Psalms 59 Study Notes: Deliverance From Enemies at Night
Set when Saul had David's home watched by men sent to kill him, this prayer asks God to rescue an innocent man from attackers who prowl the city like dogs each evening. David asks that God's rule be known everywhere and closes with a morning song to God his fortress.
General
True or False: In Psalm 59:3-4, David admits that his enemies attack him because of a wrong he did to them.
Answer: False
This is false. David insists that fierce men plot against him though he has done nothing wrong to them, and they rush to attack him though he is blameless toward them (59:3-4). This is not a claim to be sinless in every way; in Psalm 51 David confesses his sin deeply (Psalm 51:1). It is a claim that he has done nothing to deserve this attack. The narrative agrees: David asked Jonathan what wrong of his could make Saul want to kill him (1 Samuel 20:1), and later showed Saul that he had not rebelled or done evil against him (1 Samuel 24:11). Jesus, too, was hated without cause, and He applied the words of the psalms to Himself (John 15:25).
- Psalm 59:3-4 (BSB)“See how they lie in wait for me. Fierce men conspire against me for no transgression or sin of my own, O LORD. For no fault of my own, they move swiftly to attack me. Arise to help me, and take notice.”David says his enemies attack him for no transgression or fault of his own.
- 1 Samuel 20:1 (BSB)“Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? How have I sinned against your father, that he wants to take my life?””David asked Jonathan what wrong he had done to make Saul seek his life.
- 1 Samuel 24:11 (BSB)“See, my father, look at the corner of your robe in my hand. For I cut it off, but I did not kill you. Know and see that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands. I have not sinned against you, even though you are hunting me down to take my life.”David showed Saul he had not sinned against him though Saul hunted him.
- Psalm 51:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.”David's confession after his sin with Bathsheba shows he did not claim sinlessness.
- John 15:25 (BSB)“But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’”Jesus applied the psalms' words about being hated without reason to Himself.
Theological
True or False: Psalm 59:3-4 concedes that David's own offense provoked the conspiracy against him.
Answer: False
This is false. David protests his innocence of any offense that would justify the conspiracy (59:3-4). The claim is not sinless perfection, as his confession in Psalm 51 shows (Psalm 51:1), but innocence in this conflict. The narrative confirms it (1 Samuel 20:1; 24:11). Christ, the supreme innocent sufferer, applied the psalms' language of causeless hatred to Himself (John 15:25).
- Psalm 59:3-4 (BSB)“See how they lie in wait for me. Fierce men conspire against me for no transgression or sin of my own, O LORD. For no fault of my own, they move swiftly to attack me. Arise to help me, and take notice.”David says his enemies attack him for no transgression or fault of his own.
- 1 Samuel 20:1 (BSB)“Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? How have I sinned against your father, that he wants to take my life?””David asked Jonathan what wrong he had done to make Saul seek his life.
- 1 Samuel 24:11 (BSB)“See, my father, look at the corner of your robe in my hand. For I cut it off, but I did not kill you. Know and see that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands. I have not sinned against you, even though you are hunting me down to take my life.”David showed Saul he had not sinned against him though Saul hunted him.
- Psalm 51:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.”David's confession after his sin with Bathsheba shows he did not claim sinlessness.
- John 15:25 (BSB)“But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’”Jesus applied the psalms' words about being hated without reason to Himself.
General
In Psalm 59:6 and 14, what image does David use for his enemies?
Answer: Dogs that roam the city at night, growling
David twice describes his enemies returning at nightfall, growling like dogs and roaming around the city (59:6, 14), hunting for food and growling when left hungry (59:15). In David's world, wild dogs were scavengers, not pets, and the picture shows enemies who are restless, hungry for harm, and prowling in the dark. Their mouths pour out cutting words, and they boast that no one hears them (59:7), as if God did not see. Other psalms describe enemies as dogs surrounding the sufferer (Psalm 22:16) and the wicked assuming God does not see (Psalm 94:7).
- Psalm 59:6-7 (BSB)“They return in the evening, snarling like dogs and prowling around the city. See what they spew from their mouths—sharp words from their lips: “For who can hear us?””The enemies prowl like snarling dogs and boast that no one hears them.
