Psalms 59:3-13

3 For see, they are watching in secret for my soul; the strong have come together against me? but not because of my sin, or my evil-doing, O Lord.

4 For no sin of mine they go quickly and get themselves ready; be awake and come to my help, and see.

5 You, O Lord God of armies, are the God of Israel; come now and give punishment to the nations; have no mercy on any workers of deceit. (Selah.)

6 They come back in the evening; they make a noise like a dog, and go round the town.

7 See, hate is dropping from their lips; curses are on their tongues: they say, Who gives attention to it?

8 But you are laughing at them, O Lord; you will make sport of all the nations.

9 O my strength, I will put my hope in you; because God is my strong tower.

10 The God of my mercy will go before me: God will let me see my desire effected on my haters.

11 Put them not to death, for so my people will keep the memory of them: let them be sent in all directions by your power; make them low, O Lord our saviour.

12 Because of the sin of their mouths and the word of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride; and for their curses and their deceit,

13 Put an end to them in your wrath, put an end to them, so that they may not be seen again; let them see that God is ruling in Jacob and to the ends of the earth. (Selah.)

Psalms 59:3-13 Meaning and Commentary

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.