Teks -- Psalms 59:1-9 (NET)

Psalm 59

59:1 For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; a prayer of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him. Deliver me from my enemies, my God! Protect me from those who attack me! 59:2 Deliver me from evildoers! Rescue me from violent men! 59:3 For look, they wait to ambush me; powerful men stalk me, but not because I have rebelled or sinned, O Lord. 59:4 Though I have done nothing wrong, they are anxious to attack. Spring into action and help me! Take notice of me! 59:5 You, O Lord God, the invincible warrior, the God of Israel, rouse yourself and punish all the nations! Have no mercy on any treacherous evildoers! (Selah) 59:6 They return in the evening; they growl like a dog and prowl around outside the city. 59:7 Look, they hurl insults at me and openly threaten to kill me, for they say, “Who hears?” 59:8 But you, O Lord, laugh in disgust at them; you taunt all the nations. 59:9 You are my source of strength! I will wait for you! For God is my refuge.

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Wesley: Psa 59:4 - Run

To and fro, to receive Saul's commands, and to execute them with all speed.

Wesley: Psa 59:5 - The God

A God in covenant with all true Israelites, whom thou hast promised to protect and bless.

Wesley: Psa 59:5 - The heathen

Or, these heathens, who though they are Israelites by birth; yet in their dispositions they are mere Heathens.

Wesley: Psa 59:5 - Be not

For indeed thou canst not according to thy word, be merciful to such incorrigible offenders.

Wesley: Psa 59:6 - Return

Watching for me: which they did at this time all the night long, 1Sa 19:11.

Wesley: Psa 59:6 - A dog

When he is pursuing his prey.

Wesley: Psa 59:6 - Go round

When they did not find him in his own house, they sought for him in other parts of the city.

Wesley: Psa 59:7 - Pour out

Sharp and bitter word's, abundantly and vehemently, as a fountain doth waters, as this word signifies.

Wesley: Psa 59:7 - Swords

Words as keen and mischievous as swords.

Wesley: Psa 59:7 - For who

David doth not hear us, and God either doth not hear, or not regard what we say.

JFB: Psa 59:1

See on Psa 57:1, title, and for history, 1Sa 19:11, &c. The scope is very similar to that of the fifty-seventh: prayer in view of malicious and violent foes, and joy in prospect of relief. (Psa. 59:1-17)

JFB: Psa 59:1 - defend me

(Compare Margin).

JFB: Psa 59:1 - rise up . . . me

(Compare Psa 17:7).

JFB: Psa 59:2

(Compare Psa 5:5; Psa 6:8).

JFB: Psa 59:4-5 - prepare, &c.

Literally, "set themselves as in array."

JFB: Psa 59:4-5 - awake

(Compare Psa 3:7; Psa 7:6), appeals to God in His covenant relation to His people (Psa 9:18).

JFB: Psa 59:6-7

They are as ravening dogs seeking prey, and as such,

JFB: Psa 59:6-7 - belch out

That is, slanders, their impudent barkings.

JFB: Psa 59:7 - for who, say they

For the full expression with the supplied words, compare Psa 64:5.

JFB: Psa 59:8

(Compare Psa 2:4; Psa 37:13).

JFB: Psa 59:9

By judicious expositors, and on good grounds, this is better rendered, "O my strength, on Thee will I wait" (Psa 59:17).

JFB: Psa 59:9 - defence

(Compare Psa 18:3).

Clarke: Psa 59:1 - Deliver me from mine enernies, O my God

Deliver me from mine enernies, O my God - A very proper prayer in the mouth of Nehemiah, when resisted in his attempts to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem by Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, who opposed the work, and endeavored to take away the life of the person whom God had raised up to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. I conceive the Psalm to have been made on this occasion; and on this hypothesis alone I think it capable of consistent explanation.

Clarke: Psa 59:2 - The workers of iniquity

The workers of iniquity - Principally Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian; who were the chief enemies of the poor returned captives

Clarke: Psa 59:2 - Bloody men

Bloody men - The above, who sought the destruction of the Israelites; and particularly, that of Nehemiah, whom four several times they endeavored to bring into an ambush, that they might take away his life. See Neh 6:1-4.

Clarke: Psa 59:3 - For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul

For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul - For my life. See the passages referred to above.

Clarke: Psa 59:4 - They run and prepare themselves

They run and prepare themselves - They leave no stone unturned that they may effect my destruction and prevent the building.

Clarke: Psa 59:5 - O Lord God of hosts

O Lord God of hosts - This was a proper view to take of God. when Israel, a handful of poor distressed captives were surrounded and oppressed by the heathen chiefs above mentioned, and their several tribes. But Jehovah God of hosts, was the God of Israel; and hence Israel had little to fear

Clarke: Psa 59:5 - Be not merciful to any wicked transgressors

Be not merciful to any wicked transgressors - Do not favor the cause of these wicked men. They are בגדי און bogedey aven , "changers of iniquity:"they go through the whole round of evil; find out and exercise themselves in all the varieties of transgression. How exactly does this apply to Nehemiah’ s foes! They sought, by open attack, wiles, flattery, foul speeches, fair speeches, threats, and ambuscades, to take away his life. Do not show them favor, that they may not succeed in their wicked designs. The prayer here is exactly the same in sentiment with that of Nehemiah, Neh 4:4, Neh 4:5. Hear, our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach upon their own heads; - cover not their iniquity, "and let not their sin be blotted out."

