Read & explore together
Hurry, O LORD, to Help Me!
Psalm 70 is a short, urgent prayer. It asks God to come quickly, names the shame of enemies, and contrasts them with people who seek God and rejoice in his salvation.
Understanding the passage
Read these words in context
This passage is presented as poetry and song. In five verses, the speaker calls to God for quick deliverance, asks that those seeking his harm be put to shame, blesses those who seek God, and ends by confessing need and calling God his help and deliverer.
Psalms 70:1–5Main takeaway
This psalm teaches that a person in need can urgently call on God for help, while also honouring God and distinguishing between those who oppose and those who seek him.
Explore the poem and its images
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01A cry for quick helpThe psalm opens without delay. The speaker asks God to deliver him and asks Yahweh to come quickly to help.
Explanation
The psalm opens without delay. The speaker asks God to deliver him and asks Yahweh to come quickly to help. The repeated urgency shows this is not a calm reflection but a pressing prayer. The focus is on God as the one who can rescue and help.
02A request about enemiesNext, the speaker asks that people seeking his life or ruin be disappointed, confounded, turned back, and disgraced.
Explanation
Next, the speaker asks that people seeking his life or ruin be disappointed, confounded, turned back, and disgraced. The poetry names both their actions and the hoped-for outcome. Their mocking words, “Aha! Aha!”, show open scorn, so the prayer asks that shame return to them instead.
03A different group: those who seek GodThe psalm then turns from opponents to worshippers. Those who seek God are asked to rejoice and be glad in him.
Explanation
The psalm then turns from opponents to worshippers. Those who seek God are asked to rejoice and be glad in him. Those who love God's salvation are to keep saying, “Let God be exalted!” Even in trouble, the poem makes space for joy in God and praise for his saving work.
04Need, help, and no delayThe final verse is personal and humble. The speaker says, “I am poor and needy,” then again asks God to come quickly.
Explanation
The final verse is personal and humble. The speaker says, “I am poor and needy,” then again asks God to come quickly. God is called “my help” and “my deliverer”. The psalm ends where it began, with urgency, but now joined to a clear confession of weakness and trust.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01What words in this psalm show urgency in prayer?
Look for repeated requests such as “Hurry”, “Come quickly”, and “don’t delay”, and notice where they appear at the beginning and end.
02How does the psalm contrast people who oppose the speaker with people who seek God?
Compare the shame and turning back asked for enemies with the rejoicing and praise spoken by those who seek God.
03What does the speaker say about himself, and what does he say about God?
Notice the pair of descriptions: the speaker is “poor and needy”, while God is “my help” and “my deliverer”.
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
Psalms 70:1–5
1Hurry, God, to deliver me. Come quickly to help me, Yahweh.
2Let them be disappointed and confounded who seek my soul. Let those who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.
3Let them be turned because of their shame who say, “Aha! Aha!”
4Let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let those who love your salvation continually say, “Let God be exalted!”
5But I am poor and needy. Come to me quickly, God. You are my help and my deliverer. Yahweh, don’t delay.