For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song 2 by David.
55:1 Listen, O God, to my prayer!
Do not ignore 3 my appeal for mercy!
For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm, a song.
67:1 May God show us his favor 5 and bless us! 6
May he smile on us! 7 (Selah)
For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of Asaph, a song.
76:1 God has revealed himself in Judah; 9
in Israel his reputation 10 is great.
For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song 12 by David. It was written when the Ziphites came and informed Saul: “David is hiding with us.” 13
54:1 O God, deliver me by your name! 14
Vindicate me 15 by your power!
1 sn Psalm 55. The suffering and oppressed author laments that one of his friends has betrayed him, but he is confident that God will vindicate him by punishing his deceitful enemies.
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 “hide yourself from.”
4 sn Psalm 67. The psalmist prays for God’s blessing upon his people and urges the nations to praise him for he is the just ruler of the world.
5 tn Or “have mercy on us.”
6 tn The prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives expressing the psalmist’s prayer. Note the jussive form יָאֵר (ya’er) in the next line.
7 tn Heb “may he cause his face to shine with us.”
7 sn Psalm 76. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior who destroys Israel’s enemies.
8 tn Or “God is known in Judah.”
9 tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
10 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.
11 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.
12 tn Heb “Is not David hiding with us?”
13 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).
14 tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.