Clarke: Psa 59:6 - They return at evening

They return at evening - When the beasts of prey leave their dens, and go prowling about the cities and villages to get offal, and entrap domestic animals, these come about the city to see if they may get an entrance, destroy the work, and those engaged in it.

Clarke: Psa 59:7 - They belch out with their mouth

They belch out with their mouth - They use the lowest insult, the basest abuse. They deal in sarcasm, ridicule, slander, and lies.

Clarke: Psa 59:8 - Thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them

Thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them - They have mocked us; God will turn them and their schemes into ridicule and contempt: "Thou shalt have all these heathenish nations in derision."

Clarke: Psa 59:9 - Because of his strength will I wait upon thee

Because of his strength will I wait upon thee - With this reading, I can make no sense of the passage. But instead of עזו uzzo , "his strength," עזי uzzi , "my strength,"is the reading of fourteen of Kennicott’ s and De Rossi’ s MSS., of the Vulgate, Septuagint, Chaldee, and, in effect, of the Aethiopia, Syriac, and Arabic; and also of the Anglo-Saxon. To thee I commit all my strength; all I have I derive from thee, and all the good I possess I attribute to thee. The old Psalter translates, My strenght I shall kepe till the, for myn uptaker thou art. See on Psa 59:17 (note).

Calvin: Psa 59:1 - Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God!

1.Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God! He insists upon the strength and violence of his enemies, with the view of exciting his mind to greater fervor in the duty of prayer. These he describes as rising up against him, in which expression he alludes not simply to the audacity or fierceness of their assaults, but to the eminent superiority of power which they possessed; and yet he asks that he may be lifted up on high, as it were, above the reach of this over-swelling inundation. His language teaches us that we should believe in the ability of God to deliver us even upon occasions of emergency, when our enemies have an overwhelming advantage. In the verse which follows, while he expresses the extremity to which he was reduced, he adverts at the same time to the injustice and cruelty of his persecutors. Immediately afterwards, he connects the two grounds of his complaint together: on the one hand, his complete helplessness under the danger, and, on the other, the undeserved nature of the assaults from which he suffered. I have already repeatedly observed, that our confidence in our applications to a throne of grace will be proportional to the degree in which we are conscious of integrity; for we cannot fail to feel greater liberty in pleading a cause which, in such a case, is the cause of God himself. He is the vindicator of justice, the patron of the righteous cause everywhere, and those who oppress the innocent must necessarily rank themselves amongst his enemies. David accordingly founds his first plea upon his complete destitution of all earthly means of help, exposed as he was to plots on every side, and attacked by a formidable conspiracy. His second he rests upon a declaration of innocency. It may be true that afflictions are sent by God to his people as a chastisement for their sins, but, so far as Saul was concerned, David could justly exonerate himself from all blame, and takes this occasion of appealing to God on behalf of his integrity, which lay under suspicion from the base calumnies of men. They might pretend it, but he declares that they could charge him with no crime nor fault. Yet, groundless as their hostility was, he tells us that they ran, were unremitting in their activity, with no other view than to accomplish the ruin of their victim.

Calvin: Psa 59:4 - Awake to hasten for my help, and behold

4.Awake to hasten for my help, and behold In using this language, he glances at the eagerness with which his enemies, as he had already said, were pressing upon him, and states his desire that God would show the same haste in extending help as they did in seeking his destruction. With the view of conciliating the divine favor, he once more calls upon God to be the witness and judge of his cause, adding, and behold The expression is one which savours at once of faith and of the infirmity of the flesh. In speaking of God, as if his eyes had been hitherto shut to the wrongs which he had suffered, and needed now for the first time to be opened for the discovery of them, he expresses himself according to the weakness of our human apprehension. On the other hand, in calling upon God to behold his cause, he shows his faith by virtually acknowledging that nothing was hid from his providential cognisance. Though David may use language of this description, suited to the infirmity of sense, we must not suppose him to have doubted before this time that his afflictions, his innocence, and his wrongs, were known to God. Now, however, he lays the whole before God for examination and decision.

