Psalms 54:10-20

10 praecipita Domine divide linguas eorum quoniam vidi iniquitatem et contradictionem in civitate

11 die et nocte circumdabit eam super muros eius et iniquitas et labor in medio eius

12 et iniustitia et non defecit de plateis eius usura et dolus

13 quoniam si inimicus maledixisset mihi sustinuissem utique et si is qui oderat me super me magna locutus fuisset abscondissem me forsitan ab eo

14 tu vero homo unianimis dux meus et notus meus

15 qui simul mecum dulces capiebas cibos in domo Dei ambulavimus cum consensu

16 veniat mors super illos et descendant in infernum viventes quoniam nequitiae in habitaculis eorum in medio eorum

17 ego %autem; ad Deum clamavi et Dominus salvabit me

18 vespere et mane et meridie narrabo et adnuntiabo et exaudiet vocem meam

19 redimet in pace animam meam ab his qui adpropinquant mihi quoniam inter multos erant mecum

20 exaudiet Deus et humiliabit illos qui est ante saecula diapsalma non enim est illis commutatio et non timuerunt Deum

Psalms 54:10-20 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, [A Psalm] of David, when the Ziphims came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us? Of the word "neginoth," See Gill on "Ps 4:1," title; and of "maschil," See Gill on "Ps 32:1," title. The occasion of writing this psalm were the discoveries the Ziphims or Ziphites made to Saul of David being in their neighbourhood; which they did twice, as appears from 1 Samuel 23:14. Which of these gave occasion to the psalm is not certain; it is very likely that it was composed after both had been made. These Ziphims were the inhabitants of a city called Ziph, which was in the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:55, near to which was a wilderness, which had its name from the city in which David was when they came to Saul with this news of him.