New English Translation

Psalms 59:1-7

1 1 2 3 4Deliver me from my enemies, my God! Protect me from those who attack me!

2Deliver me from evildoers! Rescue me from violent men!

3For look, they wait to ambush me; powerful men stalk me, but not because I have rebelled or sinned, O Lord.

4Though I have done nothing wrong, they are anxious to attack. Spring into action and help me! Take notice of me!

5You, O Lord God, the invincible warrior, the God of Israel, rouse yourself and punish all the nations! Have no mercy on any treacherous evildoers! (Selah)

6They return in the evening; they growl like a dog and prowl around outside the city.

7Look, they hurl insults at me and openly threaten to kill me, for they say, “Who hears?”

Read all of Psalms 59

Notes

1. Psalms 59:1 Psalm 59. The psalmist calls down judgment on his foreign enemies, whom he compares to ravenous wild dogs. ↩
2. Psalms 59:1 Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the superscription to Pss 57-58, 75. ↩
3. Psalms 59:1 The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56-58, 60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.” ↩
4. Psalms 59:1 Heb “when Saul sent and they watched his house in order to kill him.”sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm on the occasion when Saul sent assassins to surround David’s house and kill him in the morning (see 1 Sam 19:11). However, the psalm itself mentions foreign enemies (vv. 5, 8). Perhaps these references reflect a later adaptation of an original Davidic psalm. ↩

Notes

Commentaries on Psalms 59