Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 69:10
When I wept, [and chastened] my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
10, 11. When I wept, (and chastened) my soul with fasting,
It was turned to reproaches for me:
When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a byword unto them.
In shame and penitence for the dishonour done by his countrymen to God, he fasted and mourned; but they only mocked and derided him for doing what they ought to have done themselves (Jer 4:8; Jer 6:26).
The construction of the first line is anomalous. Probably the word for ‘wept’ is a corruption of some word for ‘humbled’ (Psa 35:13) or ‘chastened.’ For byword cp. Psa 44:14.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting – The words and chastened are not in the original. The literal translation would be, And I wept (away) my soul with fasting; that is, I gave myself so much to fasting accompanied with weeping, that my strength was exhausted. This refers to his acts of devotion; to his endeavors to discipline his soul so as to lead a strictly religious life.
That was to my reproach – This may either mean that they accused him of hypocrisy and insincerity; or, that they charged him with folly for being so religious, so strict, so self-sacrificing, so serious – perhaps they would say, so superstitious, so gloomy, so fanatical. The latter best accords with the connection, since it was for his religion mainly that they reproached him, Psa 69:7-9.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Wept for their impiety and reproaches which they cast upon God and godliness.
Chastened; which word is here understood out of Psa 35:13; as it is also in 2Ch 10:11,14, out of 1Ki 12:11, where it is expressed.
My soul; either my body, or myself; the soul being oft used both ways. That was to my reproach; they derided me for my piety and devotion, and for my faith in Gods promises, and hopes of assistance from him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. wept (and chastened) mysoulliterally, “wept away my soul,” a stronglyfigurative description of deep grief.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
When I wept,…. Because of the sins of his people imputed to him; the hardness and unbelief of the Jews that rejected him; their impiety and profaneness in polluting the temple with their merchandise: he wept at the grave of Lazarus, and over the city of Jerusalem, on account of the blindness of its inhabitants, and the ruin coming upon them; and in his prayers at different times, especially in the garden and on the cross, which were offered up with strong crying and tears; see Joh 11:35;
[and chastened] my soul with fasting; or “my soul [being] in fasting” y. The Targum renders it, “in the fasting of my soul”; the word “chastened” is supplied from Ps 35:13; and “soul” is put for the body, or for the whole person. Christ fasted forty days and nights in the wilderness; and often, through neglect of himself, and multiplicity of business, in preaching, and in healing diseases, was without food for some time: he seems to have been fasting the day that he suffered, when he made atonement for sin; and so answered the type on the day of atonement, when every man was to afflict his soul with fasting,
Le 16:29; hence the Jews taunting at him gave him gall for his meat, and vinegar for his drink, Ps 69:21; and it follows,
that was to my reproach; if he ate and drank, he was charged with being a glutton and a winebibber; and if he wept and fasted, as John his forerunner did, they reproached him with madness, and having a devil,
Mt 11:18; and, as may be reasonably supposed, after this manner;
“can this poor creature, that weeps, and mourns, and fasts, be thought to be the Son of God, a divine Person, as he makes himself to be, and his followers believe he is?”
and so the blind Jews reason to this day.
y “cum esset in jejunio anima mea”, Musculus, Cocceius, Gejerus, De Dieu.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
10. And I wept, my soul fasted David here proves, by the signs or effects, that his efforts to promote the Divine glory proceeded from a pure and well-regulated zeal, inasmuch as he was not impelled or inflamed by the impetuosity of the flesh, but rather humbly abased himself before God, choosing him to be the witness of his sorrow. By this he shows the more evidently the incorrigible perversity of his enemies. It frequently happens, that those who set themselves boldly for the vindication of the glory of God, provoke and exasperate the wicked to a higher pitch by opposing them contentiously and without moderation. But David’s zeal was so tempered that it ought to have softened even the hardness of steel. By this circumstance he, however, intended to show that he was oppressed with such violence by the frowardness of his enemies, that he dared not even open his mouth to speak a single word in defense of the cause of God, and no other means were left him of defending it but tears and mourning. He was deprived, as we know, of the liberty of giving utterance to the sentiments of his heart, or rather his words, as being those of a condemned person, would have been repelled with cruel reproaches. It was a proof of the greater constancy when in such circumstances he continued to burn with a zeal as unabated as ever, and persevered in the voluntary sorrow which he had engaged to exercise with the view of maintaining the honor and glory of God. He accordingly declares, that he wept and that his soul fasted, and that he was clothed with sackcloth; which were the tokens of mourning among the Jews. But his enemies turned all these things into mockery and jesting; (77) from which it is manifest that they were carried away with the fury of demons. It is of importance for us to be fortified with such an example, that in the present day we may not be discouraged when we meet with the same perversity by which the enemies of the Gospel prove themselves to be rather devils than men. We must, however, beware of pouring oil upon the fire which is already burning too fiercely, and should rather imitate David and Lot, who, although they had not liberty to rebuke the wicked, were yet deeply grieved in their hearts. And even when the wicked are constrained to hear us, mildness and humility will be a powerful means, or rather will be the best seasoning, for tempering holy zeal. Those who conceive of David as intimating that he resigned himself to suffer punishment in the room or stead of his enemies, attempt to confirm their opinion from his having clothed himself in sackcloth. But I take it more simply as meaning, that when he saw things in such a state of confusion, he voluntarily engaged in this sorrowful exercise to testify that nothing was more grievous to him than to witness the sacred name of God exposed to contumely.