He prosecutes the same prayer with still greater vehemency in the verse which succeeds. He addresses God under new titles, calling him Jehovah, God of Hosts, and the God of Israel, the first of which appellations denotes the immensity of his power, and the second the special care which he exerts over the Church, and over all his people. The manner in which the pronoun is introduced, and Thou, etc., is emphatical, denoting that it was as impossible for God to lay aside the office of a judge as to deny himself, or divest himself of his being. He calls upon him to visit all the nations: for although the cause which he now submitted was of no such universal concernment, the wider exercise of judgment would necessarily include the lesser; and on the supposition of heathens and foreigners being subjected to the judgment of God, it followed that a still more certain and heavy doom would be awarded to enemies within the pale of the Church, who persecuted the saints under the guise of brethren, and overthrew those laws which were of divine appointment. The opposition which David encountered might not embrace all nations; but if these were judicially visited by God, it was absurd to imagine that those within the Church would be the only enemies who should escape with impunity. In using these words, it is probable also that he may have been struggling with a temptation with which he was severely assailed, connected with the number of his enemies, for these did not consist merely of three or four abandoned individuals. They formed a great multitude; and he rises above them all by reflecting that God claims it as his prerogative, not only to reduce a few refractory persons to submission, but to punish the wickedness of the whole world. If the judgments of God extended to the uttermost parts of the earth, there was no reason why he should be afraid of his enemies, who, however numerous, formed but a small section of the human race. We shall shortly see, however, that the expression admits of being applied without impropriety to the Israelites, divided, as they were, into so many tribes or peoples. In the words which follow, when he deprecates the extension of God’s mercy to wicked transgressors, we must understand him as referring to the reprobate, whose sin was of a desperate character. We must also remember, what has been already observed, that in such prayers he was not influenced by mere private feelings, and these of a rancorous, distempered, and inordinate description. Not only did he know well that those of whom he speaks with such severity were already doomed to destruction, but he is here pleading the common cause of the Church, and this under the influence of the pure and well-regulated zeal of the Spirit. He therefore affords no precedent to such as resent private injuries by vending curses on those who have inflicted them.

Calvin: Psa 59:6 - They will return at evening

6.They will return at evening He compares his enemies to famished and furious dogs which hunger impels to course with endless circuits in every direction, and under this figure accuses their insatiable fierceness, shown in the ceaseless activity to which they were instigated by the desire of mischief. He says that they return in the evening, to intimate, not that they rested at other times, but were indefatigable in pursuing their evil courses. If they came no speed through the day, yet the night would find them at their work. The barking of dogs aptly expressed as a figure the formidable nature of their assaults.

Calvin: Psa 59:7 - NO PHRASE

In the verse which follows, he describes their fierceness. The expression, prating, or belching out with their mouth, denotes that they proclaimed their infamous counsels openly, and without affecting concealment. The Hebrew word נבע , nabang, means, metaphorically, to speak, but properly, it signifies to gush out, ³⁶⁴ and here denotes more than simply speaking. He would inform us, that not content with plotting the destruction of the innocent secretly amongst themselves, they published their intentions abroad, and boasted of them. Accordingly, when he adds, that swords were in their lips, he means that they breathed out slaughter, and that every word they spoke was a sword to slay the oppressed. He assigns as the cause of their rushing to such excess of wickedness, that they had no reason to apprehend disgrace. It may be sufficiently probable, that David adverts here, as in many other places, to the gross stupidity of the wicked, who, in order to banish fear from their minds, conceive of God as if he were asleep in heaven; but I am of opinion that he rather traces the security with which they prosecuted their counsels, and openly proclaimed them, to the fact, that they had long ere now been in possession of the uncontrolled power of inflicting injury. They had succeeded so completely in deceiving the people, and rendering David odious by their calumnies, that none had the courage to utter a word in his defense. Nay, the more atrociously that any man might choose to persecute this victim of distress, from no other motive than to secure the good graces of the king, the more did he rise in estimation as a true friend to the commonwealth.

Calvin: Psa 59:8 - But thou, O Jehovah! shalt laugh at them

8.But thou, O Jehovah! shalt laugh at them In the face of all this opposition, David only rises to greater confidence. When he says that God would laugh at his enemies, he employs a figure which is well fitted to enhance the power of God, suggesting that, when the wicked have perfected their schemes to the uttermost, God can, without any effort, and, as it were, in sport, dissipate them all. No sooner does God connive at their proceedings, than their pride and insolence take occasion to manifest themselves: for they forget that even when he seems to have suspended operation, he needs but nod, and his judgments shall be executed. David, accordingly, in contempt of his adversaries, tells them that God was under no necessity to make extensive preparations, but, at the moment when he saw fit to make retribution, would, by a mere play of his power, annihilate them all. He in this manner conveys a severe rebuke to that blind infatuation which led them to boast so intemperately of their own powers, and to imagine that God was slumbering in the heavens. In the close of the verse, mention is made of all nations, to intimate that though they might equal the whole world in numbers, they would prove a mere mockery with all their influence and resources. Or the words may be read — Even As thou hast all the nations in derision. One thing is obvious, that David ridicules the vain boasting of his enemies, who thought no undertaking too great to be accomplished by their numbers.

