The Book of Psalms

Psalm 59

Psalm LIX · Vol. II, pp. 1023–1025

1 David, in great danger, prayeth to be saved from his enemies. 6 He complaineth of their cruelty. 8 He trusteth in God. 11 He prayeth against them. 16 He promiseth to praise God continually.

Margin referencesNotes ↓

To the chief musician, Al-Taschith, Michtam¹ of David; ^awhen Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.

1 Deliver me^b from mine enemies, O my God: defend me² from them that rise up against me.

B.C. cir. 1059.

1 Or, Destroy not, A golden psalm, Ps.lvii. lviii. titles.

a 1 Sa.19.11.

b Ps.18.48; 71.2,4; 43.1; 7.1,2; 64.1,2; 140.1,4; 22.12,20,21.

2 Heb. set me on high.

2 Deliver me from the ^cworkers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.

c Ps.6.8; 55.23; 139.19. Jn.8.32.

3 For, lo, ^dthey lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; ^enot for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD.

d 1 Sa.19.1. Ps.56.6; 10.8-10; 38.12,19; 142.6.

e 1 Sa.24.10-19; 26.18. Ps.7.3,4.

**THE WALLS OF TIBERIAS—NEAR HAMATH, OF OLD TESTAMENT TIMES. [Psalms,, lxviii:27.]** "There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali." Tiberias was a city of Zebulun, and was formerly occupied, according to Joshua, xix:35, by Rakkath, and is also near the hot baths referred to in Joshua, xix:35 as Hamath. The walls of the city were rebuilt by Justinian. The city was captured by the Persians under Khosroes in 614 B. C. In 1738 Dhahr-el-'Amr built a fort on the hill north of Tiberias and repaired the walls of the city, which suffered terrible damage through the earthquake of 1837. There are now in Tiberias about six thousand people, four thousand of whom are Jews, three hundred are Christians and the rest Moslems. This is one of the four sacred cities of the Jews in Palestine.

Vol. II, p. 1025

4 They ^grun and prepare themselves without my fault: ^hawake to help me,³ and behold.

A.M. cir. 2945. B.C. cir. 1059.

g 1 Sa.xviii. xix. xxiii. xxiv. xxvi.

h Ps.7.6-9; 35.1,23; 44.23,26.

3 Heb. to meet me.

5 Thou therefore, ⁱO LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the ^jheathen: be^k not merciful to any wicked ⁴transgressors.⁵ Selah.⁶

i Da.4.35. Ps.148.14.

j Ps.54.3. Is.1.10. Am.9.7.

k Ps.7.6; 17.13; 55.15; 58.6.

4 Wicked transgressors. 'Show no favour or pity to them who revolt to idolatry.'—Boothroyd.

5 'That is, arrest and punish them as transgressors. This prayer is not inconsistent with a desire that such men might be converted, and thus obtain mercy; but it is a prayer that God would not suffer them, being wicked men, to go at large and accomplish the work of wickedness which they designed' (Barnes).—P.

6 See note on Ps.3.2.—C.

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

l ver.14. 1 Sa.19.11.

7 Behold, ⁿthey belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for ^owho, say they, doth hear?

n Ps.55.21; 57.4; 64.3-5; 109.2,3. Pr.12.18.

o Ps.10.11,13; 73.11; 94.4,7.

8 But thou, O LORD, shalt ^plaugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.

p Ps.2.4; 37.13. Pr.1.26. Is.1.24. Am.5.9.

9 Because^q of his strength⁷ will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.⁸

q 2 Ch.20.12. Ps.62.1,5.

7 His strength. 'O my strength.'—Boothroyd.

8 Heb. my high place, ver.1,17.

10 The^r God of my mercy shall prevent me: God^s shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.⁹

r ver.17. 2 Co.1.3. Ex.34.6,7. 1 Pe.5.10. Ps.21.3. Is.65.24.

s Ps.54.7; 92.11; 58.10; ver.11-15.

