Psalms 69:26

For they persecute&c. They had no commission to aggravate the sufferings of one who was already smitten with the rod of chastisement by God Himself. We think of Job and his friends (Job 19:21-22), and of the Suffering Servant of Jehovah (Isaiah 53:4). Cp. Isaiah 47:6.

they talk to the grief R.V., they tell of the sorrow, or as marg., the pain. The LXX and Syr. represent a reading which suits the parallelism better: "they add to the sorrow."

him whom thou hast smitten The plural of the next line suggests the rendering those whom&c., which the Heb. admits: but the A.V. follows the Ancient Versions in giving the singular.

those whom thou hast wounded Cp. Psalms 109:22, "my heart is wounded within me." Note that the Psalmist is not alone in his suffering.