Ver. 1. Save me, O God] Thou, who delightest to save such as are forsaken of their hopes. The Fathers generally take this psalm to be prophetic touching the passion of Christ, and his praying then to the Father. David had his troubles which gave occasion to the penning of this psalm, but those were all but as a picture and prelude of Christ’s far greater sorrows, Spiritus autem sanctus manifeste se prodit in hoc psalmo. For the waters are come in unto my soul] Ever after Noah’s flood, that dismal destruction, great and grievous afflictions were set forth by the rushing in of waters, and overwhelming therewith. God’swrath was poured upon Christ as a mighty torrent of waters, and, therefore, this expression applied to him hath a special emphasis; his soul was heavy even to the death. Fluctus fluctum trudebat, One deep called upon another, &c. Oh the soul of sufferings which his soul then suffered!
Ver. 2. I sink in deep mire] Heb. in the mire of depth, or gulf, as Babylon was afterwards called, Isaiah 44:27. Here he stuck, and under water, and so must perish, if he had not present help.
Ver. 3. I am weary of mg crying] As a drowning man, while he can be heard, crieth for help. My throat is dried] Or, parched, raucitate laborant fauces. Mine eyes fail] With much weeping and long looking. This is a piece of the curse, Leviticus 26:16. Christ became a curse for us, Galatians 3:13.
Ver. 4. They that hate me without a cause, &c.] Christ, besides his inward fears and griefs caused by the sense of his Father’s wrath for our sins, was set against and assaulted both by men and devils (in that three hours’ darkness especially) with utmost might and malice. Then I restored that which I took not away.] Quod non rapui reddebam. David was dealt with as a felon or false dealer. Christ also was crucified for saying that he was the Son of God, John 19:7, though he held it no robbery to be equal with God, Philippians 2:6. The martyrs likewise were loaden with many calumnies and false criminations, that they might seem to suffer not as martyrs, but as malefactors.
Ver. 5. O God, thou knowest my foolishness] Secundum dici, non secundum esse; ironica enim est locutio. Thou knowest mine innocence, and how free I am of that folly, and those foul faults, wherewith they falsely charge me.
Ver. 6. Let not them…be ashamed for my sake] Give me not up to passions of dishonour, to opprobrious practices, whereby religion might be reproached, or good people reviled and abused, much less staggered and set at a stand by my sufferings.
Ver. 7. Because for thy sake I have borne reproach] Whatever mine enemies pretend, they strike at thee, Lord, through my sides; and for thy sake alone it is that I am so bespattled, that I am even ashamed to look any one in the face. The most innocent may, upon the fulness of an aspersion, be put out of countenance.
Ver. 8. I am become a stranger unto my brethren] No otherwise than as if I were a mamzer (so the Hebrews call a bastard), that is, a strange blot to the family. Christ came to his own, but they received him not; yea, his own brethren believed not on him, John 7:5 This, when the Turks read in our Gospel, they wonder; and the Jews, therefore, slander his miracles, for not so manifest as we conceive.
Ver. 9. For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up] Non amat qui non zelat. David’s love to God (much less the Lord Christ’s) would not suffer him to bear with God’s dishonour and the contempt of his ordinances. And this was it that procured him so much ill-will, and such a general alienation from nearest friends and allies. And the reproaches of them that reproached thee] Wicked men soon set their mouths against heaven, and fall foul upon God himself. This David (and the Son of David) could not endure, nec aliter amare didicit, as Basil once answered those that blamed him for appearing so far for his friend, to his own great danger (Chrysost. lib. 2, de Sacerdot.).
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] They said I did it in hypocrisy and design. So they dealt by the Baptist, that crucifix of mortification, Luke 7:33.
Ver. 11. I made sackcloth also my garment] A fashion at solemn fasts among the Easterlings; as if they thought the coarsest clothing too good for them; and but for shame would have gone stark naked. I became a proverb to them] Dicterium. They would say, with mocking Michal, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, as one of the vain fellows!” 2 Samuel 6:20.
Ver. 12. They that sit in the gate] Men of authority and dignity, who should have showed more grace and gravity. The saints are sure of enemies of all sorts. David was traduced at public and private meetings, seriis et ludicris, sobriis et ebriis. And I was the song of the drunkards] Heb. of the drinkers of strong drink; the ale stakes made ballads on their ale bench, de macie mea et miseria. These servants tear and toss my name, as curs do carrion.