Psalm 69 1

Psalm 69:1 kjv

Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.

Psalm 69:1 nkjv

To the Chief Musician. Set to "The Lilies." A Psalm of David. Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.

Psalm 69:1 niv

For the director of music. To the tune of "Lilies." Of David. Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.

Psalm 69:1 esv

Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.

Psalm 69:1 nlt

Save me, O God,
for the floodwaters are up to my neck.

Psalm 69 verses

Psalm 69 1 Meaning

Psalm 69:1 is a desperate cry for immediate divine intervention, articulating a profound state of overwhelming distress and peril. The psalmist is experiencing extreme suffering and feels on the brink of total destruction, metaphorically depicted as being engulfed by water up to his very life or "neck," signifying imminent drowning or death. This is an urgent appeal to God as the sole source of salvation from a situation that has surpassed human ability to endure or escape.

Psalm 69 1 Context

Psalm 69 is a profound lament of David, marked by deep personal suffering, rejection, and false accusations. While a historical setting often aligns with David's flight from Saul or Absalom, its themes of immense suffering and undeserved reproach have a strong prophetic fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ, making it one of the most Messianic psalms alongside Psalm 22. The psalmist expresses the agony of one surrounded by hostile enemies, overwhelmed by slander, grief, and physical affliction, feeling alienated even from family. This opening verse immediately plunges the reader into the psalmist's dire situation, setting the stage for his plea for God's powerful and immediate deliverance from overwhelming circumstances. The "waters" are a universal biblical metaphor for great danger, trouble, destruction, and chaotic forces.

Psalm 69 1 Word analysis

• Save me! (הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי, hoshia'eni): An urgent, imperative verb from the root yasha (ישׁע), which means "to save," "to deliver," "to help," "to bring victory," or "to rescue." It is a cry for a total, complete, and immediate intervention, beyond mere assistance. This implies an utter inability on the psalmist's part to save himself. It highlights God's unique power as the Deliverer.
• O God (אֱלֹהִים, Elohim): This is a general term for God, often referring to God in His mighty, majestic, and sovereign capacity as Creator and judge. Its use here acknowledges His omnipotence and absolute authority, indicating that only such a powerful being could intervene in a situation so desperate.
• for (כִּי, ki): This conjunction serves to introduce the reason or explanation for the urgent plea. It establishes a causal relationship: the psalmist needs saving because of the dire circumstances.
• waters (מַיִם, mayim): Metaphorically, these represent overwhelming troubles, dangers, afflictions, persecution, floods of ungodliness, or chaotic forces that threaten to engulf and destroy. It is a powerful image of engulfment and imminent death. In biblical thought, water, especially large, uncontrolled bodies of water, often symbolize chaos, evil, and overwhelming power that is destructive.
• have come up (בָאוּ, va'u): This simple past tense indicates that the situation is already upon him, a present and active reality, not a future threat. The waters have already reached their perilous level.
• to my neck (עַד-נָפֶשׁ, 'ad-nafesh): This is a profound idiom. Literally, nafesh (נֶפֶשׁ) means "soul," "life," "being," "person." So, "up to the soul" signifies that the peril affects his very existence, his life force, or that he is on the absolute brink of drowning and perishing. It means the danger is beyond merely physical discomfort, reaching the core of his being, leaving no room for breath or life. It paints a vivid picture of extreme jeopardy and the immediate threat of death.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Save me, O God": This initial plea highlights the exclusive source of help. Human effort or alliances are irrelevant; only divine intervention can suffice. It speaks of a profound theological conviction that God is the ultimate Savior in impossible circumstances.
• "for the waters have come up to my neck": This phrase masterfully employs vivid imagery to convey utter desperation and overwhelming threat. It's a hyperbolic expression signifying total engulfment and imminent demise, leaving no breathable space. It underlines the imminence of the threat and the critical state of the psalmist, evoking deep empathy and understanding of his profound distress.

Psalm 69 1 Bonus section

• The prophetic nature of Psalm 69 is evidenced by its frequent quotation or allusion in the New Testament concerning Jesus Christ's passion, notably His zeal for God's house (Jn 2:17), the reproach He endured (Rom 15:3), His undeserved hatred (Jn 15:25), and His request for gall and vinegar on the cross (Mt 27:34).
• The phrase "waters to my neck" conveys an intensity of suffering that implies suffocation or the inability to breathe. Spiritually, this could mean the absence of peace, hope, or even the capacity to pray effectively without divine enablement.
• This verse captures a universal human experience of reaching the absolute limit of endurance, where self-help is impossible, driving the afflicted soul to a direct and desperate appeal to the Almighty. It is a raw expression of profound dependence on God alone.

Psalm 69 1 Commentary

Psalm 69:1 opens with a stark and desperate appeal for divine salvation, illustrating the profound distress of the psalmist through the powerful metaphor of drowning. The image of "waters... to my neck" portrays an individual completely overwhelmed by affliction, perilously close to succumbing to the crushing weight of his troubles. It is not merely discomfort or difficulty, but an existential threat that jeopardizes his very life and soul. This initial cry establishes the psalm's dominant theme: a lament born out of extreme suffering and a plea to God for ultimate deliverance. It resonates deeply with human experience of being swamped by trials—whether personal, relational, or spiritual—that seem beyond one's capacity to bear. The specific and urgent cry "Save me!" highlights that God is the only One capable of rescue from such dire straits. This verse is understood to be profoundly Messianic, foreshadowing Christ's immense suffering and spiritual agony as He bore the reproach of the world and faced the metaphorical "waters" of divine wrath and human opposition, yet remained dependent on His Father for deliverance and vindication.