Verse 1 Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD. As the next psalm is without a title, it is probable that the two together form a pair with one title. As Psalms 70:1-5 reproduces, with variations, the close of Psalms 40:1-17 , so Psalms 61:1-8 , in its beginning, is taken from Psalms 31:1-24 ; Psalms 69:1-36 ; Psalms 70:1-5 ; Psalms 71:1-24 form a connected trilogy: the theme is the suffering Righteous One.
'Elohiym ( H430 ) (God) is twice substituted for Yahweh ( H3068 ) (LORD) in Psalms 70:1-4 , and for 'Adonay ( H136 ) ("Lord" in small type) in Psalms 70:5 , and Yahweh ( H3068 ) for 'Elohiym ( H430 ) in Psalms 70:5 . On the title, To bring to remembrance, cf. note on title, Psalms 38:1-22 . A psalm designed to put God in remembrance of the Righteous Sufferer and His people. Hence, this psalm contains just the complaining and supplicatory part of Psalms 40:1-17 , and omits the thanksgiving and praising portion of it.
When God seems to forget us, we must not forget to 'put Him in remembrance,' ( Isaiah 43:26 ; Isaiah 62:6 , margin.) Psalms 40:1-17 contained in combination thanks and supplications. For the benefit of those who had not as yet received assurance of God's favour, David gives the second part of Psalms 40:1-17 , in an independent form, as a prayer. That it is a fragment is indicated by its consisting of five verses-the number implying incompleteness. The names of God similarly occur just five times.
In Psalms 70:1 ; Psalms 70:5 there is an ascending climax from 'Elohiym ( H430 ) to Yahweh ( H3068 ) - a consolatory thought to the godly in affliction, that He who hath infinite Godhead is peculiarly the covenant-keeping LORD ( Yahweh ( H3068 )) of His people.