What does Psalms Chapter 63 say, and which statements belong to its speaker?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The Latin incipit is Exaudi Deus orationem. The speaker’s petitions, recollections and future declarations retain their distinct wording. Edition interpretations remain separate from verse speech; no universal safety or clinical guarantee is established.

Chapter breakdown

The Latin incipit is Exaudi Deus orationem. The heading describes afflicted prayer confident that God brings persecutors' machinations to nothing. The inscription is unto the end, for David. He asks hearing and soul delivery from fear, then recalls protection from malignant assembly and iniquity workers. Their tongues were sharpened like sword and bow bent as a bitter thing to shoot secretly at the undefiled. They will shoot suddenly without fear, resolute in wickedness, and have discussed hidden snares asking who will see them.

They searched after iniquities and failed in their search; man shall come to a deep heart. The separate note explains crafty subtle designs that shall not succeed, with God exalted by bringing them to nothing through wisdom and power. God shall be exalted and their wounds are children's arrows. Another separate note interprets intended blows as weak children's arrows doing no execution and speeches coming to nothing, not a reported counterattack.

Their tongues against them are made weak. All seeing were troubled and every man afraid; they declared God's works and understood His doings. The just shall rejoice and hope in the Lord and the upright shall be praised. The past witnessing, future hope and edition gloss remain distinct, without an added universal psychological principle of self-inflicted ruin.

The story inside

Opening: The Latin incipit is Exaudi Deus orationem. Development: The speaker’s petitions, recollections and future declarations retain their distinct wording. Conclusion: Edition interpretations remain separate from verse speech; no universal safety or clinical guarantee is established.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The Latin incipit is Exaudi Deus orationem.
2
The speaker’s petitions, recollections and future declarations retain their distinct wording.
3
Edition interpretations remain separate from verse speech; no universal safety or clinical guarantee is established.

Test your recall

Which images and requests does the speaker use, and what does the chapter leave unresolved?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 61358–61362
63:2. Hear O God, my prayer, when I make supplication to thee: deliver my soul from the fear of the enemy. 63:3. Thou hast protected me from the assembly of the malignant; from the multitude of the workers of iniquity.
Lines 61364–61367
63:4. For they have whetted their tongues like a sword; they have bent their bow a bitter thing, 63:5. To shoot in secret the undefiled.
Lines 61388–61395
63:9. And their tongues against them are made weak. All that saw them were troubled; 63:10. And every man was afraid. And they declared the works of God, and understood his doings. 63:11. The just shall rejoice in the Lord, and shall hope in him: and all the upright in heart shall be praised.