Charles Ellicott Commentary Psalms 35:13

"But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I afflicted my soul with fasting; And my prayer returned into mine own bosom." — Psalms 35:13 (ASV)

And my prayer returned into my own bosom. — This has been most variously explained.

The context evidently implies something done for the benefit of the former friends for whom, in their sickness, the psalmist had worn sackcloth, fasted, and adopted all the other signs of mourning.

We must therefore set aside the following interpretations:

1. The idea of fruitless prayer, despite the analogy of Matthew 10:13 and Luke 10:6.
2. The notion that the answer to the prayer came back to the psalmist himself, instead of to those for whom it was offered.
3. The notion of secret, i.e., silent prayer, despite Proverbs 17:23 and Proverbs 21:14, since all the “outward and visible” signs of mourning are indicated, and the very object was to show sympathy and interest.

The remaining interpretations are:

1. The literal interpretation: and my prayer turned upon my bosom, referring to the posture described in Psalm 35:14. (Compare to 1 Kings 18:42, where, however, there is no express mention of prayer.) The words were, as it were, muttered into his bosom. This is the view of Ewald and Delitzsch, but it seems prosaic.
2. The far more probable meaning: my prayer came back again and again to my bosom, i.e., it was repeated over and over again, just as we say, “the thought recurred to my mind.” (Compare to the common phrase for thoughts coming upon the heart, Jeremiah 3:16, Jeremiah 7:31, and following.) The Hebrew verb has this frequentative sense in one of its conjugations.