David's confidence in prayer: he prayeth for remission of sins, and for help in affliction.
A Psalm of David.
Title.— לדוד ledavid. This is one of the alphabetical or acrostic psalms, so called because every verse (in the Hebrew) begins with a different letter of the alphabet in their order. But it is to be noted that three of the letters are wanting. The last verse but one begins with ת tau, the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet: whence we may conclude, either that the last verse was added by some other person, or that the two last verses must be read as one. This psalm was written by David in some great distress, after the assassination of Uriah, as it is commonly thought; because, in all his distresses before that event, the Psalmist speaks with great confidence in his innocence; but after it with great humility, contrition, and sometimes with dejection. See Hare and Pilkington.