Psalm 57 Psalm 57:1 22 David Trusts God both His Grac and Truth for th Futur Outlin of Chaptr 57: Inscription Psalm 57 Inscription vv. 1 3 David Calls Upon God for Hlp, and Knows God Will Snd Forth Grac and Truth vv. 4 5 David s Lif is in Dangr/H Calls for God to b Hono v. 6 David s Enmis Entrap Thmslvs vv. 7 11 David Clbrats God s Charactr/H Calls for God to b Hono Charts and Maps: v. 2 How God Complts [His Work] Upon David v. 11 Th 4.5.6; 4.5.6 Structur of Psalm 57 Doctrins Cov Doctrins Alludd To Ark of God Introduction: Psalm 57 was writtn by David during a transitional priod of tim. You will rcall that h has bn to Nob and to Gath, and his bhavior and choics wr lss than xmplary. In I Sam. 22, w will s th rsult of David s dishonsty with th prists in Nob. Howvr, prior to this, David has gon from bing frightnd, dirctionlss and out of fllowship, to bing a ladr, wis and in fllowship. In th book of Samul, this is mrly implid; howvr, David has clarly spiritually rboundd in Psalm 56, which clansing has ld to his writing svral psalms and lading a small army. If on rads I Sam. 21 and 22 carfully, it will mak David sm schizophrnic. In chaptr 21, h is on th run, h is afraid, h maks stupid choics, h lis, h producs phony bhavior, and h is worrid about on prson and on prson only: himslf. In chaptr 22, on th othr hand, w hav David as a ladr. Mn hav flockd to him; his family has com to him. David is not worrid for his own safty now, but for th safty of othrs. David now xuds confidnc and ladrship and faith. Th ky, of cours, is Psalm 56, whr David turns towa God. Satan s stratgy for th blivr is for th blivr to focus on himslf, on othr popl or on th circumstancs of lif. David had bn focusd on himslf and on his problms. In Psalm 56, this focus turnd towa God. Psalm 57 marks th 3 in a sris of psalms which dmonstrat David s spiritual focus, strngth and growth. H wrot at last a half dozn psalms during this priod of tim. I should mntion that David spnt a lot of tim in cavs; in fact, this will b his modus oprandi for th nxt svral yars. Thrfor, although I hav placd this psalm at th bginning of I Sam. 22, it could hav occur at anytim btwn I Sam. 22 29. W may mak th gnral obsrvation, basd upon our study of th prvious two psalms (Psalm 34 56), that David dos not simply randomly throw wos togthr until h runs out of stam. His psalms oftn hav a structur, and th structur is oftn ky to undrstanding th psalm. First of all, w hav a chorus, vv. 5 and 11 (which ar idntical). W hav th vocativ for God found in vv. 1, 5, 7, and 11. David mntions th havns in vv. 3, 5, 10, and 11. Finally, h spaks of grac and truth (of faithfulnss) in vv. 3 and 10. I was unabl to dciphr a pattrn; howvr, Kil and Dlitzsch obsrvd a stroph-schma of 4.5.6;4.5.6, which schma both givs us
Psalm 57 2 an outlin for th psalm, and is in complt agrmnt with th English txt and lin division as wll. At th nd of this psalm, I will gathr th vrss togthr and prsnt thm in this way. On night vn mor simply rfr to th first fiv vrss as David s prayr, and th final vrss as David s prais. David, in this psalm, dscribs th stps that h wnt through, in a rathr simplifid way. In ralizing that his lif was in dangr and that thr was no prson that h could turn to, David turns to God, and prays for his dlivranc. As a part of his prayr, David rcognizs that God can b trustd to com through for him (vv. 2b 3). Thn h praiss God for this dlivranc (ths hadings will b addd to th stroph-schma of 4.5.6;4.5.6 found at th nd of this psalm). David first spaks of asking God to b gracious to him, and thn rvals his complt dpndnc upon God (vv. 1 2). H knows that God will protct him (v. 3), vn though his lif is in dangr (v. 4). In v. 5, w hav th chorus of this psalm, whr David calls for God to b hono in th havns and that His glory b ovr all th arth, which is not unlik, Your will b don, on arth as it is in havn (v. 5). In v. 6, David again spaks of th dangrs of his lif, but that thos out to trap him, trap thmslvs. Vv. 7 10 ar clbratory vrss, whr David spaks of bing occupid with th prson of God and h clbrats God s grac among all popls (which introducs us to som fairly difficult txtual criticism). Finally, David nds with th chorus again. W hav a lot of thms in this psalm which ar parallld lswhr. Whn w com to ths parallls, thy will b duly notd. Lt m add on mor thing: Spurgon suggsts that mystically, this psalm could b applid to our Lo and His 1 tim on this arth. In rviwing th psalm, apart from th inscription (or titl), I would hav to agr that this could vry asily b a psalm of Jsus, spokn from His humanity. Rturn to Chaptr Outlin Rturn to th Chart Indx Psalm 57 Inscription Slavishly litral: To a Prminnt [On]. Do not dstroy [or, you will not dstroy]! To David a writing in a fling from facs of Saul in th cav. Psalm 57 inscription Modratly litral: To th Prminnt On : Do not dstroy [m ]! A writing of David s whn h fld from th prsnc of Saul [and hid] in th cav. To th man who is pr-minnt: Do not Dstroy m! A writing of David s whn h fld from Saul and hid in a cav. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Early translations: Th Sptuagint For th nd. Dstroy not; by David, for a mmorial, whn h fld from th prsnc of Saul to th cav. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: 1 Charls Haddon Spurgon, A Trasury of David; -Swo, Psalm 57, inscription. Spurgon s commntary on this psalm, by th way, is 7000 wos and 10 pags long. Much of my commntary is rally rlatd strictly to th translation. Rmov that, and I don t know if thr would rmain a 7000 wo commntary.