Calvin: Psa 59:9 - I will intrust his strength to thee

9.I will intrust his strength to thee The obscurity of this passage has led to a variety of opinions amongst commentators. The most forced interpretation which has been proposed is that which supposes a change of person in the relative his, as if David, in speaking of himself, employed the third person instead of the first, I will intrust my strength to thee The Septuagint, and those who adopt this interpretation, have probably been led to it by the insufficient reason, that in the last verse of the psalm it is said, I will ascribe with praises my strength to thee, or, my strength is with thee, I will sing, etc. But on coming to that part of the psalm, we will have occasion to see that David there, with propriety, asserts of himself what he here in another sense asserts of Saul. There can be no doubt, therefore, that the relative is to be here understood of Saul. Some consider that the first words of the sentence should be read apart from the others — strength is his — meaning that Saul had the evident superiority in strength, so as at the present to be triumphant. Others join the two parts of the sentence, and give this explanation: Although thou art for the present moment his strength, in so far as thou dost sustain and preserve him on the throne, yet I will continue to hope, until thou hast raised me to the kingdom, according to thy promise. But those seem to come nearest the meaning of the Psalmist who construe the words as one continuous sentence — I will put in trust his strength with thee; meaning that, however intemperately Saul might boast of his strength, he would rest satisfied in the assurance that there was a secret divine providence restraining his actions. We must learn to view all men as subordinated in this manner, and to conceive of their strength and their enterprises as depending upon the sovereign will of God. In my opinion, the following version is the best — His strength is with thee, ³⁶⁵ I will wait. The words are parallel with those in the end of the psalm, where there can be no doubt that the nominative case is employed, My strength is with thee; I will sing. So far as the sense of the passage is concerned, however, it does not signify which of the latter interpretations be followed. It is evident that David is here enabled, from the eminence of faith, to despise the violent opposition of his enemy, convinced that he could do nothing without the divine permission. But by taking the two parts of the sentence separately, in the way I have suggested, — His strength is with thee, I will wait, — the meaning is more distinctly brought out. First, David, in vindication of that power by which God governs the whole world, declares that his enemy was under a secret divine restraint, and so entirely dependent for any strength which he possessed upon God, that he could not move a finger without his consent. He then adds, that he would wait the event, whatsoever it might be, with composure and tranquillity. For the word which we have translated, I will intrust, may here be taken as signifying I will keep myself, or quietly wait the pleasure of the Lord. In this sense we find the word used in the conjugation Niphal, Isa 7:4. Here it is put in the conjugation Kal, but that is no reason why we may not render it, “I will silently wait the issue which God may send.” It has been well suggested, that David may allude to the guards which had been sent to besiege his house, and be considered as opposing to this a watch of a very different description, which he himself maintained, as he looked out for the divine issue with quietness and composure. ³⁶⁶

Defender: Psa 59:8 - shalt laugh

On the Lord's laughing at the wicked, read Psa 37:13."

TSK: Psa 59:1 - Michtam // when // Deliver // defend me

Michtam : The seven poems of the celebrated Arabian poets who flourished before the time of Mohammed, called Moallakat , from being suspended on the walls of the temple of Mecca, were also called Modhabat , ""golden,""because they were written in letters of gold on the papyrus; and probably this is another reason why the six poems of David were called golden.

when : Jdg 16:2, Jdg 16:3; 1Sa 19:11-24; 2Co 11:32, 2Co 11:33

Deliver : Psa 7:1, Psa 7:2, Psa 18:48, Psa 71:4, Psa 143:12; Luk 1:74, Luk 1:75; 2Ti 4:17, 2Ti 4:18

defend me : Heb. set me on high, Psa 12:5, Psa 91:14; Isa 33:16

TSK: Psa 59:2 - save

save : Psa 26:9, Psa 27:2, Psa 55:23, Psa 139:19

TSK: Psa 59:3 - they // the mighty // not

they : Psa 10:9, Psa 10:10, Psa 37:32, Psa 37:33, Psa 38:12, Psa 56:6; 1Sa 19:1; Pro 12:6; Mic 7:2; Act 23:21

the mighty : Psa 2:2; Act 4:26, Act 4:27

not : Psa 7:3-6, Psa 69:4; 1Sa 24:11, 1Sa 24:17, 1Sa 26:18; Joh 15:25

TSK: Psa 59:4 - run // awake // help me

run : 1Sa 19:12-24; Pro 1:16; Isa 59:7; Act 23:15; Rom 3:15

awake : Psa 5:6, Psa 35:23, Psa 44:23; Isa 51:9

help me : Heb. meet me

TSK: Psa 59:5 - the God // visit // the heathen // be not

the God : Gen 33:20; Exo 3:15

visit : Exo 20:5

the heathen : Psa 9:15, Psa 54:3; Isa 1:10; Amo 9:7; Rom 2:28, Rom 2:29, Rom 9:6

be not : Psa 7:12, Psa 7:13, Psa 55:15; Isa 27:11; Eze 18:27, Eze 18:28; Jam 2:13

TSK: Psa 59:6

Psa 59:14; 1Sa 19:11

TSK: Psa 59:7 - belch // swords // who

belch : Pro 15:2 *marg. Mat 12:34

swords : Psa 55:21, Psa 57:4, Psa 64:3-5, Psa 109:2, Psa 109:3; Pro 12:18

who : Psa 10:11, Psa 10:13, Psa 73:11, Psa 94:7-9; Job 22:12, Job 22:13; Jer 33:24

TSK: Psa 59:8 - Thou // heathen

Thou : Psa 2:4, Psa 37:13; 1Sa 19:15, 1Sa 19:16; Pro 1:26

heathen : Psa 59:5; Mat 18:17

TSK: Psa 59:9 - his strength // God // defence

his strength : Instead of uzzo , ""his strength,""fourteen manuscripts, read uzzee , ""my strength.""""O my strength, I will wait upon thee.""Psa 18:1, Psa 18:1, Psa 18:2, Psa 27:1, Psa 27:14, Psa 46:1, Psa 62:5, Psa 62:6, Psa 62:11; Isa 12:2, Isa 26:3, Isa 26:4, Isa 40:31; Mat 6:13

God : Psa 59:17, Psa 62:2

defence : Heb. high place, Psa 9:9, Psa 20:1, Psa 46:7 *marg. Isa 58:14; Hab 3:19

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: Psa 59:3

Without any provocation or cause given them by me. I am a sinner before thee, O Lord, but I have done them no injury.

