For I am poor and needy; my heart is wounded within me. For I am poor and needyThe phrase "poor and needy" in Hebrew is "aniy we'ebyown." The word "aniy" (poor) often refers to someone who is afflicted or humble, not just economically disadvantaged. It conveys a sense of being oppressed or in a state of lowliness. "Ebyown" (needy) emphasizes a lack of resources or support, highlighting a dependence on God for sustenance and deliverance. In the historical context of ancient Israel, the poor and needy were often marginalized, yet they held a special place in God's heart, as seen throughout the Old Testament. This phrase reflects a deep humility and recognition of one's own limitations, a posture that is commended throughout Scripture as it opens the door for God's grace and intervention. my heart is wounded within me
The Hebrew word for "heart" is "leb," which encompasses not just emotions but the entire inner being, including mind, will, and understanding. The heart is the seat of one's life and moral character. "Wounded" in Hebrew is "chalal," which can mean pierced or profaned, suggesting a deep, penetrating injury that affects the core of one's being. This phrase captures the psalmist's profound emotional and spiritual distress. Historically, the heart was seen as the center of life and vitality, so a wounded heart implies a state of vulnerability and brokenness. In the broader scriptural context, God is often portrayed as the healer of the brokenhearted, offering comfort and restoration to those who are deeply afflicted. This verse, therefore, is a cry for divine healing and strength, acknowledging human frailty and the need for God's compassionate intervention. Persons / Places / Events 1. DavidTraditionally attributed as the author of Psalm 109, David is expressing his deep distress and reliance on God amidst adversities. 2. EnemiesThough not named in this specific verse, the context of Psalm 109 involves David's adversaries who are unjustly attacking him. 3. GodThe ultimate source of refuge and strength for David, to whom he directs his plea for help and justice. Teaching Points Dependence on GodRecognize our own spiritual poverty and need for God's intervention in our lives. Emotional HonestyBe honest with God about our emotional and spiritual wounds, trusting Him to heal and restore us. God's Compassion for the NeedyUnderstand that God has a special concern for those who are poor and needy, and He invites us to share in His compassion. Prayer as a Response to AdversityUse prayer as a means to express our struggles and seek God's help, just as David did. Community SupportEncourage the church community to support one another, especially those who are experiencing hardship and emotional wounds. Bible Study Questions 1. How does recognizing our own "poverty and need" before God change the way we approach Him in prayer? 2. In what ways can we be more honest with God about our emotional and spiritual wounds? 3. How can we, as a church community, better support those who are "poor and needy" among us? 4. What are some practical ways we can demonstrate God's compassion to those who are wounded in heart? 5. How do the teachings of Jesus in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3) relate to the themes found in Psalm 109:22? Connections to Other Scriptures Psalm 34:6This verse also speaks of a poor man who cried out, and the Lord heard him, delivering him from all his troubles, highlighting God's responsiveness to the needy. Isaiah 61:1This passage speaks of the Lord's anointed bringing good news to the poor and binding up the brokenhearted, reflecting God's care for the needy and wounded. Matthew 5:3Jesus' teaching on the Beatitudes, where He blesses the poor in spirit, aligns with the humility and need expressed in Psalm 109:22. People David, PsalmistPlaces JerusalemTopics Afflicted, Heart, Midst, Needy, Pierced, Poor, Stricken, Within, WoundedDictionary of Bible Themes Psalm 109:22 5450 poverty, spiritual
5888 inferiority Psalm 109:21-25 5893 insults Library Psalm. Cix. 21. ; Micah, vi. 9
Psalm. cix. 21.; Micah, vi. 9. Sweet is Thy mercy, O my God! When humbled at Thy feet, I learn the lessons of Thy rod, Thy mercy, Lord, is sweet. For Thou dost not in wrath chastise, But when I go astray, "Return," a voice behind me cries, "Walk here;--this is the way." Impatient of Thine easy yoke, If heedless yet I roam, Some sharp affliction, with a stroke Of kindness, warns me home. That godly sorrow then I feel, Which nothing can control, Until the hand that wounded, heal, That bruised me, …
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and HymnsIf Anyone Shall Say that Jesus as Man is Only Energized by the Word Of...