3 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 22:1) CEV NJB NLT [For th music ladr. To th tun Don t Dstroy. A spcial psalm by David whn h was in th cav whil running from Saul.] For th choirmastr. Tun: Do not dstroy Of David In a quit voic Whn h scapd from Saul in th cav For th choir dirctor: A psalm of David, rgaing th tim h fld from Saul and wnt into th cav. To b sung to th tun Do Not Dstroy! Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): God s Wo JPS (Tanakh) 2 For th choir dirctor; al tashchth; a Mikhtam by David whn h fld from Saul into th cav. For th ladr; al tashhth. Of David. A Mikhtam; whn h fld from Saul into a cav. Litral, almost wo-for-wo, rndrings: NASB Young's Updatd LT For th choir dirctor; st to Al-tashhth. A Mikhtam of David, whn h fld from Saul, in th cav. To th Ovrsr. Dstroy not. A scrt trasur of David, in his fling from th fac of Saul into a cav. What is th gist of this vrs? David idntifis th tim priod during which this psalm was writtn it was during th tim that h was in th cav and Saul was aftr him. Psalm 57 inscription a No Strong s # lâmd (ì) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towas, in rgas to prposition BDB #510 nâtsach (çöç È ð) [pronouncd naw- TZAHKH] to ovrs, to suprvis; to b prminnt, to b nduring; th Prminnt On Pil participl with th dfinit articl Strong s #5329 BDB #663 Th Pil participl of nâtsach is givn a wid varity of rndrings: ovrsr (Young), th music ladr (CEV), choir dirctor (NASB, NLT), choirmastr (Owns), ladr (NRSV, NEB, NAB) and chif musician (Rothrham). Translation: To th Prminnt On:... Th first noun in this inscription is an intrsting on, and has bn givn many diffrnt rndrings: choir dirctor, choirmastr, music ladr, ladr, chif musician. Howvr, insofar as w know, thr was no official choir or palac orchstra. In fact, to gt any sort of music at all in th palac, David was snt for, a lon guitarist. Givn th music-thrapy which Saul s staff rcommndd (I Sam. 16:14 19), and givn that Saul prtty much actd lik a madman for th nxt dcad or so, w can rasonably assum that, whn ths vnts took plac that ar mntiond in th rmaindr of this inscription, that Saul nvr organizd any sort of in-hous music aftr David bcam a fugitiv. His cabint prhaps organizd additional music thrapy for him. Howvr, vn if that wr th cas, David, whil on th run from Saul, would hav no rason to writ somthing for th ladr of that musical group. Thrfor, thr is no rason to intrprt th Pil participl of nâtsach as 3 nd choirmastr, choir ladr, or choir-anything. Givn that this is followd by th 2 prson masculin singular, Hiphil imprfct of to caus to ruin, to dstroy combind with a ngativ, I would rasonably suspct that th pr-minnt 2 Unknown musical trm. 3 Of cours, David could hav writtn this psalm many, many yars latr in rtrospct. Howvr, I s that as unlikly.
Psalm 57 4 on is Saul. This psalm is addrssd to him. Saul, plas, do not dstroy m! You may ask, why didn t David just put Saul s nam in hr instad? H did, in th inscription, a coupl of wos down. Anothr intrprtation is that ths wr givn to a choirmastr or music ladr long aftr th incidnt and long aftr thy wr writtn. Whn w studid Psalm 34, thr wr things in th inscription which suggstd that thr was a priod of tim btwn th writing of th psalm and th writing of th inscription (which dos not ncssarily conflict with th concpt of Scriptur bing inspi of God). David did organiz a choir and orchstra onc h bcam king (I Chron. 25), so h possibly gath his psalms, put titls to thm, and took thm to th choirmastr at that tim. This would not, howvr, xplain why som psalms wr writtn for th choirmastr and why som wr not. Anothr, and bttr, intrprtation is that th Prminnt On could b a rfrnc to God, and David prays to God that his nmis not b allowd to dstroy him. Sinc God can ovrrul man s volition, David can addrss God dirctly, and ask for Him not to dstroy him. This is mor rasonabl that this psalm is addrssd to God, as w hav th vocativ Elohim in vv. 1 2, 5, 7, 11. Psalms 57 58 bgin xactly in th sam way, both bing addrssd to th Prminnt On and both carrying th pla Do not dstroy! Both psalms ar also attributd to David and Psalm 57 also spaks of a tim whn David fld from Saul. It would b rasonabl to plac th writing of all thr of ths psalms during th tim that David was a fugitiv in Isral. Also, sinc David is functioning on divin viwpoint, rathr than human viwpoint, w would xpct him to addrss God in this mattr, rathr than Saul (who would nvr actually har this psalm anyway). Psalm 75 bgins idntically, but is attributd to Asaph. Psalm 57 inscription b al (ì à) [pronouncd al] - not; nothing; non advrb of ngation; conjunction of prohibiting, dhorting, dprcating, dsir that somthing not b don Strong s #408 BDB #39. shâchath (ú çç È ) [pronouncd shaw- KHAHTH] to caus on to go to ruin, to spoil, to ruin, to corrupt, to dstroy nd 2 prson masculin singular, Hiphil imprfct; apocopatd form Strong's #7843 BDB #1007 Apocopatd mans that th vrb has bn shortnd. Gnrally, this mans that th final hê (ä) and th vowl which prcds it ar droppd. Apocopation is usd whn th vrb functions as a jussiv or whn th vrb is affixd to a wâw conscutiv (hr, it is not affixd to th wâw conjunction, so it is probably a jussiv). A jussiv 4 xprsss th spakr s dsir, wish or command. Translation: Do not dstroy [m]! As mntiond abov, it is most likly that David is addrssing God as th Prminnt On and asking God not to dstroy him. W would xpct David, whn in fllowship, to rcogniz that God is th On in charg and God allows or disallows his dstruction. W find almost th xact sam morphology in I Sam. 26:9, whn David tlls Abishai not to dstroy Saul (thr is a suffix in this passag, which is not found in our psalm). S also Dut. 9:26, whr Moss prays for God not to dstroy th Jwish popl. This sam translation is found in both th Grk and Latin manuscripts, and th mor common xplanation is that 5 this is st to th music of a wll-known song or psalm of that ra, calld Do Not Dstroy. This would man that 4 This is all takn from Bib lical Hb rw; by Pag Klly; William B. Emans Publishing Co., 1992, pp. 131, 292. 5 Albrt Barns, Barns Nots on th Old Tstamnt; from -Swo, Psalm 57:1. Othrs also proposd th sam solution.
