Psalm 69 is the 69th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul". It is subtitled: "To the chief musician, upon Shoshannim, a Psalm of David". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible and in the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 68. In Latin, it is known as "Salvum me fac Deus". It has 36 verses (37 in Hebrew verse numbering). Several verses from Psalm 69 are quoted in the New Testament. It forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies.

Text

Hebrew

The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

King James Version

Uses

Judaism

New Testament

This psalm is quoted or referred to in several places in the New Testament:

Eastern Orthodox Church

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Psalm 68 (Psalm 69 in the Masoretic Text) is part of the ninth Kathisma division of the Psalter, read at the Midnight Office on Saturday mornings, at Vespers on Tuesday evenings, as well as on Mondays and Thursdays during Lent, at the Ninth Hour and the First Hour, respectively. It is also part of the Great Hours on Holy Friday.

Book of Common Prayer

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, Psalm 69 is appointed to be read on the evening of the 13th day of the month, as well as at Evensong on Good Friday.

Musical settings

Heinrich Schütz set Psalm 69 in a metred version in German, "Gott hilf mir, denn das Wasser dringt", SWV 166, as part of the Becker Psalter, first published in 1628. The King James Version of verse 20 of Psalm 69 is cited as text in the English-language oratorio "Messiah" by George Frideric Handel (HWV 56).

Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Verse 15, "Let not the deep swallow me up", is inscribed on the reverse side of the gallantry medal issued by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the lifeboat service of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.