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Psalm 56:1
For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Silent Dove in Distant Lands.” A poem by David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be merciful to me, God, for man wants to swallow me up. All day long, he attacks and oppresses me.
1For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Silent Dove in Distant Lands.” A poem by David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be merciful to me, God, for man wants to swallow me up. All day long, he attacks and oppresses me.
2My enemies want to swallow me up all day long, for they are many who fight proudly against me.
3When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.
Notice
“All day long” conveys the relentlessness of David’s danger, and his plea for mercy shows prayer beginning while the attacks are still happening.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
What would you bring to God after praying, “Be merciful to me, God”?
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Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Psalm 16:1A Poem by David. Preserve me, God, for I take refuge in you.Both prayers turn to God for help: David asks for mercy under attack and for preservation as he takes refuge.
Psalm 57:1For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A poem by David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave. Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me, for …Both prayers ask God for mercy amid danger, with their headings locating David under threat in Gath and in a cave.
1 Samuel 29:4But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; and the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make the man return, that he may go back to his place …The shared thread is Philistine hostility: the princes demand a man's removal, while the psalm’s heading records David’s seizure.
Psalm 31:9Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am in distress. My eye, my soul, and my body waste away with grief.Both prayers ask for mercy and name the distress behind that request: relentless attack in one, grief affecting the whole person in the other.
Psalm 69:13–16But as for me, my prayer is to you, LORD, in an acceptable time. God, in the abundance of your loving kindness, answer me in the truth of your salvation.Both speakers direct their pleas to God, seeking help through his mercy or the abundance of his loving kindness.
1 Corinthians 15:54But when this perishable body will have become imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: “Death is …Both use swallowing language: David faces people who want to consume him, while Paul describes death itself being swallowed up in victory.
1 Samuel 21:11–15The servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David the king of the land? Didn’t they sing to one another about him in dances, saying, ‘Saul has slain his …David is named in both passages: the psalm records his seizure, while Achish’s servants recognize him through songs about his victories.
Hosea 8:8Israel is swallowed up. Now they are among the nations like a worthless thing.Both describe danger through swallowing language, though David faces a threatened attack and Hosea describes Israel as already swallowed up.
Lamentations 2:5The Lord has become as an enemy. He has swallowed up Israel. He has swallowed up all her palaces. He has destroyed his strongholds. He has multiplied mourning …Both use swallowing to describe destruction, though David names a human attacker and Lamentations names the Lord as Israel’s destroyer.
Proverbs 1:12Let’s swallow them up alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down into the pit.Both portray human violence as swallowing someone up, with David pleading against the kind of threat voiced by Proverbs’ speakers.
Lamentations 2:2The Lord has swallowed up all the dwellings of Jacob without pity. He has thrown down in his wrath the strongholds of the daughter of Judah. He has brought …Swallowing depicts destruction in both texts; David seeks God’s mercy against human attack, while Lamentations describes God’s judgment without pity.
Lamentations 2:16All your enemies have opened their mouth wide against you. They hiss and gnash their teeth. They say, “We have swallowed her up. Certainly this is the day that …Both portray enemies as seeking to swallow their victims, with David reporting the threat and Lamentations recording the enemies’ boast.
Where this verse fits
Anxiety or panic. injustice and anger. fear for the future.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
David asks for mercy before the danger has passed. Fear need not silence your prayer; in the surrounding lines, David puts his trust in God while afraid.
Now put it in your words.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).