Psalms 54:1-5

Context

Psalm 54¹

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a well-written song² 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 me⁵ by your power!

54:2 O God, listen to my prayer!

Pay attention to what I say!⁶

54:3 For foreigners⁷ attack me;⁸

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

54:4 Look, God is my deliverer!¹⁰

The Lord is among those who support me.¹¹

54:5 May those who wait to ambush me¹² be repaid for their evil!¹³

As a demonstration of your faithfulness,¹⁴ destroy them!

[54:1] ¹sn 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.

[54:1] ²tn 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.

[54:1] ³tn Heb “Is not David hiding with us?”

[54:1] ⁴tn 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).

[54:1] ⁵tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.

[54:2] ⁶tn Heb “to the words of my mouth.”

[54:3] ⁷tc 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.

[54:3] ⁸tn Heb “rise against me.”

[54:3] ⁹tn Heb “and ruthless ones seek my life, they do not set God in front of them.”

[54:4] ¹⁰tn Or “my helper.”

[54:4] ¹¹tn Or “sustain my life.”

[54:5] ¹²tn Heb “to those who watch me [with evil intent].” See also Pss 5:8; 27:11; 56:2.

[54:5] ¹³tn The Kethib (consonantal text) reads a Qal imperfect, “the evil will return,” while the Qere (marginal reading) has a Hiphil imperfect, “he will repay.” The parallel line has an imperative (indicating a prayer/request), so it is best to read a jussive form יָשֹׁב (yashov, “let it [the evil] return”) here.

[54:5] ¹⁴tn Heb “in [or “by”] your faithfulness.”