Psalms 55:1-6

Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.

1 1Give ear to my prayer, O God; And 2do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2 Give 3heed to me and answer me; I am restless in my 4complaint and 5am surely distracted,
3 Because of the voice of the enemy, Because * of the 6pressure of the wicked; For they 7bring down trouble upon me And in anger they 8bear a grudge against me.
4 My 9heart is in anguish within me, And the terrors of 10death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and 11trembling come upon me, And 12horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, "Oh *, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and 13be at rest.

Psalms 55:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil [A Psalm] of David. The occasion of this psalm was either the persecution of Saul, or the conspiracy of Absalom. Some think it was written when David understood that the inhabitants of Keilah would deliver him into the hands of Saul, 1 Samuel 23:12; and others when the Ziphites attempted a second time to do the same, 1 Samuel 26:1; but since a single person is spoken of that magnified himself against him, Psalm 55:12; and Ahithophel seems to be designed; it may be thought rather to be written on account of Absalom's rebellion, and Ahithophel's counsel against him; who is considered by many Christian interpreters as a type of Judas, the betrayer of our Lord; and, indeed, there are many things in this psalm, if not the whole, which may be truly applied to Christ, as will be seen in the following exposition of it.

Cross References 13

  • 1. Psalms 54:2; Psalms 61:1; Psalms 86:6
  • 2. Psalms 27:9
  • 3. Psalms 66:19; Psalms 86:6, 7
  • 4. 1 Samuel 1:16; Job 9:27; Psalms 64:1; Psalms 77:3; Psalms 142:2
  • 5. Isaiah 38:14; Isaiah 59:11; Ezekiel 7:16
  • 6. Psalms 17:9
  • 7. 2 Samuel 16:7, 8
  • 8. Psalms 71:11; Psalms 143:3
  • 9. Psalms 38:8
  • 10. Psalms 18:4, 5; Psalms 116:3
  • 11. Psalms 119:120
  • 12. Job 21:6; Isaiah 21:4; Ezekiel 7:18
  • 13. Job 3:13

Footnotes 4

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