- Psalm 59:14-15 (BSB)“They return in the evening, snarling like dogs and prowling around the city. They scavenge for food, and growl if they are not satisfied.”The dog image returns as the enemies scavenge and growl in the city.
- Psalm 22:16 (BSB)“For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.”The suffering psalmist describes enemies surrounding him like dogs.
- Psalm 94:7 (BSB)“They say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.””The wicked assume that the LORD does not see what they do.
Theological
What image for the enemies is repeated in Psalm 59:6 and 59:14?
Answer: Dogs that roam the city at night, growling
The refrain of 59:6 and 59:14 depicts the enemies as scavenging dogs prowling the city at evening, growling for prey (59:15), an image of restless, predatory malice. Their speech is sharp and their boast assumes no one hears (59:7), the practical atheism of the wicked. The same imagery and presumption appear elsewhere in the Psalter (Psalm 22:16; 94:7).
- Psalm 59:6-7 (BSB)“They return in the evening, snarling like dogs and prowling around the city. See what they spew from their mouths—sharp words from their lips: “For who can hear us?””The enemies prowl like snarling dogs and boast that no one hears them.
- Psalm 59:14-15 (BSB)“They return in the evening, snarling like dogs and prowling around the city. They scavenge for food, and growl if they are not satisfied.”The dog image returns as the enemies scavenge and growl in the city.
- Psalm 22:16 (BSB)“For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.”The suffering psalmist describes enemies surrounding him like dogs.
- Psalm 94:7 (BSB)“They say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.””The wicked assume that the LORD does not see what they do.
General
True or False: In Psalm 59:13, David gives as the purpose of God's judgment on his enemies that people all over the world will learn that God is ruler over Jacob.
Answer: True
This is true. David asks God to consume his enemies in His anger until they are gone, so that people everywhere will learn that God reigns over Jacob, that is, over Israel (59:13). Earlier he had called on Israel's God, LORD of all the armies of heaven, to rise up, punish the nations and spare none of the treacherous evildoers (59:5). He is honest about wanting their end, but the reason he gives is bigger than himself: God's rule made known. He asks God to act instead of taking revenge himself, leaving vengeance with the LORD (Romans 12:19). Another psalm prays that God's enemies would come to know that He alone is supreme over the whole world (Psalm 83:18). Jesus calls His followers to love their enemies (Matthew 5:44), and Christians have understood how prayers like this one fit with that call in different ways.
- Psalm 59:13 (BSB)“Consume them in wrath; consume them till they are no more, so it may be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah”David asks God to consume the enemies so the whole earth may know God rules over Jacob.
- Psalm 83:18 (BSB)“May they know that You alone, whose name is the LORD, are Most High over all the earth.”Another psalm prays that God's enemies would know He alone is supreme over the whole world.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Vengeance belongs to God, not to the one who has been wronged.
- Matthew 5:44 (BSB)“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”Jesus commands His followers to love their enemies and pray for them.
Theological
True or False: Psalm 59:13 states that the purpose of God's consuming judgment is the worldwide knowledge of His rule over Jacob.
Answer: True
This is true. The petition that God consume the enemies in wrath (59:13) is ordered to a doxological end: that God's rule over Jacob be known worldwide. It extends the earlier summons to Israel's God to rise and punish the nations, sparing no treacherous evildoer (59:5). The imprecation commits judgment to God rather than to personal vengeance (Romans 12:19) and seeks the public vindication of God's name, as in Psalm 83:18. Christ commands love for enemies (Matthew 5:44), and Christians have related that command to such prayers in different ways.
- Psalm 59:13 (BSB)“Consume them in wrath; consume them till they are no more, so it may be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah”David asks God to consume the enemies so the whole earth may know God rules over Jacob.
- Psalm 83:18 (BSB)“May they know that You alone, whose name is the LORD, are Most High over all the earth.”Another psalm prays that God's enemies would know He alone is supreme over the whole world.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Vengeance belongs to God, not to the one who has been wronged.
- Matthew 5:44 (BSB)“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”Jesus commands His followers to love their enemies and pray for them.