9 Heb. mine observers, Ps.56.2.

11 Slay^t them not, lest my people forget: scatter^u them by thy power; and bring them down, O LORD our shield.

t Ge.4.12,15. Re.9.6. ver.13. Le.26.39. Nu.14.33. Ec.9.5.

u Is.41.16. Ps.53.5; 52.5; 55.23. Mat.22.7.

12 For^v 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.

v Pr.12.13; 18.7. Ps.64.7,8; 71.13; 109.17,18; 120.3,4; 140.9,10; 79.12.

13 Consume^x them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be;¹ and^y let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.²

x ver.11. Nu.14.33.

1 That they may not be a nation with unjust judges 'weighing' out 'violence,' and with cruel officials putting it in execution against the innocent.—C.

y Is.26.9,11. Ps.46.10,11; 58.11; 83.18. Eze.38.23; 39.7.

2 See note on Ps.3.2.—C.

14 And ^zat evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.

z ver.6,15; Ps.109.10-12. Job 15.23; 30.3-8. Is.8.21.

15 Let them wander up and down for meat,³ and grudge if they be not satisfied.⁴

3 Heb. to eat, Is.65.13.

4 Or, if they be not satisfied, then they will stay all night.

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

a Ps.7.17; 9.1,2; 13.6; 18.49; 21.13; 22.22; 30.5; 35.28; 41.13; 52.9; 54.6,7; 56.12,13, with ver.9,10.

b Ps.61.3; 91.1,4,9; 46.1,7,11. Is.25.4; 32.2; 26.20. He.5.7.

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

c Ps.18.1.

Notes

Ver. 1. The speaker declaring his innocence from transgression, sin, or fault, ver. 3, 4, can surely be no other than Jesus, who, while 'he bore our sins,' because 'the Lord laid' them on him, was yet in his own person 'holy, harmless, and undefiled.' C.

Ver. 6. The dogs which, in eastern cities, have neither masters nor homes, go about the streets by night in search of food—always noisy, and often troublesome. C.

Ver. 10. My desire. Not the revengeful desire of personal gratification by their punishment; but the holy desire of seeing their wicked counsels frustrated, and their impious combination dissolved. See ver. 11. C.

Ver. 11. Slay them not. Had the Jews and heathens who combined and plotted against Christ, Ps. ii.; Ac. ii., been utterly cut off, as for their sins they deserved, a large portion of the Scriptures would now be nearly unintelligible—and some of their brightest evidences almost extinguished. They still abide, lest believers should 'forget' any record either of the 'goodness' or 'severity of God,' Ro. 11. 22. C.

Ver. 14. This prophecy is still literally fulfilled. The poor unbelieving Jew 'returns,' and stealthily, 'in the evening, goes round about the city,' and is called 'a dog,' in contempt, by the Gentiles who tread under foot the home of his fathers. In Zion, the Jew and the dog are alike despised and homeless. O Lord! O Lord! how long? Appear in thy Glory; and repair and build thy Zion! Ps. cii. C.

Reflections.—Firm faith of our spiritual interest in God encourages to bold supplications in a day of trouble. None can destroy if he defend us. Though none be innocent before God, they may be so before men, at least with respect to particular crimes. And such innocence, though it cannot protect us from evil men, may encourage our appeals to God for redress. It is common for sinners to think that God overlooks their wickedness; but the awful punishment thereof will make them know that he observed it. If we wait on God and depend on his mercy, we are sure of preservation in trials and even of prevention with favours. But how dreadful is their danger against whom the prayers of Christ and his people ascend! The tongue, defiled with slander, cursing, and falsehood, will bring to itself misery. The punishment which God inflicts on men, correspondent to their sins, will force them to know his existence and government: and the sufferings of Jesus Christ and his people shall at last issue in everlasting honours, triumphs in their God, and praises for his mercy and kindness.