Psalm 70

“Hasten, O God, to save me; come quickly, Lord, to help me.” (Psalm 70:1)

Psalm 70 is a duplicate of Psalm 40:13–17, with minor variations (see the unit on Ps. 40), and has features of a psalm of lament. Psalms 69 and 70 have common linguistic links (see table 1). It is quite possible that Psalm 69 was written with Psalm 40:13–17 in view in order to make the transition from the lament of Psalm 69 to the hope of Psalm 70. Goldingay observes that the terms of Psalm 70 both reiterate and reinforce the terms of Psalm 69, and he suggests that this reinforcement is the reason for the duplication here of Psalm 40:13–17.1It seems to me that the weight represented by these two psalms is more broadly distributed, stretched out over the cadre of Psalms 69–71. Like Psalm 40–41, that together comprise a conclusion to Book 1, this trilogy of psalms comprises a conclusion to Book 2, and in combination with Psalm 72, provides a transition to Book 3, whose historical setting is the Babylonian exile.

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