Psa 56:1, 7-8 | Clarke | e4.org | PSALM LVI David prays for support against his enemies, whose wickedness he describes , 1-6; and foretells their destruction , 7; expresses his confidence in God's mercy, expects deliverance, and promises thanksgiving and obedience , 8-13. NOTES ON PSALM LVI The title of this Psalm is very long: "To the conqueror, concerning the dumb dove in foreign places: golden Psalm of David." The Vulgate translates the original thus: "to the end. For the people who were afar off from holy things." "This inscription David placed here for a title when the Philistines-took him in Gath;" so the Septuagint and AEthiopic . The Chaldee is profuse: "To praise, for the congregation of Israel, which are compared to the silence of a dove, when they were afar off from their cities; but being returned, they praise the Lord of the world; like David, contrite and upright, when the Philistines kept him in Gath." The Syriac : "A thanksgiving of the righteous man, because he was delivered from his enemy, and from the hand of Saul. Also concerning the Jews and Christ." Bochart translates, "To the tune of the dove in the remote woods." If the title be at all authentic, David may mean himself and his companions by it, when he escaped from the hands of the Philistines; particularly from the hands of Achish, king of Gath. elem signifies to compress or bind together ; also, a small band or body of men : and yonath , from yanah , to oppress or afflict , is properly applied to the dove, because of its being so defenseless , and often becoming the prey of ravenous birds. It is possible, therefore, that the title may imply no more than-"A prayer to God in behalf of himself and the oppressed band that followed him, and shared his misfortunes in distant places ." Others will have it to mean a simple direction "To the master of the band, to be sung to the time of a well-known ode, called 'The dumb dove, in distant places.' "There is no end to conjectures, and all the titles in the whole book are not worth one hour's labour. Perhaps there is not one of them authentic . They may have been notices that such a Psalm was to be sung to such and such a tune ; giving the catch-words of some well-known song or ode: a custom that prevails much among us in songs and hymns, and is to be found even among the Asiatics. Verse 1. Be merciful unto me ] I am assailed both at home and abroad. I can go nowhere without meeting with enemies: unless thou who art the Fountain of mercy and the Most High , stand up in my behalf, my enemies will most undoubtedly prevail against me. They fight against me continually , and I am in the utmost danger of being swallowed up by them.

‏ Psalms 56:1

PSALM LVI

David prays for support against his enemies, whose wickedness he describes, 1-6;

and foretells their destruction, 7;

expresses his confidence in God's mercy, expects deliverance, and promises thanksgiving and obedience, 8-13.

NOTES ON PSALM LVI

The title of this Psalm is very long: "To the conqueror, concerning the dumb dove in foreign places: golden Psalm of David." The Vulgate translates the original thus: "to the end. For the people who were afar off from holy things." "This inscription David placed here for a title when the Philistines-took him in Gath;" so the Septuagint and AEthiopic. The Chaldee is profuse: "To praise, for the congregation of Israel, which are compared to the silence of a dove, when they were afar off from their cities; but being returned, they praise the Lord of the world; like David, contrite and upright, when the Philistines kept him in Gath." The Syriac: "A thanksgiving of the righteous man, because he was delivered from his enemy, and from the hand of Saul. Also concerning the Jews and Christ." Bochart translates, "To the tune of the dove in the remote woods."

If the title be at all authentic, David may mean himself and his companions by it, when he escaped from the hands of the Philistines; particularly from the hands of Achish, king of Gath. elem signifies to compress or bind together; also, a small band or body of men: and yonath, from yanah, to oppress or afflict, is properly applied to the dove, because of its being so defenseless, and often becoming the prey of ravenous birds. It is possible, therefore, that the title may imply no more than-"A prayer to God in behalf of himself and the oppressed band that followed him, and shared his misfortunes in distant places."

Others will have it to mean a simple direction "To the master of the band, to be sung to the time of a well-known ode, called 'The dumb dove, in distant places.' "There is no end to conjectures, and all the titles in the whole book are not worth one hour's labour. Perhaps there is not one of them authentic. They may have been notices that such a Psalm was to be sung to such and such a tune; giving the catch-words of some well-known song or ode: a custom that prevails much among us in songs and hymns, and is to be found even among the Asiatics.

Verse 1. Be merciful unto me] I am assailed both at home and abroad. I can go nowhere without meeting with enemies: unless thou who art the Fountain of mercy and the Most High, stand up in my behalf, my enemies will most undoubtedly prevail against me. They fight against me continually, and I am in the utmost danger of being swallowed up by them.

‏ Psalms 56:7-8

Verse 7. Shall they escape by iniquity?] Shall such conduct go unpunished? Shall their address, their dexterity in working iniquity, be the means of their escape? No. "In anger, O God, wilt thou cast down the people."

Verse 8. Thou tellest my wanderings] Thou seest how often I am obliged to shift the place of my retreat. I am hunted every where; but thou numberest all my hiding-places, and seest how often I am in danger of losing my life.

Put thou my tears into thy bottle] Here is an allusion to a very ancient custom, which we know long obtained among the Greeks and Romans, of putting the tears which were shed for the death of any person into small phials, called lacrymatories or urnae lacrymales and offering them on the tomb of the deceased. Some of these were of glass, some of pottery, and some of agate, sardonyx, &c. A small one in my own collection is of hard baked clay.

Are they not in thy book?] Thou hast taken an exact account of all the tears I have shed in relation to this business; and thou wilt call my enemies to account for every tear.