Psalms / Chapter 59

Psalms 59

18 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

A psalm of urgent deliverance, attributed to David when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him. David pleads for rescue from enemies who prowl like dogs around the city at evening, snarling and howling. Two refrains structure the psalm: 'You, LORD, laugh at them' and 'They return at evening, snarling like dogs, prowling the city.' The psalm moves from desperate plea to triumphant confidence in God as fortress and faithful love.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The dog-imagery is the psalm's signature feature (vv. 7, 15). The enemies are not described as warriors or lions but as feral dogs — pack animals that scavenge at the margins of the city after dark. In the ancient Near East, dogs were not pets but despised scavengers associated with filth, disease, and shamelessness. To compare the king's soldiers to prowling dogs is to strip them of all dignity. They serve a paranoid king and do his dirty work at night, like animals foraging in garbage. The double use of this image (vv. 7 and 15) creates a structural refrain that bookends the psalm's center, but with a crucial shift: in verse 7 the dogs are threatening; by verse 15 they are merely pathetic, whimpering and unfed.

Translation Friction

The superscription refers to 1 Samuel 19:11, where Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch it overnight and kill him in the morning. Michal, David's wife, helped him escape through a window. The psalm's reference to 'all the nations' (v. 6, 9) seems broader than a domestic assassination attempt, leading some scholars to see the psalm as adapting a personal crisis into a national liturgy. The shift between singular and plural enemies, and between personal and international scope, may reflect this liturgical expansion.

Connections

The historical setting is 1 Samuel 19:11-17, where Michal lowers David through a window and deceives Saul's men with a household idol in the bed. The dog-pack imagery connects to 1 Kings 14:11, 16:4, and 21:23-24, where dogs eating the dead is the mark of the most dishonorable death. The fortress-language (misgav, 'refuge, high place') connects to Psalm 18:2 and 2 Samuel 22:3. The 'God of my faithful love' (Elohei chasdi) in verse 18 is a remarkable designation found nowhere else in the Psalter.

Psalms 59:1

לַמְנַצֵּ֣חַ אַל־תַּ֭שְׁחֵת לְדָוִ֣ד מִכְתָּ֑ם בִּשְׁלֹ֤חַ שָׁא֗וּל וַֽיִּשְׁמְר֥וּ אֶת־הַ֝בַּ֗יִת לַהֲמִיתֽוֹ׃

For the director of music. "Do Not Destroy." A miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch the house in order to kill him.

KJV To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The third consecutive al tashchet ('do not destroy') psalm. The superscription specifies the crisis: Saul dispatched agents to surveil David's house overnight, planning to execute him at dawn (1 Samuel 19:11). The verb shamar ('to watch, to guard') — normally a positive word (God as guardian) — is here inverted: the watchers are predators, not protectors.
Psalms 59:2

הַצִּילֵ֣נִי מֵאֹיְבַ֣י אֱלֹהָ֑י מִּמִתְקוֹמְמַ֥י תְּשַׂגְּבֵֽנִי׃

Deliver me from my enemies, my God; set me safely on high, away from those who rise against me.

KJV Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. tesaggeveni ('set me on high, make me inaccessibly high') from sagav — to be high, to be exalted beyond reach. David asks not just for rescue but for elevation — to be placed somewhere his enemies cannot reach. The misgav ('high refuge') language that will define this psalm begins here.
Psalms 59:3

הַצִּילֵ֥נִי מִפֹּ֣עֲלֵי אָ֑וֶן וּמֵאַנְשֵׁ֖י דָמִ֣ים הוֹשִׁיעֵֽנִי׃

Deliver me from workers of wickedness, and save me from men of blood.

KJV Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. po'alei aven ('workers of wickedness') — the same phrase from Psalm 53:5. anshei damim ('men of blood') — those whose hands are stained with bloodshed, the same phrase from Psalm 55:24. The vocabulary recycling across this psalm cluster creates a coherent picture of the enemies David faces.
Psalms 59:4

כִּ֤י הִנֵּ֨ה ׀ אָרְב֣וּ לְנַפְשִׁי֮ יָג֥וּרוּ עָלַ֗י עַ֫זִּ֥ים לֹא־פִשְׁעִ֥י וְלֹא־חַטָּאתִ֗י יְהֹוָֽה׃

For look — they lie in ambush for my life; fierce men gather against me. Not for my rebellion, not for my sin, LORD!

KJV For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. David declares his innocence using two of the three sin-words from Psalm 51: pesha ('rebellion') and chattat ('sin'). He is not claiming perfection — he is asserting that his enemies' hostility has no just cause. Their attack is not punishment for wrongdoing but unprovoked aggression against an innocent man. The protest lo pish'i ve-lo chattati ('not my rebellion and not my sin') is a legal defense before the divine judge.
Psalms 59:5

בְּלִי־עָ֭וֺן יְרוּצ֣וּן וְיִכּוֹנָ֑נוּ ע֖וּרָה לִקְרָאתִ֣י וּרְאֵֽה׃

Without guilt on my part they rush and take position. Wake up to meet me — and see!