5 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 22:1) Psalms 57 59, 75 ar all st to th sam tun, as this is found in ach of thir inscriptions. I rjct this xplanation for thr rasons: (1) Why st 4 psalms to th xact sam tun? I would think that thr would b problms with mtr and vrs lngth. (2) Th xplanation givn asily xplains this phras occurring at th bginning of ths 4 psalms. (3) That David is asking not to b dstroyd (or asking for Isral not to b dstroyd) is apropos to th tnor and subjct mattr of ths psalms. Psalm 57 inscription c lâmd (ì) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towas, in rgas to, with rfrnc to, as to, with rgas to, blonging to prposition No Strong s # BDB #510 Dâvid (ã å È ò ); also Dâvîyd ( ãé å. È ) [pronouncd daw- VEED] blovd and is translitratd David masculin propr noun Strong s #1732 BDB #187 mik tâm (î È ë î ò) [pronouncd mik- TAWM] possibly: writing; a pom, a song; translitratd Mikhtâm masculin singular noun Strong s #4387 BDB #508 b B Thr is a vry similar masculin noun, which is mîk ththâ v (á È ëó îò) [pronouncd mik -TAW V], which mans writing, handwriting, that which is writtn; which noun is found in titls,.g., Writing of Hzkiah. Th diffrnc btwn th nouns is th final lttr. Givn thir strong similaritis, I would rasonably suppos that mik tâm mans writing, a pom, a song. This wo is found only in th inscriptions of 6 psalms (all psalms of David) and giving it such a maning dos no damag to th psalms or th inscription. Intrstingly nough, a wo which is also similar to mik tâm is kâtham (í ú - È ) [pronouncd kaw-thahm], which mans to b staind; bloodstaind; dfild. Strong s #3799 BDB #508. Many tims, a vrb is mad into a substantiv by affixing a mm to th bginning of th wo. Translation: A writing of David s... Although many translations translitrat th wo mikhtam, thr is rally no rason for that. W may rasonably undrstand this to man a writing, a pom or a song of David s. W find this sam dsignation in Psalms 16, 56 60 (s th xgsis abov for a full xplanation). W may rasonably assum that David is simply putting his signatur to this psalm. It is also possibl that, as has bn mntiond bfor, this was don long aftr th psalm was writtn. Psalm 57 inscription d h b ( ) [pronouncd b ] Ó in, into, at, by, nar, on, with, bfor, in th prsnc of, upon, against, by mans of, among, within a prposition of proximity Strong s# non BDB #88 Whn vrbs in th infinitiv construct ar prcdd by th bêyth prposition, b acts as a tmporal conjunction; that is, in thir bing cratd = whn thy wr cratd (Gn. 2:4); in thir bing in th fild = whn thy wr in 6 th fild (Gn. 4:8). 6 Th Nw Brown-Drivr-Briggs-Gsnius Hbrw-English Lxicon; Hndrickson, 1979, pp. 90 91.
Psalm 57 6 Psalm 57 inscription d bârach (ç ø - È ) [pronouncd baw- RAHKH] to go through, to fl Qal infinitiv construct with th 3 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #1272 BDB #137 min (ï îò ) [pronouncd min] from, away from, out from, out of from, off, on account of, sinc, abov, than, so that not, abov, byond, mor than prposition of sparation Strong's #4480 BDB #577 pânîym (íé ð ò È ) [pronouncd paw-neem] fac, facs; prsnc masculin plural construct (plural acts lik English singular) Strong s #6440 BDB #815 Togthr, mipânîym man from bfor your fac, out from bfor your fac, from on s prsnc. Howvr, togthr, thy can also b a rfrnc to th caus, whthr nar or rmot, and can thrfor b rnd bcaus of, bcaus that. Shâ ûwl (ì à È ) [pronouncd shaw-ool] which is translitratd Saul; it mans askd for masculin propr noun Strong s #7586 BDB #982 min (ï îò ) [pronouncd min] from, away from, out from, out of from, off, on account of, sinc, abov, than, so that not, abov, byond, mor than prposition of sparation Strong's #4480 BDB #577 m ârâh (ä øè òè î ) Ó [pronouncd m-ìaw- RAW] cav fminin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #4631 BDB #792 Translation:...whn h fld from th prsnc of Saul [and hid] in th cav. David at on tim was in th palac of Saul. H bgan thr as a musician hi to calm Saul. H vntually bcam a solidr and a ladr of soldirs, and h marrid Saul s daughtr. So, for a long tim, David was bfor Saul (in Saul s prsnc) in th royal palac. Howvr, Saul mad an attmpt on David s lif whil David was at hom with his wif, Saul s daughtr, and David fld from Saul at that tim. David was on th lamb for svral yars aftr this, and w might suppos that h has stayd in many cavs. Howvr, thr ar only two cavs which ar spcifically mntiond in connction with David and this tim priod, and that is th cav of Adullam in I Sam. 22:1 (our passag) and th cav whr David cut Saul s garmnt whn h was dfcating (I Sam. 24). Givn that David was not fling from Saul, pr s, in I Sam. 24, w may 7 rasonably assum that this blongs with our passag, Psalm 22. On th othr hand, David spaks in v. 6 of his nmis digging a pit, and thn falling into it. This could dscrib th situation prsntd to us in I Sam. 24, whr Saul wandrs into David s cav of hiding in or to dfcat. This would b in agrmnt with v. 6 and it is th rason many xgts plac this psalm with I Sam. 24. Lt m offr you a thi possibility: David, with his 400+ mn, will spnd a lot of tim in cavs. Thr ar a lot of mn to hid, and th only saf plac for thm to hid would b in a cav, which is whr thy hid at last twic (I Sam. 22:1 24:3 4). Thr is no rason to think that ths ar th only two cavs whr David and his mn 7 Obviously, it is possibl that this rfrs to a cav which is not mntiond in Scriptur.
7 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 22:1) stayd. Thrfor, David could hav composd ths psalms whil in ths cavs, and his rfrnc hr and in Psalm 142 is not to a particular cav, but to th various cavs in which h stayd. From Spurgon s Trasury of David: Th cav. Thr appar good grounds for th local tradition which fixs th cav on th bors of th Dad Sa, although thr is no crtainty with rga to th particular cav pointd out. Th cav so dsignatd is at a point to which David was far mor likly to summon his parnts, whom h intndd to tak from Bthlhm into Moab, than to any plac in th wstrn plains... It is an immns natural cavrn, th mouth of which can b approachd only on foot along th sid of th cliff. Irby and Mangls, who visitd it without bing awar that is was th rputd Cav of Adullam, stat that it runs in by a long winding, narrow passag, with small chambrs or cavitis on ithr sid. W soon cam to a larg chambr with natural archs of grat hight; from this last thr wr numrous passags, lading in all dirctions, occasionally joind by othrs at right angls, and forming a prfct labyrinth, which our guids assu us had nvr bn prfctly xplo - th popl bing afraid of losing thmslvs. Th passags ar gnrally four ft high by thr ft wid, and wr all on a lvl with ach othr.... It sms probabl that David as a nativ of Bthlhm, must hav bn wll acquaintd with this rmarkabl spot, and had probably oftn availd himslf of its shltr, whn out with his fathr's flocks. It would, thrfor, naturally occur to him as a plac of rfug whn h fld from Gath. - John Kitto (1804-1854), in A Cyclopadia of Biblical Litratur. Rturn to Chaptr Outlin Rturn to th Chart and Map Indx David Calls upon God for Hlp, and Knows God Will Snd Forth Grac and Truth Slavishly litral: Stoop ovr [or, show grac] [to] m, God Stoop ovr [or, show grac] [to] m, for in You has takn rfug my soul and in a shadow of Your wings I tak rfug until passs on calamity. Psalm 57:1 Modratly litral: Grac m, O God; grac m, for my soul trusts [and has takn rfug] in You; and I tak rfug in th shadow of your [protcting] wings until calamity [and ruin] pass on by. B gracious to m, O God; b gracious to m, for my soul trusts in You and has tak n r fug in You; and I trust in Your protction until calamity and ruin pass through. Hr is how othrs hav handld this vrs: Early translations: Th Sptuagint Hav mrcy upon m, O God, hav mrcy upon m; for my soul has trustd in You; and in th shadow of Your wings will I hop, until th iniquity has passd away. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: CEV NLT God Most High, hav pity on m! Hav mrcy. I run to you for safty. In th shadow of your wings, I sk protction till dangr dis down. Hav mrcy on m, O God, hav mrcy! I look to you for protction. I will hid bnath th shadow of your wings until this violnt storm is past.
