Psalms 25:20

Psa 25:20 O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.

Ver. 20. O keep my soul] The repetition of the self same petition argueth earnestness, and is not always battology.

Let me not be ashamed] Rendered scornful and scandalous.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

keep my soul-- (Psa 16:1).

put my trust--flee for refuge (Psa 2:12).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 20. O keep my soul] Save me from sin, and keep me alive.

Let me not be ashamed] He ends as he began; see Ps 25:2: "Let me not be confounded, for I put my trust in thee."

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

20. O keep &c.] Preserve my soul. Cp. Psa_16:1; Psa_86:2.

for I put my trust in thee] For I have taken refuge in thee. Cp. Psa_7:1; Psa_2:12, note.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

O keep my soul,.... Or "life" (n), which was in danger, his enemies seeking for it; wherefore he applies to God that gave it, and who had hitherto held him in it, to preserve it. God is the keeper of has people in a spiritual sense; they cannot keep themselves from sin, Satan, and the world; but he is able to keep them from falling, and therefore they pray to him that he would keep them; and they have reason to believe they shall be kept by his power, through faith, unto salvation;

and deliver me; as out of the hands of his present enemies, so from all evil, from the evils of the world, from the evil one, Satan, from the evil of sin, and out of all affliction and troubles;

let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee; See Gill on Psa 25:2.

(n) "animam meam", i.e. "vitam meam", Gejerus.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

O keep my soul - “My life;” or, keep “me.” The allusion is to all the perils which encompassed him, whether arising from his foes or his sins; and the prayer is, that the divine protection might be commensurate with the danger; that is, that he might not be destroyed, either by his enemies or by the sins which he had committed.

And deliver me - Save me; rescue me.

Let me not be ashamed - See Psa 25:2.

For I put my trust in thee - This is urged as a reason why he should be delivered and saved. The idea seems to be, that the honor of God would be concerned in protecting one who fled to Him; who confided in Him; who relied on Him. Thus, when the helpless and the oppressed have so much confidence in our character and our ability as to fly to us in the time of trouble, it is a proper reason for them to ask our protection that they do confide in us. Our character becomes involved in the matter, and they may safely trust that we shall feel ourselves under obligations to act in conformity with the confidence reposed in us. It is thus that the poor and the oppressed confide in the good; thus that a sinner confides in God.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

My soul, i.e. myself or my life, as that word is commonly taken; for his soul was out of his enemies’ reach, who could only kill his body, Luk 12:4.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ver. 20. O keep my soul out of evil, and deliver me when I fall into it. This is another version of the prayer, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Let me not be ashamed. This is the one fear which like a ghost haunted the psalmist's mind. He trembled lest his faith should become the subject of ridicule through the extremity of his affliction. Noble hearts can brook anything but shame. David was of such a chivalrous spirit, that he could endure any torment rather than be put to dishonour. For I put my trust in thee. And therefore the name of God would be compromised if his servants were deserted; this the believing heart can by no means endure.

Ver. 20. Let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee. When David reaches verse 20, we are reminded of Coriolanus betaking himself to the hall of Attius Tullus, and sitting as a helpless stranger there, claiming the king's hospitality, though aware of his having deserved to die at his hands. The psalmist throws himself on the compassion of an injured God with similar feelings; "I trust in thee!" Andrew A. Bonar.

Ver. 20. Soul preservation.

1. Its twofold character, "Keep, "and "deliver."

2. Its dreadful alternative, "Let me not be ashamed."

3. Its effectual guarantee, "I put my trust in thee."

Ver. 20. A superhuman keeping, a natural fear, a spiritual trust.

Psalms 25:21*

Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

O keep my soul, and deliver me: (comp. Psa_6:4 Psa_17:3 Psa_22:20, etc.) let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee (see comment on ver. 2).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Soul - My life.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

He entreats for preservation and deliverance from God; and that He may not permit his hope to be disappointed (אל־אבושׁ, cf. Ch1 21:13, instead of אל־אבושׁה which is usual in other instances). This his hope rests indeed in Him: he has taken refuge in Him and therefore He cannot forsake him, He cannot let him be destroyed.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

20. (O) keep my soul and deliver me; let me not be ashamed, for I have trusted in thee. To keep is here to keep in safety, to preserve.—Ashamed, confounded, disappointed. See above, on ver. 2. The word translated trusted is not that employed in ver, 2, but the one which occurs in Psa 2:12, and which originally means to seek a refuge or a hiding-place. See above, on Psa 11:2 (1).

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms Translated and Explained (1850) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

trust

(See Scofield "Psa 2:12").

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

do not let me be humiliated

This can be stated in active form. AT: "Do not let my enemies humiliate me" (See: Active or Passive)

take refuge in you!

Going to Yahweh for protection is spoken of as taking refuge in him. AT: "go to you for protection!" (See: Metaphor)

May integrity and uprightness preserve me

This speaks about "integrity" and "uprightness" as if they were persons who could keep another person safe. These abstract nouns can be stated as adjectives. AT: "May being honest and doing what is right preserve me" or "Preserve me, Lord, because I am honest and do what is right" (See: Personification and Abstract Nouns)

preserve me

"keep me safe"

translationWords

refuge

integrity

righteous

hope

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.