Psalms 57:1

Psalm 57 ¹ 

For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; ²  a prayer ³  of David, written when he fled from Saul into the cave. ⁴ 

57:1 Have mercy on me, O God! Have mercy on me!

For in you I have taken shelter. ⁵ 

In the shadow of your wings ⁶  I take shelter

until trouble passes.

Psalms 69:13

69:13 O Lord, may you hear my prayer and be favorably disposed to me! ⁷ 

O God, because of your great loyal love,

answer me with your faithful deliverance! ⁸ 

Psalms 69:16

69:16 Answer me, O Lord, for your loyal love is good! ⁹ 

Because of your great compassion, turn toward me!

[57:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 57. The psalmist asks for God’s protection and expresses his confidence that his ferocious enemies will be destroyed by their own schemes.

[57:1]  ² tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the heading to Pss 58-59, 75.

[57:1]  ³ tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56, 58-60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”

[57:1]  ⁴ sn According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm on the occasion when he fled from Saul and hid in “the cave.” This probably refers to either the incident recorded in 1 Sam 22:1 or to the one recorded in 1 Sam 24:3.

[57:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “my life has taken shelter.” The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.

[57:1]  ⁶ sn In the shadow of your wings. The metaphor likens God to a protective mother bird (see also Pss 17:8; 36:7).

[69:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “as for me, [may] my prayer be to you, O Lord, [in] a time of favor.”

[69:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “O God, in the abundance of your loyal love, answer me in the faithfulness of your deliverance.”

[69:16]  ⁹ tn Or “pleasant”; or “desirable.”