Make haste to help me - Margin, as in Hebrew: "for my help." This is an earnest prayer that God would come immediately to his rescue.
O Lord my salvation - See the notes at Psalm 27:1. The effect, therefore, of the trials that came upon the psalmist was to lead him to cry most earnestly to God. Those sorrows led him to God. This is one of the designed effects of affliction. Trouble never accomplishes its proper effect unless it leads us to God; and anything that "will" lead us to him is a gain in the end. The deeper our trouble, therefore, the greater may be the ultimate good to us; and at the end of life, when we come to look over all that has happened in our journey through this world, that on which we may look back with most satisfaction and gratitude may be the sorrows and afflictions that have befallen us - for these will be then seen to have been among the chief instrumentalities by which we were weaned from sin; by which we were led to the Saviour; by which we were induced to seek a preparation for heaven. No Christian, when he comes to die, ever feels that he has been too much afflicted, or that any trial has come upon him for which there was not occasion, and which was not designed and adapted to do him good.

Make haste to help me - I am dying; save, Lord, or I perish. Whoever carefuIly reads over this Psalm will see what a grievous and bitter thing it is to sin against the Lord, and especially to sin after having known his mercy, and after having escaped from the corruption that is in the world. Reader, be on thy guard; a life of righteousness may be lost by giving way to a moment's temptation, and a fair character sullied for ever! Let him that most assuredly standeth take heed lest he fall.
'Tis but a grain of sweet that one can sow,
To reap a harvest of wide-wasting wo.

Make haste to help me, O Lord my (p) salvation.
(p) Who is the author of my salvation: and this declares that he prayed with sure hope of deliverance.

Make haste and help me,.... Or, "for my help"; his case required haste, and God does help his people when none else can, and that right early;
O Lord, my salvation; by which it appears that his prayer was a prayer of faith; he saw that his salvation was in the Lord, and in no other; and though he had been and was in such a low condition, both in soul and body, yet his faith was not lost; that is an abiding grace, and will continue under the influence of the author and finisher of it, until the end of it is received, the salvation of the soul. R. Moses (r) thinks the phrase "make haste" is to be repeated here, and read thus, "make haste, O Lord, to my salvation".
(r) In Aben Ezra & R. Joseph Kimchi in R. David Kimchi in loc.