General
Why does David ask God not to kill his enemies at once in Psalm 59:11?
Answer: So that his people do not forget God's power
David asks God not to kill his enemies right away, so that his people will not forget (59:11). Instead he asks God to scatter them by His might and humble them, and to let them be caught in their own pride, curses and lies (59:11-12). A slow, visible downfall would be a lasting lesson of God's justice to Israel. Scripture repeatedly warns God's people not to forget what He has done (Deuteronomy 4:9), and Israel's history shows how quickly they did forget (Psalm 78:11).
- Psalm 59:11-12 (BSB)“Do not kill them, or my people will forget. Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield. By the sins of their mouths and the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride, in the curses and lies they utter.”David asks God not to kill the enemies at once but to bring them down so his people remember.
- Deuteronomy 4:9 (BSB)“Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren.”Israel is warned not to forget what they have seen God do.
- Psalm 78:11 (BSB)“They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.”Israel forgot God's works and wonders.
Theological
What reason does David give in Psalm 59:11 for asking God not to slay his enemies immediately?
Answer: So that his people do not forget God's power
Paradoxically, David asks that the enemies not be slain at once, lest his people forget (59:11); rather let them be scattered and brought down by God's power and ensnared by their own proud words (59:11-12), so that their downfall stands as an enduring memorial of divine justice. The concern is Israel's remembrance of God's works, a constant covenant concern (Deuteronomy 4:9) and a recurring failure (Psalm 78:11).
- Psalm 59:11-12 (BSB)“Do not kill them, or my people will forget. Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield. By the sins of their mouths and the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride, in the curses and lies they utter.”David asks God not to kill the enemies at once but to bring them down so his people remember.
- Deuteronomy 4:9 (BSB)“Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren.”Israel is warned not to forget what they have seen God do.
- Psalm 78:11 (BSB)“They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.”Israel forgot God's works and wonders.
General
How does the close of Psalm 59 contrast with the enemies who return each evening?
Answer: David sings each morning of God's loving devotion
While the enemies prowl and growl every evening (59:14-15), David will sing of God's strength and announce His loving devotion, His faithful covenant love, in the morning (59:16). God is his fortress and his shelter when trouble comes, and the psalm ends in praise of God as his strength and as the God whose loving devotion is his (59:17). Night belongs to the enemies' threats, but morning belongs to God's faithfulness. Another psalm says sorrow may last through the night, but morning brings joy (Psalm 30:5), Lamentations says God's mercies are fresh each morning (Lamentations 3:22-23), and Psalm 46:1 calls God a refuge and strength always present in trouble.
- Psalm 59:16-17 (BSB)“But I will sing of Your strength and proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning. For You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. To You, O my strength, I sing praises, for You, O God, are my fortress, my God of loving devotion.”David sings each morning of God's strength and loving devotion, his fortress and refuge.
- Psalm 30:5 (BSB)“For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.”Weeping may last the night, but joy comes in the morning.
- Lamentations 3:22-23 (BSB)“Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”The LORD's mercies are new every morning.
- Psalm 46:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.”God is His people's refuge and strength in times of trouble.
Theological
What contrast does Psalm 59:16-17 draw with the enemies' evening prowling?
Answer: David sings each morning of God's loving devotion
The psalm closes by setting the enemies' evening prowling (59:14-15) against David's morning song of God's strength and loving devotion (59:16). God is his fortress and refuge in the day of distress, and the final verse gathers the psalm's titles for God: strength, fortress, and the God whose loving devotion is his (59:17). Psalm 30:5 likewise sets night weeping against morning joy, Lamentations 3:22-23 celebrates mercies new every morning, and God as refuge and strength in trouble is the confession of Psalm 46:1.
- Psalm 59:16-17 (BSB)“But I will sing of Your strength and proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning. For You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. To You, O my strength, I sing praises, for You, O God, are my fortress, my God of loving devotion.”David sings each morning of God's strength and loving devotion, his fortress and refuge.
- Psalm 30:5 (BSB)“For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.”Weeping may last the night, but joy comes in the morning.
- Lamentations 3:22-23 (BSB)“Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”The LORD's mercies are new every morning.