Psalm 57 8 REB God b gracious to m; b gracious, for I hav mad you my rfug, I shall sk rfug in th shadow of your wings until th storms ar past. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): God s Wo JPS (Tanakh) Hav pity on m, O God. Hav pity on m, bcaus my soul taks rfug in you. I will tak rfug in th shadow of your wings until dstructiv storms pass by. Hav mrcy on m, O God, hav mrcy on m, for I sk rfug in You, I sk rfug in th shadow of Your wings, until dangr passs. [This is actually v. 2 in th Tanakh] Litral, almost wo-for-wo, rndrings: NASB Own's Translation Young's Updatd LT B gracious to m, O God, b gracious to m. For my soul taks rfug in Th; And in th shadow of Thy wings I will tak rfug Until dstruction passs by. B mrciful to m, O God; b mrciful to m, for in You taks rfug my soul and in th shadow of Your wings I will tak rfug till pass by storms of dstruction. Favor m, O God, favor m; For in You my soul trusts, And in th shadow of Your wings I trust, Until calamitis pass ovr. What is th gist of this vrs? David asks God for His grac, as h (David) has placd his ntir trust in God. H will hid undr th wings of God until calamitis pass on ovr. Psalm 57:1a chânan (ïð ÇçÈ ) [pronouncd khaw- NAHN] bnd or stoop ovr, show favor, show grac [as a suprior would do on bhalf of an infrior], show mrcy, b gracious, b mrciful nd 2 prson masculin singular, Qal imprativ st with th 1 prson singular suffix #2603, 2589 BDB #335 ì lôhîym (îéäò Éì àá ) [pronouncd l-o-heem] gods or God; translitratd Elohim masculin plural noun Strong's #430 BDB #43 chânan (ïð ÇçÈ ) [pronouncd khaw- NAHN] bnd or stoop ovr, show favor, show grac [as a suprior would do on bhalf of an infrior], show mrcy, b gracious, b mrciful nd 2 prson masculin singular, Qal imprativ st with th 1 prson singular suffix #2603, 2589 BDB #335 Translation: Grac m, O God; grac m,... Thr is actually no prposition hr, so litrally, this is Grac m rathr than giv grac to m. It is strongr and mor immdiat. Why can David ask God to do this? Crtainly not basd upon David s bhavior up until that point in tim. H has lid to th prists, h has falsifid his bhavior
9 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 22:1) bfor th king of Gath; and both incidnts will rsult in trribl dstruction for innocnt popl (although thr is actually no such thing). David was th prson who committd th wrongs hr, but othrs will suffr bcaus of what h has don. So David can t go to God and say, S how grat my faith is. S what a grat blivr I hav bcom. H can t say that, bcaus h has scrwd up royally. So h asks for God s grac and mrcy instad. David can do that. Application: no mattr how you hav faild; no mattr how faithlss you hav bn, you can always go to God and ask Him for grac. God givs His grac on th basis of what Jsus did for us on th cross not on th basis of our own pitiful livs and multifarious failurs. McG commnts on B mrciful unto m, O God, b mrciful unto m: I don t know about you, but my prayr is th sam as David s, O God b mrciful to m. I want God to b mrciful to m. I don t want him to b just with m and rightous. If H is, I am going to gt a whipping. I want Him to b mrciful and gracious to m. H is that kind of a God rich in mrcy. H has nough for m and I am going to 8 rquir a lot of it but thr will b nough for you also. Psalm 57:1b kîy (é ò ) [pronouncd k] for, that, bcaus; whn, at that tim, which, what tim conjunction; prposition Strong's #3588 BDB #471 h b ( ) [pronouncd b ] Ó in, into, at, by, nar, on, with, bfor, in th prsnc of, upon, against, by mans of, among, within a prposition of proximity nd with th 2 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s# non BDB #88 9 Th targum apparntly rads in Your wo hr. châçâh (ä ñè çè ) [pronouncd khaw-saw] to tak rfug, and hnc to trust [in] 3 prson fminin singular, Qal prfct, pausal form Strong s #2620 BDB #340 Gnrally, w would xpct this lin of th vrs to nd hr; howvr, w do not hav th subjct yt. nphsh ( ôð) [pronouncd NEH-fsh] soul, lif, living bing, dsir fminin singular noun st with th 1 prson singular suffix Strong s #5315 BDB #659 Translation:...for my soul trusts [and has takn rfug] in You;... David dos not go back to som grat thing that h has don; h asks God to giv him grac simply bcaus h has trustd and takn rfug in God. What dos it tak to arn God s grac? Nothing, xcpt to put your trust in Him; to tak rfug in Him. This is non-mritorious. David has not arnd or don anything to dsrv God s grac or mrcy. H has simply trustd in God; blivd in Him. This is how w appropriat God s favor. 8 J. Vrnon McG, Psalms Chaptrs 42 89, 1991 by J. Vrnon McG; Thomas Nlson, Inc.; p. 85. 9 Dr. John Gill, John Gill s Exposition of th Entir Bibl; from -Swo, Psalm 57:1.
