“I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother.”
The psalmist describes how he conducted himself as though mourning for a friend or brother, bowing in sadness as if grieving for his mother. The imagery of profound grief suggests the depth of the psalmist's emotional investment in the relationship and his sorrow at the betrayal. The escalation of metaphors—friend, brother, mother—emphasizes the intimacy of what has been violated. This verse portrays the psalmist as deeply wounded not merely by hostility but by the betrayal of what had been close personal relationships.
Church Fathers on Psalms 35:14
1. ...The title of it causes us no delay, for it is both brief, and to be understood not difficult, especially to those nursed in the Church of God. For so it is, “To David himself.” The Psalm then is to David himself: now David is interpreted, Strong in hand, or Desirable. The Psalm then is to the Strong in hand, and Desirable, to Him who for us has overcome death, who unto us has promised life: for in this is He Strong in hand, that He has overcome death for us; in this is…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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