Psalms 59:5-15

5 You, LORD God Almighty, you who are the God of Israel, rouse yourself to punish all the nations; show no mercy to wicked traitors.^[a]

6 They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city.

7 See what they spew from their mouths— the words from their lips are sharp as swords, and they think, “Who can hear us?”

8 But you laugh at them, LORD; you scoff at all those nations.

9 You are my strength, I watch for you; you, God, are my fortress,

10 my God on whom I can rely. God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me.

11 But do not kill them, Lord our shield,^[b]or my people will forget. In your might uproot them and bring them down.

12 For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride. For the curses and lies they utter,

13 consume them in your wrath, consume them till they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob.

14 They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city.

15 They wander about for food and howl if not satisfied.

Psalms 59:5-15 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.

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 69:6; Psalms 80:4; Psalms 84:8
• 2. S Psalms 44:23
• 3. S Psalms 9:5; S Isaiah 10:3
• 4. Jeremiah 18:23
• 5. ver 14; Psalms 22:16
• 6. Psalms 94:4; Proverbs 10:32; Proverbs 12:23; Proverbs 15:2,28
• 7. S Psalms 55:21; Psalms 57:4
• 8. S Job 22:13; Psalms 10:11
• 9. Psalms 37:13; Proverbs 1:26
• 10. Psalms 2:4
• 11. S Psalms 18:1
• 12. Psalms 9:9; Psalms 18:2; Psalms 62:2; Psalms 71:3
• 13. Psalms 3:3; Psalms 84:9
• 14. Deuteronomy 4:9; Deuteronomy 6:12
• 15. Psalms 89:10; Psalms 106:27; Psalms 144:6; Isaiah 33:3
• 16. Psalms 10:7
• 17. Psalms 64:8; Proverbs 10:14; Proverbs 12:13
• 18. Isaiah 2:12; Isaiah 5:15; Zephaniah 3:11
• 19. Psalms 104:35
• 20. Psalms 83:18
• 21. Job 15:23

Footnotes

• [a]. The Hebrew has "Selah" (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 13.
• [b]. Or "sovereign"