Psalm 142, Imprisoned in a Cave

A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.

Strong's concordance gives maskil (maskiyl) as a "contemplation", a didactic, teaching poem. In 1 Samuel 22:1-2 David flees from Saul and hides in a cave. (See also 1 Samuel 24 and Psalm 57.)

 

Psalm 142:1-2, Cry aloud

 I cry aloud to the LORD;

I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.

I pour out my complaint before him; 

before him I tell my trouble.

David immediately launches into his fears. He pleads for mercy and safety. The cry is emphasized as a chiasmus: 

my complaint, 

before him, 

before him, 

my trouble.

Psalm 142:3-4, Hidden snares

When my spirit grows faint within me, 

it is you who know my way. 

In the path where I walk 

men have hidden a snare for me.

 Look to my right and see; 

no one is concerned for me. 

I have no refuge; 

no one cares for my life.

Like the previous psalm, David walks past hidden snares. And on David's right hand (where he should find power and support) there is no one. David is abandoned.

Psalm 142:5-6, My refuge

I cry to you, O LORD; 

I say, "You are my refuge, 

my portion in the land of the living."

 Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; 

rescue me from those who pursue me,

for they are too strong for me.

Abandoned by human friends, David's only refuge is YHWH. David repeats, rapidly, his cries for help.

Psalm 142:7, Prison

 Set me free from my prison,

 that I may praise your name.

 Then the righteous will gather about me

because of your goodness to me.

Closed in by danger on all sides, David is imprisoned and longs for freedom.

As Kidner points out, the scene in the cave (and subsequent flights from Saul) is the nadir in David's life. Soon his family gathers around him and then an army and he begins his rise to the kingdom.

First published November 27, 2025; updated November 27, 2025