Poole: Psa 59:4 - They run // Prepare themselves // To help me

They run to and fro, first to receive Saul’ s commands and then to execute them with all speed and diligence.

Prepare themselves or, dispose themselves , here and there round about my house, that they may catch me when I go out of it.

To help me Heb. to meet me , as I come abroad and to conduct me away with safety.

Poole: Psa 59:5 - The God of Israel // Be not merciful // Wicked transgressors

The God of Israel a God in covenant with all true Israelites, whom thou hast promised to protect and bless. The heathen ; or, these heathens , or Gentiles ; who though they are called and accounted Israelites by their birth, yet in truth, and in their dispositions and manners, are mere heathens and barbarians; in which respect such men are elsewhere called strangers, Psa 54:3 , men of Sodom and Gomorrah , Isa 1:10 , and as Ethiopians , Amo 9:7 ; as among us ungodly Christians are oft called Jews , or Turks or heathens .

Be not merciful for indeed thou canst not with thine honour, nor according to thy word, be merciful to any such incorrigible offenders.

Wicked transgressors or, perfidious transgressors; such as persecute me, and other good men, out of malice, and against their own consciences, which tell them that I am innocent, and with pretences of friendship. He might well pray so vehemently against such, not only for his own preservation, but for the just and necessary vindication of God’ s honour, and for the public good of mankind, whose common interest it was that such vile miscreants should be taken out of the way.

Poole: Psa 59:6 - They return at evening // They make a noise like a dog

They return at evening after they have been busy all day, either in plotting against me, or in hunting after me. In the evening, when they should compose themselves to rest, they return to their old trade of watching for me which they did at this time all the night long, 1Sa 19:11 .

They make a noise like a dog either when he is hungry and pursuing his prey, and howls for meat; or when he is enraged, and grins and snarls where he cannot or dare not bite. And go round about the city: when they did not find him in his own house, they sought for him in other houses and parts of the city, where they supposed him to lurk.

Poole: Psa 59:7 - They belch out // Swords // Who, say they, doth hear?

They belch out or, they pour forth , (to wit, words, for what else should come out of the mouth? even sharp and bitter words, as the next clause explains it,) abundantly and vehemently, as a fountain doth waters, as this word signifies. See Pro 15:28 Jer 6:7 .

Swords i.e. words as keen and mischievous as swords, as Psa 55:21 57:4 .

Who, say they, doth hear? David doth not hear us, either to discover, and so to prevent our plots; Or to punish us for them; and God either doth not hear or not regard what we say and do against David; and therefore we may speak and act what we think fit.

Poole: Psa 59:8

Disappoint their high confidences and hopeful designs, and then deride them, and make them ridiculous and contemptible to others.

Poole: Psa 59:9 - His strength

His strength i.e. Saul’ s strength; because he is too strong for me. Or rather, O my strength , as it is Psa 59:17 . And all those ancient and venerable translators, the LXX., and Chaldee, and vulgar Latin, render it my strength . In the Hebrew it is his strength, i.e. David’ s. For David speaks of himself in the third person, as he oft doth. And such sudden changes of persons are usual, both in these poetical books (as hath been noted before) and elsewhere, as Dan 9:4 Mic 1:2 .

Haydock: Psa 59:1

After many afflictions, the Church of Christ shall prevail.

Haydock: Psa 59:1 - Changed

Changed. Psalm xliv. Title, Psalm xv., doctrine explaining what will be the progress of the Church. (Menochius) ---

It seems to have the same import as understanding, in other titles, but here is of little authority. (Berthier) ---

It has no connexion with the psalm, which seems to have been written before David had obtained the sovereignty over Israel, (Houbigant; ver. 8) or it expresses the sentiments of the captives, (Calmet) and of Jesus Christ, and his Church. (St. Augustine)

Haydock: Psa 59:2 - Set fire // Twelve

Set fire. Hebrew, "fought against Syria of Mesopotamia, and Syria of Seba." (St. Jerome) (2 Kings viii. 10.) (Haydock) ---

Twelve. Abisai slew 18,000, perhaps on another occasion; (1 Paralipomenon xviii. 12.) so that this title does not contradict history. (Menochius)

Haydock: Psa 59:3 - Off // On us

Off. Chastising thy people frequently under Moses, &c. (Berthier) ---

On us. Redeeming mankind, which thou hadst condemned, for the fault of Adam, and giving us a more abundant grace, Romans v. 9. (St. Hilary) ---

Thou hast treated us like a good physician, (Deuteronomy xxxii. 39.; Calmet) chastising us for our sins, that we might improve in virtue. (Worthington)

Haydock: Psa 59:4 - Moved

Moved. He personifies the earth, which had fallen into the hands of the Chaldeans, (Calmet) or had experienced various commotions under Saul, &c., (Haydock) which he denotes by the mention of an earthquake. (Menochius)

