Psalms 54:1-3

Psalm 54 ¹ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song ²  by David. It was written when the Ziphites came and informed Saul: “David is hiding with us.” ³ 

54:1 O God, deliver me by your name! ⁴ 

Vindicate me ⁵  by your power!

54:2 O God, listen to my prayer!

Pay attention to what I say! ⁶ 

54:3 For foreigners ⁷  attack me; ⁸ 

ruthless men, who do not respect God, seek my life. ⁹  (Selah)

¹ sn Psalm 54. The psalmist asks God for protection against his enemies, confidently affirms that God will vindicate him, and promises to give thanks to God for his saving intervention.

² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 52.

³ tn Heb “Is not David hiding with us?”

⁴ tn God’s “name” refers here to his reputation and revealed character, which would instill fear in the psalmist’s enemies (see C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms [ICC], 2:17).

⁵ tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.

⁶ tn Heb “to the words of my mouth.”

¹¹ tc Many medieval Hebrew mss read זֵדִים (zedim, “proud ones”) rather than זָרִים (zarim, “foreigners”). (No matter which reading one chooses as original, dalet-resh confusion accounts for the existence of the variant.) The term זֵדִים (“proud ones”) occurs in parallelism with עָרִיצִים (’aritsim, “violent ones”) in Ps 86:14 and Isa 13:11. However, זָרִים (zarim, “foreigners”) is parallel to עָרִיצִים (’aritsim, “violent ones”) in Isa 25:5; 29:5; Ezek 28:7; 31:12.

¹² tn Heb “rise against me.”

¹³ tn Heb “and ruthless ones seek my life, they do not set God in front of them.”