thought the poem reflected 1 Samuel 22:1–2 and chapter 24, although David’s “cave” was neither a prison nor lonely. The poem could express the longing of anyone feeling wrongfully used and forsaken; its vagueness makes it universal. . Two themes run through this urgent plea. The writer is pursued, crushed, “darkened,” faint, dismayed, beset, in danger of death. He urges that his foes be silenced and destroyed. He is plainly hard-pressed and frightened. But his cry is also for mercy, relying