Haydock: Psa 59:5 - Sorrow

Sorrow. Hebrew, "muddy," such as is given to slaves or malefactors, (Matthew xxvii. 34.) mixed with myrrh, or venom. Literally, "wine of trembling," (Calmet) or soporiferous. (St. Jerome) (Haydock) ---

All these expressions give the idea of something disagreeable. (Berthier) ---

The people became penitent, or were astonished. (Menochius)

Haydock: Psa 59:6 - Warning // Bow

Warning, to amend, (Worthington) the sign of the cross (Calmet) in baptism, (St. Jerome) or confirmation. (Eusebius) ---

It was customary to erect a pole, on which some signal was placed, in case of invasion, Isaias v. 26., and xi. 12., &c. (Calmet) ---

Bow. Hebrew kossoth, (Haydock) as St. Jerome, &c., have read, though the present Hebrew end with t, less correctly, and is explained, "because of the truth." (Calmet) (Berthier)

Haydock: Psa 59:7 - Save me // Hear me

Save me. The king praying for all. (Menochius) ---

St. Augustine reads, me, (Calmet) though the Vulgate does not here express it. (Haydock) ---

Hebrew, "save thy right hand," the people, or man of thy, &c., Psalm lxxix. 18. (Calmet) ---

Hear me. Hebrew, "him." But the margin has, me. (Haydock)

Haydock: Psa 59:8 - Holy // Sichem // Tabernacles

Holy one, Jesus Christ, (Eusebius) the prophet, (Menochius) the sanctuary, (Calmet) or oracle. (Worthington) ---

He had promised that the captives should return in seventy years time, Jeremias xxv. 11., and xxix. 10. (Calmet) ---

Sichem. ( partibor Sichimam....metibor. ) These two verbs are sometimes used for partiar and metiar, in ancient authors. ---

Tabernacles. Hebrew, "succoth." (Berthier) (Genesis xxxiii. 17.) ---

It may also signify the Arabs, who lived in tents. (Menochius) ---

David's dominion extended over these nations, (Haydock) and the captives at Babylon hoped to recover them, as the Machabees did. The kingdoms of Juda and Israel were no more divided, (Isaias xi. 13., and Jeremias xxxi. 8.) to shew the unity of the Church.

Haydock: Psa 59:9 - Head // King

Head. This tribe was at the head of the kingdom of Israel, but submitted to David, (Haydock) and afforded excellent soldiers and captains. (Calmet) ---

His temporal kingdom was extended by God, who will crown his elect. (Worthington) ---

King. Hebrew, "law-giver," alluding to Genesis xlix. 10. Symmachus, "my general." (Calmet) ---

The word king implies all this. (Haydock) ---

Juda always swayed the sceptre. (Berthier) ---

After the captivity, Zorobabel was at the head of the people. Jesus Christ sprung from this tribe, and is the true king of the people, whom he has redeemed, and put in possession of the land of promise. (Calmet)

Gill: Psa 59:1 - Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God // defend me from them that rise up against me

Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God,.... David had his enemies in his youth, notwithstanding the amiableness of his person, the endowments of his mind, his martial achievements, his wise behaviour and conduct, and the presence of God with him; yea, it were some of these things that made Saul his enemy, who, by his power and authority, made others; see 1Sa 18:5. Christ had his enemies, though he went about doing good, both to the bodies and souls of men, continually; the chief priests, Scribes, and Pharisees, were his implacable enemies, and even the people of the Jews in general: and the church of God, and members of it, whom David may represent, have their enemies, sin, Satan, and the world; and as David and Christ, so the church has a covenant God to go unto, from whom deliverance from enemies may be desired and expected;

defend me from them that rise up against me; or, "set me on high above them" ^l; out of their reach, as David was protected from Saul and his men, who rose up in an hostile manner against him; and as Christ was, when raised from the dead, and exalted at his Father's right hand; and as the saints are in great safety, dwelling on high, where their place of defence is the munition of rocks; and therefore it matters not who rise up against them.

Gill: Psa 59:2 - Deliver me from the workers of iniquity // and save me from bloody men

Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,.... See Gill on Psa 6:8;

and save me from bloody men; such as Saul sent to kill David, as appears from the title of the psalm; and such as were concerned in the death of Christ; and such, are the enemies of God's people, the followers of the man of sin. The heap of words, the various expressions used in a way of petition, in this verse and Psa 59:1, show the distress the psalmist was in, and whom he represents; his importunity, earnestness, and fervency in prayer.

Gill: Psa 59:3 - 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

For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul,.... As the men did that watched his house, when Saul sent to kill him; so the Jews sought and lay in wait to take away the life of Christ; and very often was it the case of the Apostle Paul, that he was in danger of his life, through the lying in wait of the Jews; so Satan makes use of cunning devices, stratagems, and wiles, to ruin the souls of God's people, if possible; and false teachers lie in wait to deceive them. The emphasis lies upon the word "soul", which is so precious, and the redemption of which has cost so much, even the blood of Christ;

the mighty are gathered against me; or, "dwell by me"; see Psa 56:6; around his house, the soldiers that Saul sent; and such were the enemies of Christ, Psa 69:4; the chief priests, Scribes, and elders, men of great authority and influence among the people; the kings of the earth and rulers, Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and people of the Jews, Act 4:26; yea, Satan, and his principalities and powers; and who are also those against whom the saints wrestle, and would be too mighty for them, were it not that God, and Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and the holy angels, are on their side;

