Psalms 70:5
“But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The psalmist, acknowledging his own weakness and poverty, again appeals urgently to God for swift help.
Context
A personal plea from weakness, repeating the urgent request for God's speedy help.
What Does Psalms 70:5 Mean?
The transition from prayer for others to personal petition is marked by the word 'But.' The psalmist returns to his own desperate condition: he is 'poor and needy,' describing both material lack and spiritual destitution. This honest admission of helplessness becomes the basis for the urgent appeal. Because he has no strength of his own, he must depend entirely on God's intervention, asking Him once more to 'make haste.'
The confident affirmations—'thou art my help and my deliverer'—show that despite his weakness, the psalmist trusts God's power and commitment. The plea 'make no tarrying' (make no delay) underscores the urgency. This final verse circles back to the opening petition, but now grounded in the psalmist's humble awareness of his complete dependence on God and his unshakable confidence in God's character as helper and deliverer.
In the Original Language
needy (אֶבְיוֹן, evyon) — poor, in want, or destitute; often used of those who must trust God for survival.