Psalm 57 10 Psalm 57:1c w (or v ) (å) [pronouncd wh] and simpl wâw conjunction No Strong s # BDB #251 h b ( ) [pronouncd b ] Ó in, into, at, by, nar, on, with, bfor, in th prsnc of, upon, against, by mans of, among, within a prposition of proximity Strong s# non BDB #88 tsêl (ì öå ) [pronouncd tzal] shadow masculin singular construct Strong's #6738 BDB #853 kânâph (ó ð È È ) [pronouncd kaw- NAWF] wings of bis (Gn. 1:21 Ex. 19:4 Dut. 32:11) as wll as th xtrmity of a garmnt (Dut. 22:12, 30 Ruth 3:9) fminin plural noun with nd th 2 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #3671 BDB #489 châçâh (ä ñè çè ) [pronouncd khaw-saw] to tak rfug, and hnc to trust [in] st 1 prson singular, Qal prfct; pausal form Strong s #2620 BDB #340 Translation:...and I tak rfug in th shadow of your [protcting] wings... God dos not hav wings lik a bi. This is an anthropopathism. Baby bis, whn it rains, or whn thy ar afraid, crawl undrnath th wings of thir mothr for protction. Thy don t dsrv this protction; thy havn t don anything good or bad to dsrv this protction. It is instinct. David ralizs that with all of his running around and soul full of far, what h nds to do is to hid undr th protction (shadow) of God s wings. God can protct David; th swo of Goliath, which David took from th prists at Nob cannot protct him; an attmpt at som sort of allianc with th king of Gath cannot protct him. God can protct David. This sam imag is also found in Psalm 17:8 36:7 61:4 63:7 91:4. Gill maks th suggstion that this rfrs to th chrubs wings th chrubs who stand abov th mrcy sat. Th Ark of God rprsnts th prson and work of Jsus Christ. W xamind this doctrin back in Ex. 40:3. It was mad out of acacia wood and cov with gold; th wood rprsntd th humanity of Jsus Christ and th gold rprsntd his dity. Abov th ark was th mrcy sat, whrupon th High Prist onc a yar sprinkld blood, bhind th vil, so that it could not b obsrvd (just as, th judgmnt of our Lo could not b obsrvd on th cross). Th angls, apparntly, could viw th judgmnt of God on His Son, which is rprsntd by th chrubim (or chrubs) who stood ovr th mrcy sat. David taking rfug in th wings of ths chrubs mans that h took rfug in th cross; h took rfug in God, and was saf in His protction. Psalm 57:1d ad (ã òç ) [pronouncd ìahd] as far as, vn to, up to, until prposition Strong s #5704 BDB #723
11 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 22:1) Psalm 57:1d b â var (ø áç òè ) [pronouncd ìaw b - VAHR] to pass ovr, to pass through, to pass on, to pass, to go ovr 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #5674 BDB #716 havvâh (ä È äç ) [pronouncd hahv-vaw] dsir; ruin, fall, calamity, dstruction; injury, mischif; chasm, dp pit, hll, gulf fminin plural noun Strong s #1942 BDB #217 Translation:...until calamity [and ruin] pass on by. David dos not ask for th calamity or ruin or injury to b rmovd. H dos not ask for Saul to b killd. H asks for God s protction until it passs by. Application: W will fac calamitis and ruin. W will fac problms in our livs. Thy will vntually pass on by, but thy won t ncssarily suddnly disappar. W won t fac th problm on day, pray to God, and thn it will b gon th nxt. For th most part, th problm will disappar, within a wk or a month or within a fw yars. Howvr, God offrs His protction throughout, and that is what w sk. I call out to Elohim Most High, to th God complting upon m. Psalm 57:2 I call out to Elohim th Most High, to th God [who] complts m. I call out to God th Most High, to th God who complts m. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Early translations: Th Sptuagint I will cry to God most high; th God who has bnfittd m. Paus. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: CEV NAB NLT TEV I pray to you, my protctor. I call to God Most High, to God who provids for m. I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpos for m. I call to God, th Most High, to God, who supplis my vry nd. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): God s Wo JPS (Tanakh) I call to God Most High, to th God who dos vrything for m. I call to God Most High, to God who is good to m. Litral, almost wo-for-wo, rndrings:
Psalm 57 12 Th Amplifid Bibl Updatd Emphasizd Bibl NASB NKJV Young's Updatd LT I will cry to God Most High, Who prforms on my bhalf and rwas m Who brings to pass [His purposs] for m and surly complts thm! I will cry unto God Most High, Unto God, who accomplishs on my. I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishs all things for m.. I will cry out to God Most High, To God who prforms all things for m. I call to God Most High, To God who is prfcting for m. What is th gist of this vrs? David calls out to God, to th God Who complts him. Psalm 57:2a qârâ (à øè È ) [pronouncd kaw-raw] to call, to proclaim, to rad, to call to, to call out to, to assmbl, to summon 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong's #7121 BDB #894 Qârâ is a homonym; th othr qârâ mans to ncountr, to bfall, to mt, to assmbl. No Strong s # lâmd (ì) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towas, in rgas to prposition BDB #510 ì lôhîym (îéäò Éì àá ) [pronouncd l-o-heem] gods or God; translitratd Elohim masculin plural noun Strong's #430 BDB #43 l yôwn (ï éìò) [pronouncd ìl -YOHN] Most High, highst, Suprm masculin singular noun Strong s #5945 BDB #751 Translation: I call out to Elohim th Most High,... David has first askd for God to grac him, and again, hr, h calls out to God, Whom h dsignats as th Most High. I want you to rcall David s othr solutions: his first solution was to go to th city of th prists and to gt a swo and food; his scond solution was to go to Saul s gratst nmy, th king of Gath, and sk rfug thr. Although w hav not sn th nd rsults of ths bad dcisions yt (that will com latr in I Sam. 22 23), David s dcision hr is on of grat wisdom. H isn t running anywhr, h isn t soliciting hlp from any man; h calls out to God. Psalm 57:2b No Strong s # lâmd (ì) [pronouncd l ] to, for, towas, in rgas to prposition BDB #510 êl (ì àå ) [pronouncd ALE] God, God, mighty on, strong, hro masculin singular noun with th dfinit articl Strong s #410 BDB #42 gâmar (ø î - È ) [pronouncd gaw- MAHR] to complt, to finish, to nd, to com to an nd; to lav off, to fail Qal activ participl Strong s #1584 BDB #170
