Psalms 55:12-22

12 For it was not my hater who said evil of me; that would have been no grief to me; it was not one outside the number of my friends who made himself strong against me, or I would have kept myself from him in a secret place;

13 But it was you, my equal, my guide, my well-loved friend.

14 We had loving talk together, and went to the house of God in company.

15 Let the hand of death come on them suddenly, and let them go down living into the underworld; because evil is in their houses and in their hearts.

16 As for me, I will make my prayer to God, and he will be my saviour.

17 In the evening and in the morning and in the middle of the day I will make my prayer with sounds of grief; and my voice will come to his ears.

18 He has taken my soul away from the attack which was made against me, and given it peace; for great numbers were against me.

19 God will give thought to me; he who from early times is strong will send pain and trouble on them. (Selah.) Because they are unchanged, they have no fear of God.

20 He has put out his hand against those who were at peace with him; he has not kept his agreement.

21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, but they were sharp swords.

22 Put your cares on the Lord, and he will be your support; he will not let the upright man be moved.

Psalms 55:12-22 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.