Psalms 59

1 ¹Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; ²protect me from those who ³rise up against me;

2 deliver me from ⁴those who work evil, and save me from ⁵bloodthirsty men.

3 For behold, they ⁶lie in wait for my life; fierce men ⁷stir up strife against me. ⁸For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,

4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. ⁹Awake, come to meet me, and see!

5 You, ¹⁰LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Rouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah

6 Each evening they ¹¹come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.

7 There they are, ¹²bellowing with their mouths with ¹³swords in their lips-- for ¹⁴"Who," they think,^[a]"will hear us?"

8 But you, O LORD, ¹⁵laugh at them; you hold all the nations in derision.

9 O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are ¹⁶my fortress.

10 ¹⁷My God in his steadfast love^[b]18will meet me; God will let me ¹⁹look in triumph on my enemies.

11 Kill them not, lest my people forget; make them totter^[c] by your power and ²⁰bring them down, O Lord, our ²¹shield!

12 For ²²the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter,

13 ²³consume them in wrath; consume them till they are no more, that they may ²⁴know that God rules over Jacob to ²⁵the ends of the earth. Selah

14 ²⁶Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.

15 They ²⁷wander about for food and growl if they do not get their fill.

16 But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me ²⁸a fortress and ²⁹a refuge in ³⁰the day of my distress.

17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, ³¹are my fortress, ³²the God who shows me steadfast love.

Psalms 59 Commentary

Chapter 59

David prays for deliverance from his enemies. (1-7) He foresees their destruction. (8-17)

Verses 1-7 In these words we hear the voice of David when a prisoner in his own house; the voice of Christ when surrounded by his merciless enemies; the voice of the church when under bondage in the world; and the voice of the Christian when under temptation, affliction, and persecution. And thus earnestly should we pray daily, to be defended and delivered from our spiritual enemies, the temptations of Satan, and the corruptions of our own hearts. We should fear suffering as evil-doers, but not be ashamed of the hatred of workers of iniquity. It is not strange, if those regard not what they themselves say, who have made themselves believe that God regards not what they say. And where there is no fear of God, there is nothing to secure proper regard to man.

Verses 8-17 It is our wisdom and duty, in times of danger and difficulty, to wait upon God; for he is our defence, in whom we shall be safe. It is very comfortable to us, in prayer, to look to God as the God of our mercy, the Author of all good in us, and the Giver of all good to us. The wicked can never be satisfied, which is the greatest misery in a poor condition. A contented man, if he has not what he would have, yet he does not quarrel with Providence, nor fret within himself. It is not poverty, but discontent that makes a man unhappy. David would praise God because he had many times, and all along, found Him his refuge in the day of trouble. He that is all this to us, is certainly worthy of our best affections, praises, and services. The trials of his people will end in joy and praise. When the night of affliction is over, they will sing of the Lord's power and mercy in the morning. Let believers now, in assured faith and hope, praise Him for those mercies, for which they will rejoice and praise him for ever.

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 143:9; [Psalms 18:48]
• 2. See Psalms 20:1
• 3. See Psalms 17:7
• 4. Psalms 94:4
• 5. Psalms 5:6
• 6. Psalms 10:9
• 7. See Psalms 56:6
• 8. 1 Samuel 24:11; [Psalms 7:3; Psalms 69:4]
• 9. See Psalms 35:23
• 10. Psalms 80:4; Psalms 84:8
• 11. [Psalms 22:16]
• 12. Proverbs 15:2, 28; [Psalms 94:4]
• 13. See Psalms 57:4
• 14. See Job 22:13
• 15. See Psalms 2:4
• 16. ver. 16, 17; See Psalms 9:9
• 17. ver. 17
• 18. Psalms 21:3
• 19. See Psalms 54:7
• 20. See Psalms 55:23
• 21. See Psalms 3:3
• 22. See Proverbs 12:13
• 23. [Psalms 7:9]
• 24. Psalms 83:18
• 25. Psalms 22:27
• 26. [Psalms 22:16]
• 27. Psalms 109:10; Job 15:23
• 28. ver. 9
• 29. 2 Samuel 22:3
• 30. Psalms 18:6
• 31. [See ver. 16 above]
• 32. ver. 10

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew lacks they think
• [b]. Or The God who shows me steadfast love
• [c]. Or wander

Chapter Summary

To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him. The history of Saul's sending messengers to watch the house of David, and to kill him when he rose in the morning, is in 1 Samuel 19:11; which was the occasion of his writing this psalm; though the title of the Syriac version of it is, "David said or composed this, when he heard that the priests were slain by Saul:" and in the same is added, "but unto us it declares the conversion of the Gentiles to the faith, and the rejection of the Jews." And which perhaps is designed in Psalm 59:5; and some interpreters are of opinion that the whole psalm is to be understood of Christ, of whom David was a type, especially in his sufferings; and there are some things in it which better agree with him than with David, as particularly his being without sin, Psalm 59:3.