13 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 22:1) Psalm 57:2b How do w xplain this group of manings? Whn somon has compltd or finishd a work, thn h coms to an nd of daling with that work; h lavs off from working on that work. al (ì òç ) [pronouncd ìahl ] upon, byond, on, against, abov, ovr, by, bsid prposition of proximity st with th 1 prson singular suffix; pausal form Strong s #5921 BDB #752 Translation:...to th God [who] complts m. As you will notic, I hav givn a larg numbr of translations abov. This is bcaus it is difficult to dtrmin xactly how to rndr this vrb and th prposition which follows it. Not only is th vrb difficult to undrstand (it mans to complt, to finish, to nd, to com to an nd; to lav off, to fail), but th prposition which follows (upon, byond, on, against, abov, ovr) dos not add much to our undrstanding. What w can rasonably driv, at this point, is that David rcognizs that God has placd him in this particular position for a rason, and that rason is to complt him, to bring him to a propr nd. David may rcogniz that, for all his military victoris, that h is not rally complt yt as a prson, as a man of God. God has him in this cav, with ths 400 mn, hiding from Saul, for a rason. This is not just som arbitrary sris of vnts, but a wll-o and wll-orchstratd sris of vnts; and that David can trust in God for th outcom of ths vnts, as thy will complt him. Application: You ar going to fac trials and difficultis, and that som of thm will not go away for a long tim. This simply mans that God is complting you or finishing th job that H has startd with you. W must larn to trust Him and dpnd upon Him. I rcall som tachr activitis which w had to participat in at th bginning of school, which involvd falling back into th arms of fllow tachrs and trusting that thy would b thr. Wll, that was som lam and worthlss tim spnt; howvr, with rgas to God, H must do this so that w can, in this lif, dpnd upon Him and fall back into His arms, which ar always thr and will always catch us. W knows David s situation by corrlating th inscription of this psalm with I Sam. 22:1. W know that h is facing difficult circumstancs simply bcaus of v. 1 (although that will b xpandd in vv. 3 4, 6). Hr, David tlls us that God will complt him, and this will b don through David s trust whil th circumstancs ar occurring. How do w know that this prssur is guiding David to spiritually grow and to b spiritually complt? Instad of running off to som man (a prist at Nob or a king at Gath), in v. 2, David calls out to God. Lsson #1: dpnd upon God in tims of troubl. Thr ar actually quit a numbr of ways that God complts David, so w will list thm blow. How God Complts [His Work] Upon David 1. David has to know who h can dpnd upon. David must larn to dpnd upon God and not upon man. This trust will coms to pass in this and th prvious two psalms that w hav studid. 2. God is going to mak David king of Isral. God must bring this to compltion, as H has promisd that to David (I Sam. 13:13 14 16:1 13 23:17). 3. In or to b king ovr Isral, David nds to know how to proprly lad mn. H will b givn a ragtag band of malcontnts to guid and shap into a prmium fighting forc (I Sam. 22:1 2). Prior to this, David has had xprinc as a ladr, but ths wr ovr Saul s troops, who wr hand-pickd warriors (I Sam. 14:52 18:5, 13). 4. Unlik Saul, David ndd to larn complt faithfulnss whn carrying out th commands of God
Psalm 57 14 How God Complts [His Work] Upon David (compar I Sam. 13:11 15 15:1 24 with I Sam. 23:1 14). 5. David had to larn to dpnd upon God s timing. Although othrs would hav counsld David to simply siz th crown, David larnd to wait on God (I Sam. 24:3 22). 6. David had to larn to listn to God s prophts and prists in or to hav dirction in his lif, as I don t rcall God spaking dirctly to David (s I Sam. 23:6, 9 12 II Sam. 7:1 17 12:1 15 24:11 19). Rcall that in I Sam. 21:1 9, David told th prists what thy wr going to do for him. Proprly, th prists and prophts wr to guid David. As long as David had this backwas, thr was no way that h should bcom king ovr Isral. Obviously, thr was a lot mor to David bing mad king ovr Isral than simply rmoving Saul and installing David. David had to b prpa and his soul had to b brought to a lvl of maturity which would allow for him to proprly rul ovr Isral. Application: W may fl that thr ar a numbr of positions in this lif that w should hold. Howvr, God nds to prfct and complt us bfor w ntr into ths positions of authority. Thr may b a numbr of positions bfor you that you fl compltly qualifid to hold; howvr, unlss you grow spiritually, God is not going to drop you into thos slots. H snds from [two] havns and h dlivrs m ; H dfid him panting aftr m. Slah Snds God His grac and His faithfulnss. Psalm 57:3 H d ploys from h av n and H d liv rs m ; H has scornd [dfid and discitd] th on chasing m [lit., panting aftr m]. Paus God snds His grac and His faithfulnss [or, truth, stability]. God dploys His forcs from havn and H dlivrs m. God has scornd, dfid and discitd th on chasing aftr m. Musical intrlud God snds His grac and faithfulnss and stability. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs (you will notic that Slah or, paus is placd ithr at th nd of this vrs (which is not whr it is found in th Hbrw, or aftr th scond lin, whr it is found, and yt sms prmatur): Early translations: Th Sptuagint H snt from havn and savd m. H gav to rproach thm that trampl on m. God has snt forth His mrcy and His truth. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: CEV NAB NLT You will snd hlp from havn and sav m, but you will bring troubl on my attackrs. You ar faithful, and you can b trustd. May God snd hlp from havn to sav m, sham thos who trampl upon m. May God snd fidlity and lov. Slah H will snd hlp from havn to sav m, Rscuing m from thos who ar out to gt m. My God will snd forth his unfailing lov and faithfulnss. Intrlud Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing):
15 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 22:1) God s Wo JPS (Tanakh) H snds his hlp from havn and savs m. H disgracs th on who is harassing m. God snds his mrcy and his truth! H will rach down from havn and dlivr m: God will snd down His stadfast lov; my prscutor rvils Slah. Litral, almost wo-for-wo, rndrings: Th Amplifid Bibl NASB NKJV Young's Updatd LT H will snd from Havn and sav m from th slandrs and rproachs of him who would trampl m down or swallow m up, and put him to sham. Slah [paus, and calmly think of that]! God will snd forth His mrcy and loving-kindnss and His truth and faithfulnss. H will snd from havn and sav m; H rproachs him who trampls upon m. [Slah God will snd forth His lovingkindnss and His truth. H shall snd from havn and sav m; H rproachs th on who would swallow m up. Slah God shall snd forth His mrcy and His truth. H snds from th havns and savs m, H rproachs thos panting aftr m Slah. God snds forth His kindnss and His truth. What is th gist of this vrs? God vn from havn has snt th ncssary rinforcmnts to dlivr David. Th on who is chasing him (Saul) is discitd, dfid and mbarrassd. Mor importantly, God snds forth His grac and His truth. Psalm 57:3a shâlach (ç ì Ç È ) [pronouncd shaw- LAKH] to snd, to snd for, to snd forth, to snd away, to dismiss, to dploy, to put forth 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #7971 BDB #1018 10 Th targum insrts His angls at this point. Barns: David assrts that God will intrpos to sav him. Th psalmist dos not say how h xpctd this intrposition - whthr by an angl, by a miracl, by tmpst or storm, but h flt that hlp was to com from God alon, and h was sur that it would com. 11 min (ï îò ) [pronouncd min] from, away from, out from, out of from, off, on account of, sinc, abov, than, so that not, abov, byond, mor than prposition of sparation Strong's #4480 BDB #577 shâmayîm (í é ò î Ç È ) [pronouncd shaw-mahyim] havns, skis masculin dual noun Strong s #8064 BDB #1029 10 Dr. John Gill, John Gill s Exposition of th Entir Bibl; from -Swo, Psalm 57:3. 11 Albrt Barns, Barns Nots on th Old Tstamnt; from -Swo, Psalm 57:3.
