Psalms 143:12

And in thy lovingkindness wilt thou cut off my enemies,

And destroy all them that distress my soul,

For I am thy servant.

The prayer for -life" is characteristic of Psalms 119: see note on p. 705: cp. Psalms 138:7. The plea for thy name's sakeis found in Psalms 25:11, and often elsewhere. With thou wilt bring my soul out of distresscp. Psalms 142:7.

Cp. Psalms 54:5, "Cut them [my enemies] off in thy truth"; Psalms 94:23. Such a prayer breathes the spirit of the Old Testament and not of the Gospel. It is a harsh and discordant conclusion to a Psalm full of humble penitence, patient resignation, and persevering faith. But the enemies who are relentlessly persecuting Jehovah's servant to the death are the enemies of Jehovah; they are traitors to His kingdom who have forfeited their right to live; they give no quarter and deserve none themselves; if they triumph, Jehovah's faithfulness to His promises would seem to have failed and his lovingkindness to have been exhausted or defeated (Psalms 77:8-9). For such hardened and impenitent offenders nothing remains but extermination.

for Iam thy servant And therefore entitled to claim Thy protection. Cp. Psalms 143:2; Psalms 86:2; Psalms 86:4; Psalms 86:16; Psalms 119:17, and often.