KJV They run and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me, and behold.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The enemies yerutsun ('run, rush') and yikkonanu ('prepare themselves, take position') — military language for taking battle stations. And they do this beli avon ('without guilt') — David has given them no cause. The imperative urah ('wake up!') is bold — David speaks to God as though God is sleeping through the crisis. This is not irreverence but desperation.
Psalms 59:6

וְאַתָּ֤ה יְהֹוָֽה־אֱלֹהִ֨ים ׀ צְבָא֗וֹת אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִ֭שְׂרָאֵל הָקִ֨יצָה לִפְקֹ֣ד כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם אַל־תָּחֹ֨ן כׇּל־בֹּ֖גְדֵי אָ֣וֶן סֶֽלָה׃

And you — LORD God of Armies, God of Israel — rouse yourself to punish all the nations! Show no mercy to any treacherous evildoer. Selah.

KJV Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The expansion to 'all the nations' may reflect liturgical adaptation — what began as David's personal crisis became a prayer for God's cosmic justice. Alternatively, David may be placing his personal enemies within the larger framework of all who oppose God's purposes.
Psalms 59:7

יָשׁ֣וּבוּ לָ֭עֶרֶב יֶהֱמ֥וּ כַכָּ֗לֶב וִיס֥וֹבְב֗וּ עִֽיר׃

They return at evening, snarling like dogs, prowling around the city.

KJV They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The evening timing connects to the superscription — Saul's men watched David's house overnight (1 Samuel 19:11). The dogs that prowl at dusk are these same watchers, waiting for dawn to make their kill. Michal's intervention (lowering David through the window) happened during the night these dogs were circling.
Psalms 59:8

הִנֵּ֤ה ׀ יַבִּ֘יע֤וּן בְּפִיהֶ֗ם חֲ֭רָבוֹת בְּשִׂפְתוֹתֵיהֶ֑ם כִּי־מִ֥י שֹׁמֵֽעַ׃

Look what pours from their mouths — swords on their lips! For they say, "Who is listening?"

KJV Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. yabbiun ('they pour out, they gush, they belch') — their mouths overflow with violent speech. charavot be-siftotehem ('swords on their lips') — the sword-tongue image from Psalm 57:5 continues. Their confidence is grounded in the assumption mi shomea ('who is listening?') — practical atheism again (cf. Psalm 53:2). They believe no one — not God, not a higher authority — hears or cares what they say.
Psalms 59:9

וְאַתָּ֣ה יְ֭הֹוָה תִּשְׂחַק־לָ֑מוֹ תִּ֝לְעַ֗ג לְכׇל־גּוֹיִֽם׃

But you, LORD — you laugh at them; you scoff at all the nations.

KJV But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The divine laughter motif (Psalms 2:4, 37:13, 59:9) is one of the most striking anthropomorphisms in the Hebrew Bible. It expresses not emotional amusement but the absolute sovereignty of God over all human scheming. The enemies' self-importance is comic when viewed from God's throne.
Psalms 59:10

עֻ֭זּוֹ אֵלֶ֣יךָ אֶשְׁמֹ֑רָה כִּֽי־אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים מִשְׂגַּבִּֽי׃

My strength — I watch for you, for God is my fortress.

KJV Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Qere reading is uzzi ('my strength') rather than uzzo ('his strength'). David addresses God as his strength and watches (eshmorah) for him — the same verb (shamar, 'to watch') that described the enemies watching his house in the superscription. They watch to kill; David watches for God. misgabbi ('my fortress, my high refuge') — the key word of the psalm, repeated in verses 10, 17, and 18.
Psalms 59:11

אֱלֹהֵ֣י חַ֭סְדִּי יְקַדְּמֵ֑נִי אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים יַרְאֵ֥נִי בְשֹׁרְרָֽי׃

My God of faithful love will come to meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

KJV The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

חֶסֶד chesed
"faithful love" — loyal love, covenant faithfulness, kindness, mercy, devotion

The construction Elohei chasdi ('my God of faithful love') personalizes chesed to the highest degree. God's covenant loyalty is not abstract but addressed to David specifically. This is the relational foundation of the entire psalm.

Translator Notes

  1. Elohei chasdi is a hapax-level construction — the possessive 'my faithful love' applied to God creates a unique intimacy. God is not just characterized by chesed in general but is bound to David by a specific, personal, covenantal faithful love.
Psalms 59:12

אַל־תַּהַרְגֵ֤ם ׀ פֶּ֥ן יִשְׁכְּח֗וּ עַ֫מִּ֥י הֲנִיעֵ֣מוֹ בְ֭חֵילְךָ וְהוֹרִידֵ֑מוֹ מָֽגִנֵּ֗נוּ אֲדֹנָֽי׃

Do not kill them, or my people will forget. Scatter them by your power and bring them low, Lord, our shield.