Psalm 57 16 Psalm 57:3a w (or v ) (å) [pronouncd wh] and simpl wâw conjunction No Strong s # BDB #251 yâsha (ò Ç Èé) [pronouncd yaw- SHAHÌ] to dlivr, to sav 3 prson masculin singular, Hiphil imprfct, with th 3 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #3467 BDB #446 Translation: H dploys from havn and H dlivrs m;... Rcall that troublsom vrb from th prvious vrs: gâmar (ø î - È ) [pronouncd gaw-mahr], which mans to complt, to finish, to nd, to com to an nd; to lav off, to fail. Strong s #1584 BDB #170. Hr w undrstand what it mans for God to bring ths things to an nd. David is on th run from Saul. H is hold up in a cav with about 400 mn and possibly his family. God complts or brings things to an nd, to a trmination. That is, David s running from Saul. David is not dliv yt not in tim but h knows that God has dliv him in trnity past. H knows that God has dployd His forcs from havn and God, from havn, will sav David. At th sam tim, God placs David in situations which caus him to matur. So, God will complt or bring to an nd th circumstancs which David finds himslf in simultanously with bringing David to compltion or fulfillmnt with rgas to a maturation lvl which bfits a king (somthing sorly lacking in Saul). Application: God has forsn all of our problms and difficultis from trnity past and H has alrady dployd th ncssary forcs from havn to solv ths problms. Psalm 57:3b châraph (ó øç çè ) [pronouncd khah- RAHF] to dfy, to rproach, to scorn, to rproach, to scornfully dfy; to discit, to sham, to rbuk 3 prson masculin singular, Pil prfct Strong's #2778 BDB #357 & #358 shâ aph (ó à Ç È ) [pronouncd shaw-ahf] to gasp, to pant, to brath havily; to crush, to trampl down masculin singular, Qal activ participl with a 1 st prson singular suffix Strong s #7602 BDB #983 çlâh (äì È ñ) [pronouncd sh-law] to lift up, to lvat, to xalt [with on s voic], to gathr, to cast up [into a hap]; it is translitratd Slah intrjction Strong s #5542 BDB #699 Clark, along with svral translators, blivs that Slah is misplacd hr and blongs at th nd of th 12 vrs. 12 Adam Clark, Commntary on th Bibl; from -Swo, Psalm 57:3.
17 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 22:1) Psalm 57:3b Th vrbal cognat is âlâh (ä ìè ñè ) [pronouncd saw-law], which mans to lift up and toss asid. In th Pil stm, it mans to wigh, which involvs lifting up th objct and placing it upon th balanc. Gsnius givs th maning of çlâh as rst, silnc, paus, as çlâh dos not ncssarily hav to match th maning of its cognats. My thinking, which is a combination of BDB and Gsnius, is that th voics build up to a crscndo hr, and, vry likly, thy ar thn followd by a vocal (but not ncssarily, musical) silnc. This would 13 rconcil th points mad by Gsnius and still mak this compatibl with its cognats. Anothr vry rasonabl possibility is that th instrumnts ar liftd up for a musical intrlud. Th NLT translation of Intrlud is vry good. Translation: H has scornd [dfid and discitd] th on chasing m [lit., panting aftr m]. Paus David dos not nam Saul spcifically hr, but h dos us th masculin singular, Qal activ participl. This mans that h is rfrring to on prson spcifically. Th prson who is panting aftr him is Saul. It is as though David can fl Saul s brath on th back of his nck as h runs from him. God has alrady scornd, dfid and discitd Saul. David has had 400 mn com to him. Now, many of ths ar malcontnts who would b unhappy with anyon in powr. Howvr, thr ar also thos in this group who hav bn tratd unjustly by th Saulian rgim. Thir coming to David has ncouragd David; David knows that Saul dos not hav complt popular support. Ths mn wr willing to lav thir livs and possibly thir familis in or to giv David thir support. This ncourags David. Ths prvious two lins dscrib what God has don to bring to compltion this problm of David s. Application: Thr ar popl who will com into your lif who will b implacabl towas you. It won t mattr what you do or what you say. You will not b abl to plas thm and thy will dclar war on you in on way or anothr. Thy may b vry subtl and thy may b quit ovrt about it. B awar, at last if you did not bring this on yourslf, that God has discitd, scornd and dfid ths sorts of popl. That thy will com into your lif is invitabl. That God can tak car of thm is assu. Psalm 57:3c shâlach (ç ì Ç È ) [pronouncd shaw- LAKH] to snd, to snd for, to snd forth, to snd away, to dismiss, to dploy, to put forth 3 prson masculin singular, Qal imprfct Strong s #7971 BDB #1018 ì lôhîym (îéäò Éì àá ) [pronouncd l-o-heem] gods or God; translitratd Elohim masculin plural noun Strong's #430 BDB #43 chçd (ã ñ ç ) [pronouncd KHEH-sd] grac, bnvolnc, mrcy, kindnss masculin singular noun with th 3 prson masculin singular suffix Strong's #2617 BDB #338 w (or v ) (å) [pronouncd wh] and simpl wâw conjunction No Strong s # BDB #251 13 For mor discussion, s H.W.F. Gsnius, Hbrw-Chald Lxicon to th Old Tstamnt; 1979 by Bakr Books; p. 588.
Psalm 57 18 Psalm 57:3c ì mth (ú î àá ) [pronouncd EH-mth] firmnss, faithfulnss, truth, crtainty, stability, prptuity, fidlity, rliabl, stabl, dpndabl fminin singular noun with th 3 prson masculin singular suffix Strong s #571 BDB #54 Translation: God snds His grac and His faithfulnss [or, truth, stability]. What God snds to us is His grac and His truth, th things which w nd most. This is what H givs us to stabiliz us. Grac, of cours, is all that God is fr to do for us on th basis of th cross; wholly apart from our own mrit. God is both faithful in His dalings with David and God provids David with accurat information. Th pairing of grac and faithfulnss (or, mrcy and truth) is found throughout th psalms: Psalm 25:10 26:3 40:10 11 57:3, 10 61:7 69:13 85:10 89:13 108:4 138:2. Do not withhold your compassion from m, O LORD. May your mrcy and your truth always protct m (Psalm 40:11). Rightousnss and justic ar th foundations of your thron. Mrcy and truth stand in front of you (Psalm 89:14). David has com to raliz that thr is no man that h can turn to for hlp. In fact, mn hav turnd to him for hlp. So first, David prays to God for His grac (v. 1a); thn h rcognizs that h can hid in God (v. 1b), and that h can call to God, and God will answr him (vv. 2 3). Rturn to Chaptr Outlin Rturn to th Chart and Map Indx David s Lif Is in Dangr/h Calls for God to B Hono M y soul in a midst of lions I lay down; flaming ons [ar] sons of Adam, thir tth [ar] a spar and arrows, and thir tongu [is] a swo sharp. Psalm 57:4 I lay my soul down in th midst of lions; sons of Adam [who ar] blazing, thir tth [ar] spars and arrows and thir tongus [ar] sharp swos. I lay down my soul in th midst of lions (who ar firy sons of mn) whos tth ar spars and arrows and whos tongus ar sharp swos. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Early translations: Th Sptuagint And H has dliv my soul from th midst of lions whlps. I lay down to slp, troubld. As for th sons of mn, thir tth ar arms and missil wapons, and thir tongu a sharp swo. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: CEV NLT I liv among lions, who gobbl down popl! Thy hav spars and arrows instad of tth, and thy hav sharp swos instad of tongus. I am surroundd by firc lions who gily dvour human pry
19 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 22:1) whos tth pirc lik spars and arrows, and whos tongus cut lik swos. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): JPS (Tanakh) As for m, I li down among man-ating lions whos tth ar spars and arrows, whos tongu is a sharp swo. Litral, almost wo-for-wo, rndrings: NASB NRSV Young's Updatd LT My soul is among lions; I must li among thos who brath forth fir, Evn th sons of mn, whos tth ar spars and arrows, And thir tongu a sharp swo. I li down among lions that gily dvour [corrction; Hbrw rads ar aflam for] human pry; thir tth ar spars and arrows, thir tongus sharp swos. My soul is in th midst of lions, I li down among flams sons of m, Thir tth ar a spar and arrows, And thir tongu a sharp swo. What is th gist of this vrs? David is in th midst of mn with spars and arrows who want to kill him (this simply rfrs to Saul s army). Psalm 57:4a nphsh ( ôð) [pronouncd NEH-fsh] soul, lif, living bing, dsir fminin singular noun st with th 1 prson singular suffix Strong s #5315 BDB #659 h b ( ) [pronouncd b ] Ó in, into, at, by, nar, on, with, bfor, in th prsnc of, upon, against, by mans of, among, within a prposition of proximity Strong s# non BDB #88 tâvk ( å È ) E [pronouncd taw-vek ] midst, among, middl masculin singular construct Strong's #8432 BDB #1063 lâbîy (àé á ò ìè ) [pronouncd b lion masculin plural noun: law -VEE]. Strong s #3833 BDB #522 b shâka v (á ë Ç È ) [pronouncd shaw- B KAH V] to li down, to li down [to slp, to hav sxual rlations, to di; bcaus of sicknss or humiliation]; to rlax st 1 prson singular, Qal imprfct; with th voluntativ hê Strong s #7901 BDB #1011 This can b usd with an accusativ (which would b my soul in this cas).