- Psalm 46:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.”God is His people's refuge and strength in times of trouble.
General
What event does the heading of Psalm 59 connect with this prayer?
Answer: Saul's men posted outside David's home to kill him
The heading says David wrote this when Saul had his house watched by men sent to kill him (59:1). First Samuel tells the story: after Saul hurled a spear at David, trying to fix him against the wall, David escaped that night (1 Samuel 19:10). Saul then had messengers keep watch on the house, planning to kill him at dawn, but Michal, David's wife, warned him and let him down through a window (1 Samuel 19:11-12). The psalm's picture of enemies roaming the city after dark (59:6, 14) fits this setting.
- Psalm 59:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise against me.”The heading ties the psalm to Saul's men watching David's house to kill him.
- 1 Samuel 19:10 (BSB)“Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear. But David eluded him and the spear struck the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.”Saul tried to kill David with a spear, and David fled that night.
- 1 Samuel 19:11-12 (BSB)“Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!” So Michal lowered David from the window, and he ran away and escaped.”Saul sent men to watch David's house, and Michal helped him escape.
Theological
What historical setting does the superscription of Psalm 59 give?
Answer: Saul's men posted outside David's home to kill him
The superscription places the psalm in the episode of 1 Samuel 19, when Saul, having failed to kill David with the spear (1 Samuel 19:10), had David's house watched, planning to kill him at dawn, and Michal helped him escape through a window (1 Samuel 19:11-12). The nocturnal imagery of enemies prowling the city (59:6, 14) suits this setting.
- Psalm 59:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise against me.”The heading ties the psalm to Saul's men watching David's house to kill him.
- 1 Samuel 19:10 (BSB)“Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear. But David eluded him and the spear struck the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.”Saul tried to kill David with a spear, and David fled that night.
- 1 Samuel 19:11-12 (BSB)“Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!” So Michal lowered David from the window, and he ran away and escaped.”Saul sent men to watch David's house, and Michal helped him escape.
General
How does the LORD respond to the boasting enemies and the nations in Psalm 59:8?
Answer: He laughs at them and holds them in scorn
The enemies think no one hears them, but the LORD finds them laughable and mocks all the nations (59:8). Their threats are small compared with His power. David therefore waits for God, his strength and his fortress, and trusts that God, rich in loving devotion, will meet him (59:9-10). Psalm 2 uses the same picture of God laughing at the rulers who plot against His anointed king (Psalm 2:4), and Psalm 37 says the wicked are laughed at by the Lord because He sees their day coming (Psalm 37:13).
- Psalm 59:8-10 (BSB)“But You, O LORD, laugh at them; You scoff at all the nations. I will keep watch for You, O my strength, because You, O God, are my fortress. My God of loving devotion will come to meet me; God will let me stare down my foes.”The LORD laughs at the enemies, and David waits for God his fortress.
- Psalm 2:4 (BSB)“The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.”God laughs at the nations who plot against Him and His anointed.
- Psalm 37:13 (BSB)“but the Lord laughs, seeing that their day is coming.”The Lord laughs at the wicked because He sees their day coming.
Theological
What is the LORD's response to the boasting enemies in Psalm 59:8?
Answer: He laughs at them and holds them in scorn
God's laughter and derision (59:8) express the absolute security of His sovereignty over hostile nations; their threats are no threat to Him. In response David watches for God as his strength and fortress, confident that God in His loving devotion will meet him (59:9-10). The same divine laughter answers the nations' rebellion against the Anointed in Psalm 2:4, and the wicked whose day is coming in Psalm 37:13.
- Psalm 59:8-10 (BSB)“But You, O LORD, laugh at them; You scoff at all the nations. I will keep watch for You, O my strength, because You, O God, are my fortress. My God of loving devotion will come to meet me; God will let me stare down my foes.”The LORD laughs at the enemies, and David waits for God his fortress.
- Psalm 2:4 (BSB)“The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.”God laughs at the nations who plot against Him and His anointed.
- Psalm 37:13 (BSB)“but the Lord laughs, seeing that their day is coming.”The Lord laughs at the wicked because He sees their day coming.