KJV Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This verse contains sophisticated theological reasoning about the purpose of divine judgment. Total destruction erases evidence; prolonged diminishment provides ongoing testimony. David wants his people to see the consequences play out over time so that the lesson becomes unforgettable.
Psalms 59:13

חַטַּאת־פִּ֗ימוֹ דְּֽבַר־שְׂפָ֫תֵ֥ימוֹ וְיִלָּכְד֥וּ בִגְאוֹנָ֑ם וּמֵאָלָ֖ה וּמִכַּ֣חַשׁ יְסַפֵּֽרוּ׃

The sin of their mouths, the words of their lips — let them be caught in their pride! For the cursing and lies they speak,

KJV For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The mouth-sin catalogue continues: chattat pimo ('the sin of their mouths'), devar sefateimo ('the word of their lips'), ge'onam ('their pride'), alah ('cursing, oath-breaking'), and kachash ('lies, denial'). The trap-vocabulary from Psalm 57:7 recurs: yillakhedu ('let them be caught') — their own words will become the net that ensnares them.
Psalms 59:14

כַּלֵּ֥ה בְחֵמָ֗ה כַּ֫לֵּ֥ה וְאֵינֵ֑מוֹ וְֽיֵדְע֗וּ כִּי־אֱלֹהִ֥ים מֹשֵׁ֥ל בְּ֝יַעֲקֹ֗ב לְאַפְסֵי־הָאָ֥רֶץ סֶֽלָה׃

Consume them in wrath — consume them until they are no more! Let them know that God rules in Jacob, to the ends of the earth. Selah.

KJV Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The doubled kalleh ('consume, finish off') intensifies the plea. But the purpose is not destruction for its own sake — it is revelation: ve-yed'u ('and let them know'). The goal of judgment is knowledge: ki Elohim moshel be-Ya'aqov ('that God rules in Jacob'). The scope: le-afsei ha-arets ('to the ends of the earth'). God's rule over Jacob (Israel) has universal implications — what he does for his covenant people declares his sovereignty everywhere.
Psalms 59:15

וְיָשׁ֣וּבוּ לָ֭עֶרֶב יֶהֱמ֥וּ כַכָּ֗לֶב וִיס֥וֹבְב֗וּ עִֽיר׃

They return at evening, snarling like dogs, prowling around the city.

KJV And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The structural repetition of the refrain (vv. 7 and 15) is a deliberate literary technique. The listener hears the same words but understands them differently because of everything that has happened between the two occurrences. This is how trust transforms perception without changing circumstances.
Psalms 59:16

הֵ֤מָּה ׀ יְנִיע֣וּן לֶ֭אֱכֹל אִם־לֹ֥א יִ֝שְׂבְּע֗וּ וַיָּלִֽינוּ׃

They wander about for food; if they are not satisfied, they howl through the night.

KJV Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The dogs are now scavengers — yeniu'un le-ekhol ('they wander for food'), searching for scraps. The mighty soldiers have become hungry strays. im lo yisbe'u vayyalinu ('if they are not satisfied, they spend the night howling') — unsatisfied dogs whimpering in the dark. The transformation from threatening to pathetic is complete.
Psalms 59:17

וַאֲנִ֤י ׀ אָשִׁ֣יר עֻזֶּ֗ךָ וַאֲרַנֵּ֥ן לַבֹּ֗קֶר חַסְדֶּ֥ךָ כִּֽי־הָיִ֣יתָ מִשְׂגָּ֣ב לִ֑י וּ֝מָנ֗וֹס בְּי֣וֹם צַר־לִֽי׃

But I will sing of your strength; I will shout for joy at morning of your faithful love. For you have been my fortress, a refuge in the day of my distress.

KJV But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The morning-singing in contrast to evening-prowling creates the psalm's final structural pair: darkness/light, dogs/singer, snarling/praise. David has survived the night. The dawn that Psalm 57:9 promised to wake is here.
Psalms 59:18

עֻ֭זִּי אֵלֶ֣יךָ אֲזַמֵּ֑רָה כִּֽי־אֱלֹהִ֥ים מִ֝שְׂגַּבִּ֗י אֱלֹהֵ֥י חַסְדִּֽי׃

My strength — to you I will sing, for God is my fortress, my God of faithful love.

KJV Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The inclusio between verses 10 and 18 (both using uzzi, 'my strength,' and misgabbi, 'my fortress') closes the psalm in a ring structure. Everything between the two statements — the dogs, the laughter, the scattering, the consuming — is enclosed within the frame of 'God is my fortress.' The frame holds.
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