Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 142:5
I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou [art] my refuge [and] my portion in the land of the living.
5. I cried I said ] I have cried I have said. The perfect tense describes what he has done in the past and is still doing. For the form of expression I have said cp. Psa 140:6; for my refuge (a different word from that in Psa 142:4) see Psa 91:2; Jer 17:17; &c.; for my portion see Psa 16:5; Psa 73:26; Psa 119:57; Lam 3:24; for in the land of the living cp. Psa 27:13; Psa 116:9. He trusts that he “will not die but live and declare the works of the Lord.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
5 7. Reminding God of his devotion in past times, he prays for a speedy answer to his prayer.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
I cried unto thee, O Lord – When there was no help; when I saw myself encompassed with dangers; when I looked on every hand and there was no man that would undertake for me.
I said, Thou art my refuge –
(a) My only refuge. I can go nowhere else.
(b) Thou art in fact my refuge. I can and do put my trust in thee. See the notes at Psa 46:1.
And my portion – See the notes at Psa 16:5.
In the land of the living – Among all those that live – all living beings. There is no one else among the living to whom I can come but to thee, the living God. My hope is not in human beings, for they are against me; not in angels, for they have not the power to rescue me. It is God only, the living God, whom I make my confidence and the ground of my hope.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 142:5
Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.
God in Christ, the believers refuge and portion
I. Concerning the refuge.
1. God in Christ is the refuge itself (Isa 4:6; Zec 3:8; Zec 6:12; Joh 1:14; Isa 32:2; Deu 33:27).
2. This refuge is by a legal destination a refuge for lost mankind (2Co 5:19; Joh 3:14-16; Tit 3:4).
(1) For the oppressed (Psa 9:9; Psa 72:4; Rom 16:20).
(2) For outcasts (Psa 142:4-5).
(3) For debtors (Isa 25:4).
(4) For criminals liable to death by the law (Heb 6:18).
3. The gate of this refuge through which sinners enter is the vail of the flesh of Christ, rent, torn, and opened to let in the guilty creature unto Jehovah as a refuge (Heb 10:19-20).
4. The covert in this refuge is the righteousness of Christ (Jer 23:6; Php 3:9).
(1) The satisfaction of Christs death and sufferings (1Jn 2:2).
(2) The righteousness of Christs life and conversation, who obeyed the commands of the law as a public person, as well as He suffered the penalty of it in that capacity (Rom 5:19).
(3) The holiness of His birth and nature (Heb 7:26).
5. The several apartments in this refuge for the various cases of the refugees are all the attributes and perfections of God the Lord Jehovah (Pro 18:10).
6. The boundaries of this refuge are the everlasting covenant (Psa 46:7).
7. The sinners entering into the refuge is by faith.
II. Concerning the portion.
1. The same God in Christ, who is the refuge for poor sinners, is also the portion for them to live by.
2. God in Christ is what one may live on (Psa 16:5-6). In Him man has a dwelling-place (Psa 90:1); raiment (Rev 3:18); meat and drink (Joh 6:55); and all in a word (Php 4:18; 2Co 6:10). And hereto belongs the sanctification of the soul in the beginning, progress, and consummation of it, as that which is for the perfecting of the soul (1Co 1:30). (T. Boston, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 5. Thou art my refuge] Even in these most disastrous circumstances, I will put my trust in thee.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Thou only art both my refuge to defend me from all evil, and
my portion to supply me with all the good which I need and desire.
In the land of the living; even in this life, wherein I doubt not to see Gods goodness, as he said, Psa 27:13.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. (Compare Psa 31:14;Psa 62:7).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I cried unto thee, O Lord,…. Finding no help from man, he turns to the Lord, and directs his prayer to him in his distress;
I said, thou [art] my refuge; as he was, from all his enemies that were in pursuit of him, and from the storm of calamities he apprehended was coming upon him: and a refuge the Lord is to all his people in time of trouble; and where they always meet with sustenance, protection, and safety; he being a strong habitation, a strong hold, a strong refuge, to which they may resort at all times; and such is Christ to all sensible sinners that flee unto him, Heb 6:18;
[and] my portion in the land of the living; and a most excellent one he is, a large, immense, and inconceivable portion; he and all his perfections, purposes, promises, and blessings, being included in it; a soul-satisfying one, and which will never be taken away nor consumed; it is a portion in the present life; it will last as long as life lasts, and continues unto death, and at death, and for evermore,
Ps 73:26.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
5. I cried unto thee, O Jehovah ! With a view to hasten God’s interposition, David complains of the low estate he was reduced to, and of his extremity; the term cry denoting vehemence, as I have elsewhere noticed. He speaks of deliverance as being plainly needed, since he was now held a prisoner. By prison some suppose he alludes to the cave where he was lodged, but this is too restricted a meaning. The subsequent clause, the righteous shall compass me, is translated differently by some, they shall wait me. I have retained the true and natural sense. I grant that it is taken figuratively for surrounding, intimating that he would be a spectacle to all, the eyes of men being attracted by such a singular case of deliverance. If any consider the words not to be figurative, the sense will be, That the righteous would not only congratulate him, but place a crown upon his head in token of victory. Some explain the passage, They will assemble to congratulate me, and will stand round me on every side like a crown. As the words literally read, they will crown upon me, some supply another pronoun, and give this sense, that the righteous would construe the mercy bestowed upon David as a glory conferred upon themselves; for when God delivers any of his children he holds out the prospect of deliverance to the rest, and, as it were, gifts them with a crown. The sense which I have adopted is the simplest, however, That the mercy vouchsafed would be shown conspicuously to all as in a theater, proving a signal example to the righteous for establishment of their faith. The verb גמל, gamal, in the Hebrew, is of a more general signification than to repay, and means to confer a benefit, as I have shown elsewhere.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) With this verse comp. Psa. 31:3; Psa. 22:8; Psa. 16:5, &c.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. I cried unto thee Jehovah is now his only, but his sufficient refuge. The great straits of his condition cause his faith to settle more intensely in God, and his deliverance to appear more signally divine.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 142:5-7. I cried unto thee, O Lord, &c. He applies himself to God to rescue him out of this prison, the cave wherein he was concealed. I have said, &c. “I have solemnly devoted myself to thee, as my God and only refuge; hearken therefore, &c.” A way of speaking very common in the psalms. Mudge.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psa 142:5 I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou [art] my refuge [and] my portion in the land of the living.
