My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
4. My heart trembles within me “My heart is in travail within me.” חול, “de tremore maxime parturientium.” — Fry Ainsworth reads, “My heart is pained within me, or trembleth with pain.” “The word,” says he, “usually meaneth such pains as a woman feeleth in her travail.” Here we have additional evidence of the extremity of David’s sufferings.
My heart is sore pained within me. His spirit writhed in agony, like a poor worm; he was mentally as much in pain as a woman in travail physically. His inmost soul was touched; and a wounded spirit who can bear? If this were written when David was attacked by his own favourite son, and ignominiously driven from his capital, he had reason enough for using these expressions.
Prayer is a salve for every sore and relief under every burden. David begs God what he could not obtain from Saul or his enemies: to hear and answer him. His tears and groans, great griefs that cannot be stifled, spring from the enemy's menaces and insults, much as the mob was stirred against the Son of David to cry, Crucify Him.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 55:1-8