(77) “ That was turned to my reproach; i. e. , it was made a subject of reproach to me.” — Cresswell.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(10) When I wept . . .The expression I wept (or lamented) my soul with fasting is hardly intelligible, though perhaps we might say I wept out my soul with fasting. The LXX. and Psa. 35:13 suggest an emendation to I humbled my soul with fasting.
To my reproach.Quite literally and better, a reproach to me. Those who made light of the covenant altogether, who were in heart apostates both to faith and patriotism, would naturally treat with contempt those outward signs by which an erring Israelite owned his offence and sought reconciliation.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
10, 11. When I wept with fasting sackcloth Possibly because of the public depravation of morals, and the alienation from spiritual worship; perhaps for his own sin. Psalms 38, 41, 51.
That was to my reproach They made it the theme of jibes and merriment, as if it were unfitting my station, or insincere and for effect.
I became a proverb That is, a by-word, a theme of satirical discourse, as Deu 28:37; 2Ch 7:20; Psa 44:14; Jer 24:9
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 69:10. When I wept, &c. When I bemoaned my soul with fasting. Psa 69:12. They that sit in the gate] i.e. As it is generally interpreted, the judges or chief persons of the state; for the gates of cities were the places of judicature, as we have had occasion frequently to remark. But St. Hilary interprets this of those who sat to beg at the gates of the city; which seems a more probable interpretation, better to agree with the design of the Psalmist, and to suit with the drunkards mentioned in the next clause.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psa 69:10 When I wept, [and chastened] my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
Ver. 10. When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting ] That I might thereby beat down my body, and tame that rebel flesh of mine.
That was to my reproach
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
I wept, and chastened my soul. The Septuagint reads “I humbled my soul”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 102:8, Psa 102:9, Psa 109:24, Psa 109:25, Luk 7:33, Luk 7:34
Reciprocal: Lev 16:29 – shall afflict Lev 23:32 – afflict 2Sa 12:16 – fasted Neh 1:4 – I sat down Psa 35:13 – when Isa 53:3 – despised Isa 58:3 – afflicted Dan 9:3 – with Dan 10:12 – chasten Mat 2:23 – He shall Mat 6:16 – when
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 69:10-12. When I wept For their impiety, and the reproaches they cast upon God and godliness; and chastened my soul with fasting That is, either my body or myself; that was my reproach They derided me for my piety and devotion, and for my faith in Gods promises and hopes of assistance from him. I made sackcloth also my garment In token of my humiliation and hearty sorrow, as the manner then was in days of fasting. I became a proverb to them They used my name proverbially of any person whom they thought to be vainly and foolishly religious. They that sit in the gate That is, as it is generally interpreted, the judges and magistrates, the gates of cities being the places of judicature. But it seems better to agree with the design of the psalmist, and to suit with the next clause, to suppose that he rather meant vain and idle persons, that spent their time in the gates and markets; or such as begged at the gates of the city, as St. Hilary interprets it. And I was the song of the drunkards Of the scum of the people; of all lewd and debauched persons.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
69:10 When I {k} wept, [and chastened] my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
(k) My zeal moved me to lament and pray for my salvation.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
David had expressed his mourning over the opposition he faced by weeping internally, by going without meals, and by wearing sackcloth. His sorrow was genuine and deep.