Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
Prayer follows complaint the believer's case. Instead of complaints against God to man, the believer brings all to God; instead of turning from God, he makes sorrows a ground for turning to God.
Consider and hear me, O Lord. As David had complained of four evils (Psalms 13:1-2), so he begs four goods. To the 'Lord's forgetting' and 'hiding His face from him' (Psalms 13:1), he opposes, "Consider (look upon me with favour) and hear (answer) me" х habiyTaah (H5027) `ªneeniy (H6030)]. To the 'taking counsel' and 'and having sorrow in the heart daily' (Psalms 13:2), he opposes, "lighten mine eyes:" to his "enemy" being "exalted over" him (Psalms 13:2) he opposes, "Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him" (Psalms 13:4).
Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep (the sleep of) death - a "perpetual sleep" (Jeremiah 51:39; Jeremiah 51:57). Primarily literal death. The failure of vital power betrayed itself in his lack-luster eyes. 'Enlighten my eyes' is tantamount to, Restore to me the vital power well-nigh gone. So Jonathan's "eyes were enlightened" (1 Samuel 14:27; 1 Samuel 14:29), when, after death's darkness was veiling his eyes, he tasted the honey-comb and revived. Compare Ezra 9:8. Secondarily, as the withdrawal of the experience of God's favour was the chief among David's trials, so the restoration of it was the chief good that he longed for, including all other goods.