I was bowed down with grief,
The act of being "bowed down" signifies a posture of humility and submission, often associated with intense sorrow or supplication. In biblical times, bowing down was a common expression of mourning, as seen in Job's response to his suffering (Job 1:20). This phrase highlights the psalmist's vulnerability and the weight of his emotional burden. It also foreshadows the suffering servant motif found in Isaiah 53, where the Messiah is described as a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. This connection underscores the psalmist's experience as a precursor to the suffering of Christ.

like one mourning for his mother.
Mourning for a mother would have been one of the most profound expressions of grief in ancient Israelite society, as the mother-child relationship was deeply cherished. This comparison underscores the intensity of the psalmist's lament. The cultural context of mourning included wearing sackcloth, fasting, and weeping, as seen in the story of David mourning for his son (2 Samuel 12:16-17). This phrase also connects to the New Testament, where Jesus shows compassion for the grieving, such as when He comforts the widow of Nain (Luke 7:13). The psalmist's lament can be seen as a type of Christ's empathy and compassion for humanity's suffering.

“I paced about…” (Psalm 35:14) pictures David walking the floor, unable to sit still.

• Pacing shows the kind of restless intercession we see when David fasted and lay all night on the ground for his sick child (2 Samuel 12:16–17).

• It mirrors Job’s friends who sat with him in silence, sharing grief by their very presence (Job 2:13).

• David is not passively wishing his enemies well; he is actively carrying their burden before the LORD, just as Romans 12:15 urges believers to “weep with those who weep.”

“…as for my friend or brother…” highlights the depth of relationship David felt toward those who later betrayed him.

• He treated them like lifelong companions, echoing the loyalty celebrated in Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loves at all times.”

• The wording recalls Jonathan’s friendship with David (1 Samuel 18:1), reminding us that genuine brotherly commitment keeps giving even when not returned (Luke 6:35).

• David’s compassion prefigures Jesus, who called His disciples “friends” (John 15:13–15) and prayed for His enemies while they nailed Him to the cross (Luke 23:34).

“I was bowed down with grief…” shows sorrow so heavy it pushes a man to the ground.

• The same phrase appears in Psalm 38:6, where David confesses, “I am bowed down and brought very low.”

• Grief humbles; it drives David away from self-defense and toward the LORD, just as James 4:10 calls us to “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

• Instead of retaliating, David lets the weight of sorrow shape his prayers, following the pattern of 1 Peter 5:6–7—casting every care on God because He cares for us.

“…like one mourning for his mother” lifts the lament to its highest intensity.

• A mother’s death was regarded as one of life’s deepest losses; Isaac “was comforted after his mother’s death” (Genesis 24:67), showing how long such sorrow lingers.

• Jeremiah urges his people, “Mourn as for an only son” (Jeremiah 6:26), a parallel picture of incomparable pain.

• By choosing this image, David testifies that his love was sincere, not sentimental. He felt for his persecutors what a child feels when the dearest person on earth is gone.

Psalm 35:14 reveals a heart that loves enemies with brotherly affection, carries their pain in fervent prayer, and grieves over them with the deepest human sorrow. David’s posture foreshadows Christ’s self-giving love and calls believers to respond to hostility not with retaliation but with earnest, sacrificial intercession.