But I am poor and needy; Make haste to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.
Parallel translations
- WEB But I am poor and needy. Come to me quickly, God. You are my help and my deliverer. Yahweh, don’t delay.
- KJV But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.
- BSB But I am poor and needy; hurry to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.
- NASB But I am afflicted and needy; Hurry to me, God! You are my help and my savior; Lord, do not delay.
- NLT But as for me, I am poor and needy; please hurry to my aid, O God. You are my helper and my savior; O Lord, do not delay.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David confesses he is poor and needy and begs God, his help and deliverer, not to delay. It expresses humble dependence and urgent trust in God.
Overview
David closes by acknowledging his poverty and need, calling God his help and deliverer and pleading that he not delay. True prayer flows from recognizing our helplessness and God's sufficiency. This humble cry of the needy finds its answer in Christ, the deliverer who comes to the poor in spirit and never fails those who wait on him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Ps 40:17But I am poor and needy. May the Lord think about me. You are my help and my deliverer. Don’t delay, my God.
- Ps 141:1A Psalm by David. Yahweh, I have called on you. Come to me quickly! Listen to my voice when I call to you.
- Rev 22:20He who testifies these things says, “Yes, I come quickly.” Amen! Yes, come, Lord Jesus.
- Ps 69:29But I am in pain and distress. Let your salvation, God, protect me.
- Heb 10:37“In a very little while, he who comes will come, and will not wait.
- Ps 13:1–2For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. How long, Yahweh? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
- Ps 109:22for I am poor and needy. My heart is wounded within me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 70:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.