Tyndale Open Study Notes

Verse 1

Ps 13 The psalmist’s piercing cry for help becomes a confident song of hope.

13:1-2 How long? The fourfold repetition expresses agitation and deep anguish (79:5).

Verse 2

13:2 A sense of anguish and sorrow closes off any perspective of hope (6:3). Unless the Lord answers the psalmist’s prayers (22:1), death seems inescapable, torturous, and slow (6:6; 32:3; 55:4; 61:2; 102:5; 116:3). The psalmist hardly knows how to pray; he longs for God’s redemption (25:17-18; 31:10; 38:8; 39:2).

Verse 3

13:3-4 Only the Lord can bring enlightenment and relief. The psalmist longs for the Lord’s vindication so that his foes will not rejoice.

13:3 The psalmist’s affliction feels like death (22:15; 55:4; 88:15; 94:17; 116:3).

Verse 5

13:5-6 The psalmist no longer hears the ridicule of his foes. Instead, because of his trust in the Lord, he is full of joy.