Psalms 69:20

Old Testament Poetry/Hymns ASV (1901)

What does Psalms 69:20 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: And I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; And for comforters, but I found none.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: And I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; And for comforters, but I found none.
Psalms 69:20 — American Standard Version

Context — Psalms 69

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
20Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: And I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; And for comforters, but I found none.

What do historical commentaries say?

Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Reproach hath broken my heart - The reproaches, the calumnies, the aspersions, the slanders of others, have crushed me. I am not able to bear up under them; I fail under the burden. Distress may become so great that life may sink under it, for many die of what is called “a broken heart.” Undeserved reproaches will be as likely to produce this result on a sensitive heart as any form of suffering; and there are thousands who are crushed to the earth by such reproaches. And I am full of heaviness - Or, I am sick; I am weak; I am ill at ease. My strength is gone. And I looked for some to take pity - Margin, “to lament with me.” The meaning of the Hebrew word is to pity; to commiserate; to show…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Reproach: Psa 42:10, Psa 123:4; Heb 11:36 I am: Psa 42:6; Mat 26:37, Mat 26:38; Joh 12:27 I looked: Isa 63:5; Mar 14:37, Mar 14:50 take pity: Heb. to lament with me but there: Psa 142:4; Joh 16:32; Ti2 4:16, Ti2 4:17 comforters: Job 16:2, Job 19:21, Job 19:22; Mat 26:56 Psalms 69:21”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification