Psalms 56

Chapter context

What is happening in Psalms 56?

prayerpraiselamentkingship

Psalms 56 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as Book II. Psalms is the Bible’s great book of sung prayer, teaching the full range of faithful speech from anguish and repentance to jubilation and doxology. Read this chapter with the wider themes of prayer, praise, and lament in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

¹ Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. ² Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High. ³ What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. ⁴ In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. ⁵ Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. ⁶ They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul. ⁷ Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God. ⁸ Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? ⁹ When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me. ¹⁰ In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word. ¹¹ In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. ¹² Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. ¹³ For 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?

Study helps

Glossary

Gath Place v. 1: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell es Safi.