Ver. 5. I cried unto thee, O Lord ] I ran to thee, as my last refuge, in the fail of all outward comforts. Zep 3:12 , they are an “afflicted poor people”; and being so, “they trust in the name of the Lord.”
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 142:5-7
5I cried out to You, O Lord;
I said, You are my refuge,
My portion in the land of the living.
6Give heed to my cry,
For I am brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are too strong for me.
7Bring my soul out of prison,
So that I may give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will surround me,
For You will deal bountifully with me.
Psa 142:5 This is the psalmist’s affirmation of faith.
1. You are my refuge
2. You are my portion in the land of the living (i.e., note, not the afterlife, cf. Job 28:13; Psa 27:13; Psa 52:5; Psa 116:9; Isa 38:11; Jer 11:19)
refuge See Special Topic: Refuge (OT).
my portion See note at Psa 16:5 online.
Psa 142:6-7 There is a series of prayer requests (Hiphil imperatives).
1. give heed – BDB 904, KB 1151, Hiphil imperative
2. deliver me – BDB 664, KB 717, Hiphil imperative
3. bring out – BDB 422, KB 425, Hiphil imperative
Psa 142:7 out of prison This must be
1. metaphorical for his confusion and low state (cf. Psa 142:3-4; Psa 142:6-7)
2. a reference to one taken forcibly into exile
3. an idiom for Sheol
The term prison (BDB 689) can mean
1. locksmith or smith – 2Ki 24:14; Jer 24:1; Jer 29:2
2. dungeon (only three times in the OT)
a. literal of eschatological underground prison (cf. I Enoch 10.4,12)
b. figurative – Isa 42:7
So that I may give thanks to Your name This would be a request to visit the temple in Jerusalem. This is reinforced by the next line, the righteous will surround me (i.e., in corporate worship).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk n the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.
1. The psalmist asserts YHWH’s knowledge of him (cf. Psa 142:3 b, c), but questions his circumstances! Sound familiar? Does knowledge of God’s presence and care remove problems, sickness, and evil people from our lives?
2. Is Psa 142:4 about being abandoned by friends and family or by God?
3. To what does prison of Psa 142:7 refer?
4. Is Psa 142:7 referring to temple worship?
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
the land of the living. See note on Eze 26:20.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Thou art: Psa 46:1, Psa 46:7, Psa 46:11, Psa 62:6, Psa 62:7, Psa 91:2, Psa 91:9, Psa 91:10, Joh 16:32, 2Ti 4:17
my portion: Psa 16:5, Psa 73:26, Psa 119:57, Lam 3:24
in the land: Psa 27:13, Psa 56:13
Reciprocal: Gen 15:1 – and thy Num 18:20 – I am thy part Num 35:6 – six cities for refuge Psa 35:23 – my God Psa 61:4 – trust Psa 71:7 – thou art Psa 94:17 – Unless Psa 140:6 – I said unto Psa 143:9 – flee unto thee Jer 10:16 – portion Jer 11:19 – from Eze 32:23 – the land Mic 7:7 – I will look Luk 8:24 – Master Luk 10:42 – good Luk 18:1 – that 1Pe 5:7 – for
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 142:5. I cried, rather I cry, unto thee, O Lord Thou knowest me and carest for me, when no one else will, and wilt not fail me nor forsake me when men do. Thou art my refuge and my portion Thou only art both my refuge to defend me from all evil, and my portion to supply me with all the good which I need and desire; in the land of the living Even in this life, wherein I doubt not to see thy goodness, and more especially in the life to come. There is enough in God to answer all the necessities of this present time; we live in a world of dangers and wants, but what danger need we fear, if God is our refuge; and what wants, if he be our portion? Heaven, which alone deserves to be called the land of the living, will be to all believers both a refuge and a portion.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
142:5 I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou [art] my {b} refuge [and] my portion in the land of the living.
(b) Though all means failed him, yet he knew that God would never forsake him.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
3. David’s confident hope in God 142:5-7
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
When David had prayed to the Lord, he had expressed confidence that the Lord would defend him. God was his portion or allotment-all that he had.