Psalms — Chapter 56

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1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be merciful to me, O God, for men are hounding me; all day they press their attack.

2My enemies pursue me all day long, for many proudly assail me.

3When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.

4In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

5All day long they twist my words; all their thoughts are on my demise.

6They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps while they wait to take my life.

7In spite of such sin, will they escape? In Your anger, O God, cast down the nations.

8You have taken account of my wanderings. Put my tears in Your bottle—are they not in Your book?

9Then my enemies will retreat on the day I cry for help. By this I will know that God is on my side.

10In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise,

11in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

12Your vows are upon me, O God; I will render thank offerings to You.

13For You have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

1Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.

2Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.

3What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

4In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

5Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.

6They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.

7Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God.

8Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

9When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.

10In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.

11In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

12Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.

13For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

1Be merciful unto me, O God; for man would swallow me up: All the day long he fighting oppresseth me.

2Mine enemies would swallow me up all the day long; For they are many that fight proudly against me.

3What time I am afraid, I will put my trust in thee.

4In God (I will praise his word), In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid; What can flesh do unto me?

5All the day long they wrest my words: All their thoughts are against me for evil.

6They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, They mark my steps, Even as they have waited for my soul.

7Shall they escape by iniquity? In anger cast down the peoples, O God.

8Thou numberest my wanderings: Put thou my tears into thy bottle; Are they not in thy book?

9Then shall mine enemies turn back in the day that I call: This I know, that God is for me.

10In God (I will praise [his] word), In Jehovah (I will praise [his] word),

11In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid; What can man do unto me?

12Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render thank-offerings unto thee.

13For thou hast delivered my soul from death: [Hast thou] not [delivered] my feet from falling, That I may walk before God In the light of the living? Psalm 57 For the Chief Musician; [set to] Al-tash-heth. [A Psalm] of David. Michtam; when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

1For the music director, according to the yonath-elem-rekhoqim style; a prayer of David, written when the Philistines captured him in Gath. Have mercy on me, O God, for men are attacking me. All day long hostile enemies are tormenting me.

2Those who anticipate my defeat attack me all day long. Indeed, many are fighting against me, O Exalted One.

3When I am afraid, I trust in you.

4In God—I boast in his promise— in God I trust; I am not afraid. What can mere men do to me?

5All day long they cause me trouble; they make a habit of plotting my demise.

6They stalk and lurk; they watch my every step, as they prepare to take my life.

7Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape. In your anger bring down the nations, O God.

8You keep track of my misery. Put my tears in your leather container. Are they not recorded in your scroll?

9My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help; I know that God is on my side.

10In God—I boast in his promise— in the Lord—I boast in his promise—

11in God I trust; I am not afraid. What can mere men do to me?

12I am obligated to fulfill the vows I made to you, O God; I will give you the thank offerings you deserve,

13when you deliver my life from death. You keep my feet from stumbling, so that I might serve God as I enjoy life.

1Be 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.

4In God, I praise his word. In God, I put my trust. I will not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

5All day long they twist my words. All their thoughts are against me for evil.

6They conspire and lurk, watching my steps, they are eager to take my life.

7Shall they escape by iniquity? In anger cast down the peoples, God.

8You count my wanderings. You put my tears into your bottle. Aren’t they in your book?

9Then my enemies shall turn back in the day that I call. I know this, that God is for me.

10In God, I will praise his word. In Yahweh, I will praise his word.

11I have put my trust in God. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

12Your vows are on me, God. I will give thank offerings to you.

13For you have delivered my soul from death, and prevented my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

A lament of trust from when the Philistines seized David in Gath (superscription; 1 Samuel 21). David asks for mercy as enemies trample and attack him all day long, yet declares that whenever he is afraid he will trust in God rather than fear what mere flesh can do to him (vv. 1-4). He describes his adversaries twisting his words and lying in wait for his life, but trusts that God has kept count of his wanderings and even collected his tears (vv. 5-8). Confident that his enemies will retreat when he calls, he repeats his refrain of trust in God's word rather than fear of man, and closes vowing to fulfill his thank offerings for having been delivered from death so he may walk before God in the light of the living (vv. 9-13).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Individual Lament / Trust Psalm
Attributed Author: David
Key Themes: Trust in the midst of fear, God's Word as anchor, divine record of suffering, tears stored by God, confidence over fear of man
Historical Context: The superscription places this psalm when the Philistines seized David in Gath (1 Samuel 21:10-15). David had fled from Saul to the Philistine city of Gath, where he was recognized as the one who had killed Goliath. In mortal danger, he feigned madness to escape. The tune name "Jonath elem rehokim" means "The Dove on Distant Oaks" or "The Silent Dove of Those Far Away" — possibly describing David as a vulnerable dove far from home. This psalm is remarkable for its honest admission of fear (v.3) paired with resolute trust. The refrain "I will not fear what flesh can do unto me" (vv.4,11) is one of Scripture's great declarations of faith amid danger.
Be Merciful unto Me, O God (vv.1-2): Be merciful unto me, O God, for man would swallow me up. The superscription places the psalm when the Philistines took him in Gath, which is the episode of 1 Samuel 21 where David feigned madness to escape. And the pressure is described as constant rather than acute, mine enemies would daily swallow me up, he fighting daily oppresseth me.
In God I Will Praise His Word (vv.3-4): What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. The verse concedes the fear and does not treat it as a failure, which is why it is quoted more than anything else in the psalm. Then the refrain, in God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust, I will not fear what flesh can do unto me, and the word flesh is doing the work: the threat is real and is bounded by mortality.
They Mark My Steps (vv.5-7): Every day they wrest my words, all their thoughts are against me for evil. The surveillance is described in hunting terms, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul. And the petition against them is brief and uses the exile as its measure, in thine anger cast down the people.
Put My Tears into Thy Bottle (v.8): Thou tellest my wanderings, put thou my tears into thy bottle, are they not in thy book. One verse, and it is the most tender image in the psalter. Tellest means counts, and what is being asked for is that the tears be collected and kept rather than that the trouble be removed. Three records are named in one verse: a tally of journeys, a container, and a book.
God Is For Me (vv.9-11): When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back, this I know, for God is for me. The clause this I know is the psalm's turning point and Paul's argument in Romans 8:31 rests on the same claim. Then the refrain of verse 4 repeated almost exactly, in God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid what man can do unto me, with flesh replaced by man.
I Will Walk Before God (vv.12-13): Thy vows are upon me, O God, I will render praises unto thee. The obligation is described as already incurred. And the reason given is stated as a completed rescue, for thou hast delivered my soul from death, wilt thou not deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Psalm 56 | When I Am Afraid, I Trust in You | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalm 56 - Faith in the Midst of Fear
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Fear and Trust Together (v.3) — David doesn't pretend he isn't afraid — he names the fear and then chooses to trust God anyway. Do you feel like you have to stop being afraid before you can trust God, or can the two coexist for you too?
  • What Can Mere Flesh Do? (v.4) — Because he trusts God's word, David asks what any human threat could actually do to him in the end. Where is fear of what people might do to you outweighing your confidence in what God has said?
  • Every Tear Recorded (v.8) — David pictures God keeping track of his wandering and collecting his tears, as if none of his suffering goes unnoticed. Do you believe your private pain is actually seen by God, or does it feel like it disappears into nothing?
  • Confidence That God Is For Me (v.9) — David states plainly that he knows God is for him — not hopes, but knows. Is your confidence in God built on His character, or does it rise and fall with how things are currently going for you?