not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O Lord; as the cause of such usage and treatment. David was not without original sin, in which he was conceived and born; nor without inward corruptions, of which he often complained; nor without actual transgressions, and some very gross ones, and which he owned and confessed, and prayed for the pardon of: but in the case of Saul there was no transgression nor iniquity in him, as he declared to him himself, and appeals to God for the truth of it, 1Sa 24:11. One of the words here used signifies "rebellion" ^m; of this he was not guilty; he never entered into any treasonable measures, nor committed any treasonable practices, nor conspired against the life and crown of his sovereign; in this respect he was quite clear and innocent. Christ, his antitype, was entirely without sin, without original or actual transgression; he had no sin in his nature, nor committed any in his life; he had none inherent in him, only the sins of his people imputed to him; and therefore the usage he met with from men was very cruel and unjust. And as for the saints, though they are not free from sin, original and actual, yet in the case for which they suffer reproach, and are persecuted by men, they are not criminal; they have done nothing to deserve such usage; they do not suffer as evildoers, but as Christians, 1Pe 4:15.

Gill: Psa 59:4 - They run and prepare themselves without my fault // awake to help me // and behold

They run and prepare themselves without my fault,.... Or, "without sin in me"; or "without punishment in them"; so the same word is rendered, 1Sa 28:10. "They run", in an hostile manner, "against me", as the Syriac version adds; or like dogs up and down, about the city, to find him and kill him; see Psa 59:7. Or this may denote their readiness and swiftness to shed blood, Pro 1:16; "and prepare themselves" with weapon, with instruments of death, as the men did that were sent to kill him; and as the band of men that came with Judas to take Christ prepared themselves with swords and staves. The Targum is,

"they order or ordain war;''

which they prosecuted without any occasion of it from him, and wilt, impunity in them. Wherefore it follows,

awake to help me; or "to meet me" ⁿ; see Gen 46:29; with succour and supplies, and to deliver out of the hands of enemies. The Lord, though he neither slumbers nor sleeps, yet seems to be asleep when he does not arise to help his people, but suffers the enemy to prevail; and when he seems to take no notice of their case, but hides his eyes, and shuts them as a man asleep. Hence the following petition,

and behold; the distress the psalmist was in, and the wickedness and malice of his enemies against him.

Gill: Psa 59:5 - 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

Thou therefore, O Lord God of hosts,.... Of the armies in heaven, the angels, and of all the inhabitants of the earth; who are all under him, and at his dispose, and can do among them and with them whatsoever he pleases;

the God of Israel; of the people of Israel, literally understood; and mystically of all the elect of God, Jews and Gentiles. The former epithet is expressive of his power, this of his grace and goodness in a covenant way; and both encouraged the psalmist to address him on the following account:

awake to visit all the Heathen: either the wicked Israelites that rose up against David, and sought to take away his life, who behaved like Heathens towards him, and were accounted as such by him; and the petition is, that God would arise and punish them, everyone of them, according to their deserts: or else the Gentiles, properly so called, whom he desires the Lord would visit, either in a way of grace, by sending the Gospel to them, and taking out of them a people for his name, as he did, Act 15:14; foreseeing, by a spirit of prophecy, that the Jews would be rejected for their ill usage of the Messiah; See Gill on Psa 59:1, title: or in a way of punishment for their idolatry and impiety; and particularly the antichristian states and powers, called the Heathen, and Gentiles, and nations of the earth, Psa 10:16; may be here meant; whom God will visit for their idolatry, blasphemy, and bloodshed;

be not merciful to any wicked transgressors; that are perfidiously and abominably wicked, as Judas Iscariot, the Romish antichrist. The Targum renders it, "princes of a lie"; that speak lies in hypocrisy, and are given up to believe a lie, as the followers of antichrist. God is merciful to wicked men and to transgressors, but not to wicked transgressors; apostates may be meant, such as deal perfidiously and treacherously, as the word ^o used signifies; who sin wilfully and knowingly, after they have received the knowledge of the truth; sin against light and evidence, and obstinately and wickedly persist therein: who sin the sin against the Holy Ghost, the sin unto death, which is not to be prayed for, 1Jo 4:16; or otherwise this may seem to be contrary to the command and example of Christ, Mat 5:44.

Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psa 3:2.

Gill: Psa 59:6 - They return at evening // they make a noise like a dog // and go round about the city

