Psalm 54

1 Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy might.

2 O God, hear my prayer; hearken to the words of my mouth.

3 For strangers have risen up against me, and mighty men have sought my life: they have not set God before them. Pause.

4 For lo! God assists me; and the Lord is the helper of my soul.

5 He shall return evil to mine enemies; utterly destroy them in thy truth.

6 I will willingly sacrifice to thee: I will give thanks to thy name, O Lord; for it is good.

7 For thou hast delivered me out of all affliction, and mine eye has seen my desire upon mine enemies.

Psalm 54 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.