Psalm 57 20 Translation: I lay my soul down in th midst of lions;... David is in a cav and Saul s mn hav bn sarching all ovr th land for him. In fact, thr will b svral instancs whr thy ar quit clos. Whn David gos to slp, it is lik placing himslf into a dn of lions. All around him ar Saul s mn sarching for him, dsiring to kill him. Plas undrstand that non of this is litral. David is not in th midst of lions. Givn that ths lions ar mn of Saul, h dos not physically li down in Saul s palac with Saul s mn around him. Th pictur is as if h has laid down his soul in othr wos, mad himslf vulnrabl bfor Saul s soldirs. How do w know that w should not tak this psalm litrally? David will, in th nxt lin, idntify ths lions as bing sons of Adam. H spaks of laying down his soul, but on s soul is thral; it is not a physical objct you cannot lay it down. Thr is nothing in David s lif to vr suggst that h slpt in a dn of lions. Thr is nothing wrong with bing a litralist; howvr, you do nd to b abl to rcogniz whn a passag is not litral. Psalm 57:4b lâhaþ (èä - È ì) [pronouncd law-haht] to st ablaz, to st on fir, to burn Qal activ participl Strong s #3857 BDB #529 bên (ï Å ) [pronouncd ban] son, dscndant masculin plural construct Strong s #1121 BDB #119 âdâm (í ãè àè ) [pronouncd aw-dawm] a man, a human bing, mankind, Adam masculin singular noun Strong's #120 BDB #9 Translation:...sons of Adam [who ar] blazing,... David is not actually in a lion s dn, but among mn whos vry ssnc is burning with a dsir to kill him. It is as though thir souls ar on fir in thir dsir to kill David. Psalm 57:4c shên (ï ) [pronouncd shayn] tooth, a sharp rock fminin dual noun with th 3 prson masculin plural suffix Strong s #8127 BDB #1042 chãnîyth (úéð.çâ ) [pronouncd khuh- NEETH] spar fminin singular noun Strong s #2595 BDB #333 w (or v ) (å) [pronouncd wh] and simpl wâw conjunction No Strong s # BDB #251 chêts (õ ç ) [pronouncd khayts] arrow; a wound [inflictd by an arrow]; a spar shaft masculin plural noun Strong s #2671 BDB #346 Translation:...thir tth [ar] spars and arrows... Again, David maks it clar that this passag is not to b takn litrally. Th analogy st up is th swos and arrows of David s nmis ar lik th tth of th lions. David is not in a lion s dn, but among mn; h dos not far th sharp tth of th lions, which ar th spars and arrows of ths mn.
21 Th Book of I Samul (I Sam. 22:1) Psalm 57:4d w (or v ) (å) [pronouncd wh] and simpl wâw conjunction No Strong s # BDB #251 lâshôwn (ï ì) È [pronouncd law- SHOHN] tongu; lapping; tongu-shapd masculin singular noun with a 3 prson masculin plural suffix Strong s #3956 BDB #546 chrb (á ø ç ) B [pronouncd kh-re V] swo, knif, daggr; any sharp tool fminin singular noun Strong s #2719 BDB #352 chad (ã ç) [pronouncd - khahd] sharp fminin singular adjctiv Strong s #2299 BDB #292 Translation:...and thir tongus [ar] sharp swos. Again, th analogy is th swos of th mn who pursu David ar lik th tongus of lions. Howvr, thr is nothing spcifically dangrous about th tongu of th lion. What David is rally rfrring to is th vrbal sins dirctd at him. David was oftn th rcipint of vrbal sins, as w also find in Psalm 52:2 4: Your tongu dviss dstruction, lik a sharp razor, O workr of dcit. You lov vil mor than good, falshood mor than spaking what is right. You lov all wos that dvour, O dcitful tongu. I spnt many yars as a tachr as bing th rcipint of vrbal sins from 3 spcific fmal tachrs it was vil and vicious, and it scalatd. David, dspit th fact that h was a man of grat honor, had a lot of problms from his nmis principally thos who wr Jwish soldirs and royalty. Psalm 56:2: All day long my nmis spy on m. Thy harass m. Thr ar so many fighting against m. S all of Psalm 7 and 56. Application: Your gratst opposition will com from fllow blivrs. Thy will b th ons to attack and oftn blind sid you. Lift up abov th havns O God; ovr all th arth Your glory. Psalm 57:5 B xalt d, O God, abov th h av ns; and [lt] Your glory [abundanc and honor] [b xaltd] ovr all th arth. B xaltd, O God, abov all th havns and lt Your glory b ovr all th arth. Hr is how othrs hav translatd this vrs: Early translations: Th Sptuagint B xaltd, O God, abov th havns; and Your glory abov all th arth. Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrass: CEV May you, my God, b hono abov th havns; may your glory b sn vrywhr on arth. Mostly litral rndrings (with som occasional paraphrasing): God s Wo May you b hono abov th havns, O God. Lt your glory xtnd ovr th whol arth.