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Psalm 59

Psalm 59 places murderous threats under God’s rule, moving from a plea for rescue toward confident praise without reporting escape.

Men watch David’s house with orders to kill him, according to the heading. David asks God to rescue him from attackers whose violence he has done nothing to provoke. Their threats fill the night, and he compares them to dogs prowling the city. His prayer widens to God’s judgment of the nations, asking that his enemies’ downfall make God’s rule known. He closes with the resolve to sing of God’s strength and loving kindness in the morning.

injustice and angerfear for the futurepraise and worship
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1For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A poem by David, when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, my God. Set me on high from those who rise up against me.
2Deliver me from the workers of iniquity. Save me from the bloodthirsty men.
3For, behold, they lie in wait for my soul. The mighty gather themselves together against me, not for my disobedience, nor for my sin, LORD.
4I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. Rise up, behold, and help me!
5You, LORD God of Armies, the God of Israel, rouse yourself to punish the nations. Show no mercy to the wicked traitors. Selah.
6They return at evening, howling like dogs, and prowl around the city.
7Behold, they spew with their mouth. Swords are in their lips, “For”, they say, “who hears us?”
8But you, LORD, laugh at them. You scoff at all the nations.
9Oh, my Strength, I watch for you, for God is my high tower.
10My God will go before me with his loving kindness. God will let me look at my enemies in triumph.
11Don’t kill them, or my people may forget. Scatter them by your power, and bring them down, Lord our shield.
12For the sin of their mouth, and the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride, for the curses and lies which they utter.
13Consume them in wrath. Consume them, and they will be no more. Let them know that God rules in Jacob, to the ends of the earth. Selah.
15They shall wander up and down for food, and wait all night if they aren’t satisfied.
16But I will sing of your strength. Yes, I will sing aloud of your loving kindness in the morning. For you have been my high tower, a refuge in the day of my distress.
17To you, my strength, I will sing praises. For God is my high tower, the God of my mercy.
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Key verses
Psalm 59:16David’s promised morning song contrasts with the enemies’ evening howling and names God as his refuge in distress.
Psalm 59:12The plea for judgment names the enemies’ lies and curses, asking that their own pride become their trap.
Psalm 59:1The opening appeal establishes the danger and David’s dependence on God to lift him beyond his attackers’ reach.
Where this chapter reaches

1 Samuel recounts Saul sending men to watch David’s house and kill him, the event named in this psalm’s heading. Proverbs shares the psalm’s concern with destructive speech and pride, including the theme that evil words can ensnare the person who speaks them.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What do you notice about David’s requests for judgment alongside his trust in God’s loving kindness?

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How does the contrast between evening howling and morning singing shape your reading of the danger?

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Questions people ask about Psalm 59

Why did David write Psalm 59?

The heading attributes the psalm to David and places it when Saul sent men to watch his house and kill him. The prayer asks for rescue from bloodthirsty attackers and for God to judge their wrongdoing. It ends with promised praise, without narrating how David escaped.

Why does Psalm 59 ask God to spare the enemies and then consume them?

Verse 11 asks God to scatter and bring them down so that the people will remember. Verse 13 asks for their destruction so that God’s rule will be known. These requests create a tension within the prayer. Both seek a visible judgment that exposes evil and establishes God’s supremacy.

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Psalms · 150 chapters
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What the Bible says about anger →What the Bible says about fear →What the Bible says about worship →

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).