty to and trust in the Lord. This psalm is an acrostic; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, except for v. 18, which, like v. 19, begins with ר (resh) instead of the expected ק (qof). The final verse, which begins with פ (pe), stands outside the acrostic scheme.
By David.
1 O Lord, I come before you in prayer.#tn Heb “to you, O Lord, my life I lift up.” To “lift up” one’s “life” to the Lord means to express one’s trust in him through prayer. See Pss 86:4; 143:8.
2 My God, I trust in you.
Please do not let me be humiliated;
do not let my enemies triumphantly rejoice over me!
3 Certainly none who rely on you will be humiliated.
Those who deal in treachery will be thwarted#tn Heb “those who deal in treachery in vain.” The adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “in vain”) probably refers to the failure (or futility) of their efforts. Another option is to understand it as meaning “without cause” (cf. NIV “without excuse”; NRSV “wantonly treacherous”). and humiliated.
4 Make me understand your ways, O Lord!
Teach me your paths!#sn Teach me your paths. In this context the Lord’s “ways” and “paths” refer to the moral principles which the Lord prescribes for his followers. See vv. 8-10.
5 Guide me into your truth#sn The Lord’s commandments are referred to as truth here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will. and teach me.
For you are the God who delivers me;
on you I rely all day long.
6 Remember#tn That is, “remember” with the intention of repeating. your compassionate and faithful deeds, O Lord,
for you have always acted in this manner.#tn Heb “for from antiquity [are] they.”
7 Do not hold against me#tn Heb “do not remember,” with the intention of punishing. the sins of my youth#sn That is, the sins characteristic of youths, who lack moral discretion and wisdom. or my rebellious acts!
Because you are faithful to me, extend to me your favor, O Lord!#tn Heb “according to your faithfulness, remember me, you, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.”
8 The Lord is both kind and fair;#tn Heb “good and just.”
that is why he teaches sinners the right way to live.#tn Heb “teaches sinners in the way.”
9 May he show#tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive; the psalmist expresses his prayer. the humble what is right!#tn Heb “may he guide the humble into justice.” The Hebrew term עֲנָוִים (’anavim, “humble”) usually refers to the oppressed, but in this context, where the psalmist confesses his sin and asks for moral guidance, it apparently refers to sinners who humble themselves before God and seek deliverance from their sinful condition.
May he teach#tn The prefixed verbal form is interpreted as a jussive (it stands parallel to the jussive form, “may he guide”). the humble his way!
10 The Lord always proves faithful and reliable#tn Heb “all the paths of the Lord are faithful and trustworthy.” The Lord’s “paths” refer here to his characteristic actions.
to those who follow the demands of his covenant.#tn Heb “to the ones who keep his covenant and his testimonies.”
11 For the sake of your reputation,#tn Heb “name.” By forgiving the sinful psalmist, the Lord’s reputation as a merciful God will be enhanced. O Lord,
forgive my sin, because it is great.#sn Forgive my sin, because it is great. The psalmist readily admits his desperate need for forgiveness.
12 The Lord shows his faithful followers
the way they should live.#tn Heb “Who is this man, the one who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.” The singular (note “man”) is representative here (see v. 14, where the plural is used), and has thus been translated as a plural (“followers…they”).
13 They experience his favor;#tn Heb “his life in goodness dwells.” The singular is representative (see v. 14).
their descendants#tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.” inherit the land.#tn Or “earth.”
14 The Lord’s loyal followers receive his guidance,#tn Heb “the advice of the Lord belongs to those who fear him.”
and he reveals his covenantal demands to them.#tn Heb “and his covenant, to make them know.”
15 I continually look to the Lord for help,#tn Heb “my eyes continually [are] toward the Lord.”
for he will free my feet from the enemy’s net.#tn Heb “for he will bring out from a net my feet.” The hostility of the psalmist’s enemies is probably in view (see v. 19).
16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me,
for I am alone#tn That is, helpless and vulnerable. and oppressed!
17 Deliver me from my distress;#tc Heb “the distresses of my heart, they make wide.” The text makes little if any sense as it stands, unless this is an otherwise unattested intransitive use of the Hiphil of רָחַב (rakhav, “be wide”). It is preferable to emend the form הִרְחִיבוּ (hirkhivu; Hiphil perfect third plural “they make wide”) to הַרְחֵיב (harkhev; Hiphil imperative masculine singular “make wide”). (The final vav [ו] can be joined to the following word and taken as a conjunction.) In this case one can translate, “[in/from] the distresses of my heart, make wide [a place for me],” that is, “deliver me from the distress I am experiencing.” For the expression “make wide [a place for me],” see Ps 4:1.
rescue me from my suffering!#tn Heb “from my distresses lead me out.”
18 See my pain and suffering!
Forgive all my sins!#tn Heb “lift up all my sins.”
19 Watch my enemies, for they outnumber me;
they hate me and want to harm me.#tn Heb “see my enemies for they are numerous, and [with] violent hatred they hate me.”
20 Protect me#tn Or “my life.” and deliver me!
Please do not let me be humiliated,
for I have taken shelter in you!
21 May integrity and godliness protect me,
for I rely on you!
22 O God, rescue#tn Or “redeem.” Israel
from all their distress!#tn Heb “his distresses.”sn O God, rescue Israel from all their distress. It is possible that the psalmist speaks on behalf of the nation throughout this entire psalm. Another option is that v. 22 is a later addition to the psalm which applies an original individual lament to the covenant community. If so, it may reflect an exilic setting.
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