If anyone shall say that Jesus as man is only energized by the Word of God, and that the glory of the Only-begotten is attributed to him as something not properly his: let him be anathema. Notes. Nestorius. VII. If any one says that the man who was formed of the Virgin is the Only-begotten, who was born from the bosom of the Father, before the morning star was (Ps. cix., 3) [256] , and does not rather confess that he has obtained the designation of Only-begotten on account of his connection with …
Philip Schaff—The Seven Ecumenical Councils First Antiphon and Psalm
Third Tone (a ending) Chanter Dum esset rex Choir in accubitu suo, nardus mea dedit odorem suavitatis. Alleluia. Dixit Dominus (Psalm 109) 1. Dixit Dominus, Domino meo: Sede a dextris meis: 2. Donec ponam inimicos tuos, scabellum pedum tuorum. 3. Virgam virtutis tuae emitte Dominus ex Sion: dominare in medio inimicorum tuorem. 4. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuae in splendoribus sanctorum: ex utero ante luciferum genui te. 5. Juravit Dominus, et non paenitebit eum: Tu es sacerdos in aeternum …
Various—The St. Gregory Hymnal and Catholic Choir Book Prayer
But I give myself unto prayer.' Psa 109: 4. I shall not here expatiate upon prayer, as it will be considered more fully in the Lord's prayer. It is one thing to pray, and another thing to be given to prayer: he who prays frequently, is said to be given to prayer; as he who often distributes alms, is said to be given to charity. Prayer is a glorious ordinance, it is the soul's trading with heaven. God comes down to us by his Spirit, and we go up to him by prayer. What is prayer? It is an offering …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Fourteenth Day. Endurance in Contradiction.
"Who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself."-- Heb. xii. 3. What endurance was this! Perfect truth in the midst of error; perfect love in the midst of ingratitude and coldness; perfect rectitude in the midst of perjury, violence, fraud; perfect constancy in the midst of contumely and desertion; perfect innocence, confronting every debased form of depravity and guilt; perfect patience, encountering every species of gross provocation--"oppressed and afflicted, He opened not His mouth!" …
John R. Macduff—The Mind of Jesus Ninth Day for God's Spirit on Our Mission Work
WHAT TO PRAY.--For God's Spirit on our Mission Work "The evangelisation of the world depends first of all upon a revival of prayer. Deeper than the need for men--ay, deep down at the bottom of our spiritless life, is the need for the forgotten secret of prevailing, world-wide prayer." "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate Me Barnabas and Saul. Then when they had fasted and prayed, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed."--ACTS …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession Bunsen's Biblical Researches.
When geologists began to ask whether changes in the earth's structure might be explained by causes still in operation, they did not disprove the possibility of great convulsions, but they lessened necessity for imagining them. So, if a theologian has his eyes opened to the Divine energy as continuous and omnipresent, he lessens the sharp contrast of epochs in Revelation, but need not assume that the stream has never varied in its flow. Devotion raises time present into the sacredness of the past; …
Frederick Temple—Essays and Reviews: The Education of the World A Discourse of Mercifulness
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7 These verses, like the stairs of Solomon's temple, cause our ascent to the holy of holies. We are now mounting up a step higher. Blessed are the merciful . . '. There was never more need to preach of mercifulness than in these unmerciful times wherein we live. It is reported in the life of Chrysostom that he preached much on this subject of mercifulness, and for his much pressing Christians to mercy, he was called of many, the alms-preacher, …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12 How Intent the Ruler Ought to be on Meditations in the Sacred Law.
But all this is duly executed by a ruler, if, inspired by the spirit of heavenly fear and love, he meditate daily on the precepts of Sacred Writ, that the words of Divine admonition may restore in him the power of solicitude and of provident circumspection with regard to the celestial life, which familiar intercourse with men continually destroys; and that one who is drawn to oldness of life by secular society may by the aspiration of compunction be ever renewed to love of the spiritual country. …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great The Water of Life;
OR, A DISCOURSE SHOWING THE RICHNESS AND GLORY OF THE GRACE AND SPIRIT OF THE GOSPEL, AS SET FORTH IN SCRIPTURE BY THIS TERM, THE WATER OF LIFE. BY JOHN BUNYAN. 'And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.'--Revelation 22:17 London: Printed for Nathanael Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, 1688. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Often, and in every age, the children of God have dared to doubt the sufficiency of divine grace; whether it was vast enough to reach their condition--to cleanse …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Travelling in Palestine --Roads, Inns, Hospitality, Custom-House Officers, Taxation, Publicans
It was the very busiest road in Palestine, on which the publican Levi Matthew sat at the receipt of "custom," when our Lord called him to the fellowship of the Gospel, and he then made that great feast to which he invited his fellow-publicans, that they also might see and hear Him in Whom he had found life and peace (Luke 5:29). For, it was the only truly international road of all those which passed through Palestine; indeed, it formed one of the great highways of the world's commerce. At the time …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Psalm 109:22 NIVPsalm 109:22 NLTPsalm 109:22 ESVPsalm 109:22 NASBPsalm 109:22 KJV
Psalm 109:22 Commentaries
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