Psalms 52:1

Psalm 52 ¹ 

For the music director; a well-written song ²  by David. It was written when Doeg the Edomite went and informed Saul: “David has arrived at the home of Ahimelech.” ³ 

52:1 Why do you boast about your evil plans, ⁴  O powerful man?

God’s loyal love protects me all day long! ⁵ 

John 19:10-11

19:10 So Pilate said, ⁶  “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know I have the authority ⁷  to release you, and to crucify you?” ⁸  19:11 Jesus replied, “You would have no authority ⁹  over me at all, unless it was given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you ¹⁰  is guilty of greater sin.” ¹¹ 

¹ sn Psalm 52. The psalmist confidently confronts his enemy and affirms that God will destroy evildoers and vindicate the godly.

² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

³ tn Heb “when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.’”

⁴ tn Heb “Why do you boast in evil?”

⁵ tn Heb “the loyal love of God [is] all the day.” In this context, where the psalmist is threatened by his enemy, the point seems to be that the psalmist is protected by God’s loyal love at all times.

⁶ tn Grk “said to him.” The words “to him” are not translated because they are unnecessary in contemporary English style.

⁷ tn Or “the power.”

⁸ tn Grk “know that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you.” Repetition of “the authority” is unnecessarily redundant English style.

⁹ tn Or “power.”

¹⁰ tn Or “who delivered me over to you.”

¹¹ tn Grk “has the greater sin” (an idiom).