1 {To the chief Musician. 'Destroy not.' Of David. Michtam; when he fled from Saul in the cave.} Be gracious unto me, O God, be gracious unto me; for my soul taketh refuge in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings do I take refuge, until the calamities be overpast.
2 I will call unto God, the Most High; unto ùGod that performeth [all] for me.
3 He will send from the heavens and save me; he hath covered with reproach him that would swallow me up. Selah. God hath sent forth his loving-kindness and his truth.
4 My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down [among] them that breathe out flames, the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
5 Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let thy glory be above all the earth!
6 They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down: they have digged a pit before me; they are fallen into the midst thereof. Selah.
7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing, yea, I will sing psalms.
8 Awake, my glory; awake, lute and harp: I will wake the dawn.
9 I will give thee thanks among the peoples, O Lord; of thee will I sing psalms among the nations:
10 For thy loving-kindness is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.
11 Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let thy glory be above all the earth!
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Commentary on Psalms 57 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
PSALM 57
Ps 57:1-11. Altaschith—or, "Destroy not." This is perhaps an enigmatical allusion to the critical circumstances connected with the history, for which compare 1Sa 22:1; 26:1-3. In Moses' prayer (De 9:26) it is a prominent petition deprecating God's anger against the people. This explanation suits the fifty-eighth and fifty-ninth also. Asaph uses it for the seventy-fifth, in the scope of which there is allusion to some emergency. Michtam—(See on Ps 16:1, title). To an earnest cry for divine aid, the Psalmist adds, as often, the language of praise, in the assured hope of a favorable hearing.
1. my soul—or self, or life, which is threatened.
shadow of thy wings—(Ps 17:8; 36:7).
calamities—literally, "mischiefs" (Ps 52:2; 55:10).
2. performeth—or, completes what He has begun.
3. from … swallow me up—that pants in rage after me (Ps 56:2).
mercy and … truth—(Ps 25:10; 36:5), as messengers (Ps 43:3) sent to deliver him.
4. The mingled figures of wild beasts (Ps 10:9; 17:12) and weapons of war (Ps 11:2) heighten the picture of danger.
whose … tongue—or slanders.
5. This doxology illustrates his view of the connection of his deliverance with God's glory.
6. (Compare Ps 7:15; 9:15, 16).
7. I will … praise—both with voice and instrument.
8. Hence—he addresses his glory, or tongue (Ps 16:9; 30:12), and his psaltery, or lute, and harp.
I myself … early—literally, "I will awaken dawn," poetically expressing his zeal and diligence.
9, 10. As His mercy and truth, so shall His praise, fill the universe.