PSALMS 13

READING CYCLE THREE(see “Guide
to Good Bible Reading“)

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR’S INTENT AT
PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary which means
that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of
us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are
priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3).
Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above.
Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original
author’s intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has
one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 13:1-2
 ¹How
long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
 How long will You hide Your face
from me?
 ²How
long shall I take counsel in my soul,
 Having
sorrow in my heart all the day?
 How
long will my enemy be exalted over me?

13:1-2 Notice the structure of this
introductory strophe is four “how long” (BDB 723 II, cf. Ps.
6:3; 90:13) questions.

1. two in Ps. 13:1

2. two in Ps. 13:2

They are a literary way of expressing the psalmist’s frustration at his
current circumstances. He felt abandoned by God.

1. forgotten by God, Ps. 13:1a

2. God has hidden Himself, Ps. 13:1b

3. personal sorrow, Ps. 13:2a,b

4. his enemy is exalted, Ps. 13:2c

Notice #1 and #2 also appear together in Ps. 10:11. The theme of a sense
of abandonment is beautifully expressed in Psalm 42. The sense of
abandonment is only the perception of the hurting psalmist. The reality is
YHWH is with us, for us, and will act on our behalf in appropriate, timely
ways!

13:1 “forever” This word (BDB 664)
is a hyperbolic idiom expressing the psalmist’s feelings of being
permanently abandoned by God.

▣ “face” This, too, is a
Hebrew idiom of personal presence (cf. Ps. 11:7; 17:15; 27:4,8). For some
reason (i.e., personal sin, cf. Ps. 13:3b or illness, 3b) YHWH has
seemingly turned away.

13:2 “soul. . .heart” These two
are parallel and denote Hebrew ways of personifying the person.  For
“soul” (nephesh) see note at Gen. 35:18
online.  For “heart” see
Special Topic: Heart.

▣ “all the day” This idiom
means “all the time.” This does not mean that the sorrow lasts
only during daylight hours.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 13:13-4
 ³Consider
and answer me, O Lord my God;
 Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep
the sleep of death,
 ⁴And
my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
 And my adversaries will
rejoice when I am shaken.

13:3-4 This strophe is a prayer for God to
answer his prayer questions of Ps. 13:1-2.

There is a series of three imperatives (i.e.,
prayer requests).

1. consider (lit. “look”) — BDB 613, KB 661, Hiphil
imperative, cf. Ps. 80:14; Lam. 1:11; 2:20;
5:1

2. answer — BDB 772, KB 851, Qal imperative

3. enlighten (lit. “cause to shine”) — BDB 21, KB 24,
Hiphil imperative; this may be used in
the sense of

a. God answer my prayer with knowledge of your revelation (cf. Ps.
6:7; 19:8)

b. God deliver me from death (cf. Ps. 38:10)

Also notice that NASB has “lest” three times (MT, BDB 814,
twice).

1. lest I die

2. lest my enemy brag

3. lest my adversaries rejoice

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 13:5-6
 ⁵But
I have trusted in Your lovingkindness;
 My
heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
 ⁶I
will sing to the Lord,
 Because He has dealt bountifully
with me.

13:5-6 This is the psalmist’s declaration of
faith/trust/belief in YHWH.

1. I have trusted (BDB 105, KB 120, Qal perfect)
in Your lovingkindness (see
Special Topic:
Lovingkindness). Trust is a crucial
aspect of a true believer (cf. Ps. 25:5; 42:5; 65:5; 78:22; 86:2). See
full note at Ps. 4:5.

2. I will rejoice (BDB 162, KB 189, Qal jussive)
in Your salvation (see
Special Topic:
Salvation (OT Term)), which in context, refers
to health restored.

3. I will sing (BDB 1010, KB 1479, Qal cohortative).

In Hebrew thought death was a descent into Sheol, where no one
praises God (cf. Ps. 6:5; 30:9; 88:10-12; 115:17; Isa. 38:18). See SPECIAL
TOPIC: Where Are the Dead? See notes at Ps. 6:5 and 9:13.

The psalmist bases his trust on YHWH’s character and actions (i.e., “dealt
bountifully with me,” BDB 168, KB 197, Qal perfect).

13:6 “has dealt bountifully with me”
This verb (BDB 168, KB 197, Qal perfect) is used several times in Psalms (cf. Ps.
116:7; 119:17; 142:7). This perfect form
denotes the psalmist’s certainty that YHWH will act on his behalf in the
future and, therefore, states it as if it had already occurred.

▣ “with me” Interestingly
the LXX translates this as a title for God——”the Most High”
(cf. NJB). This same change may also occur at Ps. 7:8.

The NJB does not have a vese 6.  It follows the LXX versing.  It
also has an added line of poetry from the LXX. The NJB translates the last
three lines as jussives (i.e.,
imperfects used in a
jussive sense; characterized by “Let. . .”).

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 in 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. Psalm 13:1-2 describes how faithful followers feel in a fallen world.
Explain this in your own words.

2. Is death a “sleep”?

3. Define and explain “lovingkindness.”

4. How does the word “salvation” change meanings from the
OT to the NT?

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