Psalm 55:6-9

6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.

7 I would flee far away and stay in the desert;^[a]

8 I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.”

9 Lord, confuse the wicked, confound their words, for I see violence and strife in the city.

Psalm 55:6-9 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

• 1. 1 Samuel 23:14
• 2. Psalms 31:20
• 3. Psalms 77:18; Isaiah 4:6; Isaiah 25:4; Isaiah 28:2; Isaiah 29:6; Isaiah 32:2
• 4. Genesis 11:9; Acts 2:4
• 5. Psalms 11:5; Isaiah 59:6; Jeremiah 6:7; Ezekiel 7:11; Habakkuk 1:3
• 6. Genesis 4:17

Footnotes

• [a] The Hebrew has "Selah" (a word of uncertain meaning) here and in the middle of verse 19.