When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Psalmist wasn't just fasting; he was deeply humbling his very being before God, a profound act of spiritual discipline. Yet, instead of understanding, those around him twisted his sincere devotion into something to mock and ridicule, revealing their own spiritual blindness.
When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalmist is describing a period of deep distress and suffering, where his earnest attempts to humble himself before God through fasting and prayer for the sins of his people are met not with compassion, but with ridicule and mockery by those around him. This profound sorrow and piety, intended to draw him closer to God and perhaps atone for collective wrongdoing, ironically becomes the very reason for his enemies to scorn him, turning his devotion into a source of contempt.
Have you ever felt like your sincere efforts to draw closer to God were met with confusion or even mockery from others? This verse touches on that painful reality.
In Psalm 69, David describes an intense period of personal grief and devotion. He 'wept' and 'chastened his soul with fasting.' This wasn't just about abstaining from food; it was a profound act of humbling himself before God, often done in response to sin (his own or the nation's) or deep sorrow.
A Deliberate Act of Submission
Fasting, in this context, was a powerful spiritual discipline. It was a way to:
This wasn't a casual decision but a deliberate act of spiritual warfare and self-denial.
What happens when your most sincere expressions of faith are twisted into insults by those around you?
The heartbreaking part of this verse is the outcome of David's deep devotion: 'it became my reproach.' While David saw fasting and weeping as sacred acts, a way to humble himself before God and express his sorrow over sin and impiety, his enemies saw it differently.
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Misinterpreted Devotion
They mocked him for it. Instead of recognizing his genuine sorrow or repentance, they derided him.
This highlights a painful reality: sincere devotion can often be misunderstood and even scorned by those who live apart from God.
Understand the original words
anah · Hebrew Verb
To bring oneself low in submission to God; it involves self-denial and the recognition of one's dependence on the Almighty, often accompanied by grief or repentance.
tsom · Hebrew Noun
A spiritual discipline of abstaining from food to focus entirely on prayer, repentance, or seeking God's intervention, expressing total reliance on Him.
The verse highlights how acts of deep piety and repentance, like fasting and weeping for sin or national impiety, could be twisted into reasons for mockery by those who opposed God and His people, a reality often faced by David and later by Christ.
c. 1000 BC— this verse
David's Reign as King
David, the likely author of this Psalm, faced numerous personal and political challenges during his reign, including betrayal by close companions and opposition from enemies.
c. 1000-950 BC
Period of Israelite Monarchy
This era was characterized by strong leadership but also internal strife and external threats from neighboring nations, creating a volatile environment for public and private life.
Ancient Near East
Custom of Public Mourning
Fasting and wearing sackcloth were common outward expressions of deep sorrow, repentance, or intense supplication in ancient Israel and surrounding cultures.
This passage reflects a similar situation where adherence to God's law and righteousness is met with misunderstanding or scorn by those who are self-righteous.
1 Corinthians 1:23The Apostle Paul echoes this theme, highlighting how Christ's message and His followers' dedication can be perceived as foolishness by the world, yet is the power and wisdom of God.
Matthew 6:16This verse speaks to the practice of fasting, cautioning against performing it ostentatiously, implying that the psalm's author was perhaps being mocked for fasting in a way that drew attention, or that his genuine piety was misinterpreted.
Galatians 5:11This passage directly addresses the idea that preaching the cross and living a life devoted to God can lead to persecution and reproach, much like what the psalmist experienced.
Jeremiah 6:26Similar to the psalm, this verse describes a prophet mourning and lamenting because of the people's sinfulness, and the people's reaction is to mock and scorn him for his grief and concern.
pulpitPsalms 69:10: "When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach."
Verse 10. - When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach. David's practice of fasting appears both here and also in Psalm 35:13; Psalm 109:24; 2 Kings 12:16, 22. As fasting was not enjoined by the Law, he might be reproached for over-righteousness, and perhaps also for ostentation, on account of it.
jfbPsalms 69:10: "When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach."
- wept (and chastened) my soul—literally, "wept away my soul," a strongly figurative description of deep grief.
The Psalmist wasn't just fasting; he was deeply humbling his very being before God, a profound act of spiritual discipline. Yet, instead of understanding, those around him twisted his sincere devotion into something to mock and ridicule, revealing their own spiritual blindness.
The psalmist is describing a period of deep distress and suffering, where his earnest attempts to humble himself before God through fasting and prayer for the sins of his people are met not with compassion, but with ridicule and mockery by those around him. This profound sorrow and piety, intended to draw him closer to God and perhaps atone for collective wrongdoing, ironically becomes the very reason for his enemies to scorn him, turning his devotion into a source of contempt.
The psalmist is describing a period of deep distress and suffering, where his earnest attempts to humble himself before God through fasting and prayer for the sins of his people are met not with compassion, but with ridicule and mockery by those around him. This profound sorrow and piety, intended to draw him closer to God and perhaps atone for collective wrongdoing, ironically becomes the very reason for his enemies to scorn him, turning his devotion into a source of contempt.
"When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach." — The Psalmist wasn't just fasting; he was deeply humbling his very being before God, a profound act of spiritual discipline. Yet, instead of understanding, those around him twisted his sincere devotio…
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Last reviewed October 2026