They return at evening,.... It was at evening Saul sent messengers to watch David's house, that they might take him in the morning; but missing him, perhaps after a fruitless search for him all the day, returned at evening to watch his house again; or they might come, and go and return the first evening. So it was night when Judas set out from Bethany, to go to the chief priests at Jerusalem, to covenant with them, and betray his master; and it was in the night he did betray him, after he had eaten the passover at evening with him. Or, "let them return" ^p, as in Psa 59:14; with shame and confusion, as David's enemies, when they found nothing but an image in the bed, which they reported to Saul; and as Judas returned to the chief priests with confusion and horror. Or, "they shall return" ^q; which being prophetically said, had its accomplishment, both in the enemies of David and of Christ; and will be true of all the wicked, who will return from their graves and live again, and give an account of themselves at the evening of the day of the Lord, which is a thousand years; in the morning of which day the dead in Christ will rise, but the rest will not rise until the end of the thousand years;

they make a noise like a dog: which is a very noisy creature, and especially some of them, which are always yelping and barking; though indeed there are some that are naturally dumb, and cannot bark: such there are in the West Indies, as we are told ^r; and to which the allusion is in Isa 56:10; and which may serve to illustrate the passage there: but those referred to here are of another kind; and this noise of theirs either respects their bark in the night, as some dogs do continually, as Aben Ezra and Kimchi; or to their howling, as the Syriac and Arabic versions. Wicked men are compared to dogs, Mat 7:6, Rev 22:15; and particularly the enemies of Christ, Psa 22:16, in allusion either to hunting dogs, who make a noise all the while they are pursuing after the game; or hungry ravenous ones, who make a noise for want of food; and this character agrees not only with the Roman soldiers, who were Gentiles, and whom the Jews used to call by this name, Mat 15:26; but the Jews also, even their principal men, as well as the dregs of the people, who were concerned in the death of Christ; and may be truly said to make a noise like dogs when they cried Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas, crucify him, crucify him; for which they were instant and pressing with loud voices, and their voices prevailed, Luk 23:18;

and go round about the city; as Saul's messengers, very probably, when they found David had made his escape from his house, searched the city round in quest of him; and there was much going about the city of Jerusalem at the time of our Lord's apprehension, trial, and condemnation; after he was taken in the garden: they went with him first to Annas's house, then to Caiaphas's, then to Pilate's, and then to Herod's, and back again to Pilate's, and from thence out of the city to Golgotha. The allusion is still to dogs, who go through a city barking ^s at persons, or in quest of what they can get; so informers and accusers may be called city dogs, as some sort of orators are by Demosthenes ^t.

Gill: Psa 59:7 - Behold, they belch out with their mouth // swords are in their lips // for who, say they, doth hear

Behold, they belch out with their mouth,.... Bark like dogs, so Aben Ezra; or "bubble out" ^u, as a fountain bubbles out with water; so they cast out their wickedness in great abundance; see Jer 6:7; the phrase denotes the abundance of evil things and wicked speeches that came out of their mouths, which showed the naughtiness of their hearts; so David's enemies blustered and threatened what they would do to him could they find him; and Christ's enemies poured out their wicked charges of blasphemy and sedition against him, in great plenty, and without proof;

swords are in their lips; the words of their lips were like sharp swords; see Psa 55:21; threatening the most severe and cruel things: or, besides their lips, and what they belched out with their mouths, they took swords in their hands in a literal sense; as Saul's messengers did to kill David, and as Judas and his band of men, who came to take Christ as a thief, with swords and staves, Mat 26:55;

for who, say they, doth hear? what they uttered with their mouths and lips, in a blustering and threatening manner; though they were overheard by men, who carried what they said and designed to do to Michal, David's wife. The meaning may be, they would say what they pleased, and did not care who heard them, having nothing to fear from any, they having their orders from the king; see Psa 12:4; and so the Targum,

"behold they belch out with their mouths words which are sharp as swords, and with their lips saying, we shall prevail; for who is he that hears, and can punish?''

Aben Ezra's note is,

"they thought that God did not hear their counsels;''

and therefore the next words are in direct opposition to them; but so to think is monstrous stupidity and brutishness, Psa 94:4; some take the words to be the words of David, complaining that the civil magistrate, none of the judges, took notice of or punished such who belched out their lies and calumnies against him, saying, "for who doth hear?" no man.

Gill: Psa 59:8 - But thou, O Lord, shall laugh at them // thou shall have all the Heathen in derision

But thou, O Lord, shall laugh at them,.... Disappoint their counsels, hinder them from performing their enterprise; send them back with shame and confusion, and expose them to the laughter and derision of others; as Saul's messengers were, when instead of David they found an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair for its bolster, 1Sa 19:16; the same is said as here with respect to the enemies of Christ, Psa 2:4;

thou shall have all the Heathen in derision: either David's enemies, who, though Israelites, yet acted like Heathens to him, as in Psa 59:5; or the Gentiles that were gathered together against Christ, Psa 2:1; or the antichristian states and powers, who will be triumphed over at the time of their ruin, Rev 18:20; and even all the wicked at the last day, Pro 1:26.

Gill: Psa 59:9 - Because of his strength will I wait upon thee // for God is my defence

Because of his strength will I wait upon thee,.... Either because of the strength of Saul, who was stronger than David, he determined to wait upon the Lord for salvation and deliverance from him; or because of the strength of the Lord, which he expected from him, and therefore would wait upon him for it. The Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions, and also the Chaldee paraphrase, render the words, "my strength will I keep for thee"; or "with thee". I ascribe all my strength unto thee; I expect every supply of it from thee, and put my trust and confidence in thee for it: so did Christ as man, and had strength from the Lord, according to his promise, Isa 50:7; and so every believer, Isa 14:24;

for God is my defence; or "my high refuge"; or "high tower" ^w; see Psa 9:9; where he was defended and exalted, as is petitioned Psa 59:1; and was safe and secure from every enemy.