New King James Version
Psalms 56:1
1Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; Fighting all day he oppresses me.
Psalms 56:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.
- New International Version (NIV)Be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit; all day long they press their attack.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me;
- New Living Translation (NLT)O God, have mercy on me, for people are hounding me. My foes attack me all day long.
Context of Psalms 56:1
Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up; Fighting all day he oppresses me. 2My enemies would hound me all day, For there are many who fight against me, O Most High. 3Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.
Read all of Psalms 56Psalms 56:1 word by word
חָנֵּ֣נִי אֱ֭לֹהִים כִּֽי־שְׁאָפַ֣נִי אֱנ֑וֹשׁ כָּל־הַ֝יּ֗וֹם לֹחֵ֥ם יִלְחָצֵֽנִי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 56:1
- Psalms 16:1Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.
- Psalms 57:1Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by.
- Psalms 58:1Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?
- Psalms 59:1Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; Defend me from those who rise up against me.
- Psalms 60:1O God, You have cast us off; You have broken us down; You have been displeased; Oh, restore us again!
- 1 Samuel 21:11And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?”
- 1 Samuel 29:4But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men?
- Psalms 31:9Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body!
- Psalms 59:10My God of mercy shall come to meet me; God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.
- Psalms 69:13But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.
- Psalms 136:10To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, For His mercy endures forever;
- Psalms 143:12In Your mercy cut off my enemies, And destroy all those who afflict my soul; For I am Your servant.
- Psalms 21:9You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger; The Lord shall swallow them up in His wrath, And the fire shall devour them.
- Psalms 27:2When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.
- Psalms 35:25Let them not say in their hearts, “Ah, so we would have it!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”
- Psalms 57:3He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.
Commentaries on Psalms 56:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Be merciful unto me - I am assailed both at home and abroad. I can go nowhere without meeting with enemies: unless thou who art the Fountain of mercy and the Most High, stand up in my behalf, my enemies will most undoubtedly prevail against me. They fight against me continually, and I am in the utmost danger of being swallowed up by them.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Be merciful unto me, O God - See the notes at Psalm 51:1. For man would swallow me up - The word used here means properly to breathe hard; to pant; to blow hard; and then, to pant after, to yawn after with open mouth. The idea is, that people came upon him everywhere with open mouth, as if they would swallow him down whole. He found no friend in man - in any man. Everywhere his life was sought. There was no “man,” wherever he might go, on whom he could…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1David seeks mercy from God, amidst the malice of his enemies. (1-7) He rests his faith on God's promises, and declares his obligation to praise him for mercies. (8-13) Verses 1-7 Be merciful unto me, O God. This petition includes all the good for which we come to throne of grace. If we obtain mercy there, we need no more to make us happy. It implies likewise our best plea, not our merit, but God's mercy, his free, rich mercy. We may flee to, and trust the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1A Miktam: This may be a literary or musical term. David was seized by Philistines concerned about his loyalties and brought before King Achish (1 Samuel 21:10–15).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-131-2. would swallow--literally, "pants as a raging beast" (Ac 9:1).Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 56:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 56
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries