Big Idea: The message of this psalm, applied to the waiting community in exile, is that “the Lord is great!” proclaimed as a word of hope and deliverance not yet realized, even as they pray, “Come quickly, Lord.”

Understanding the Text

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 …