{"id":4321,"date":"2016-07-16T17:14:19","date_gmt":"2016-07-16T23:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/?p=4321"},"modified":"2024-02-11T08:01:13","modified_gmt":"2024-02-11T14:01:13","slug":"psalm-551-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/?p=4321","title":{"rendered":"Psalm 55:1-23"},"content":{"rendered":"

To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

1 <\/span>Give ear to my prayer, O God,<\/span><\/span><\/em>
\nAnd do not hide Yourself from my supplication.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

2\u00a0<\/sup>Attend to me, and hear me;<\/span><\/em>
\nI am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily,<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

3\u00a0<\/sup>Because of the voice of the enemy,<\/span><\/em>
\nBecause of the oppression of the wicked;<\/span><\/em>
\nFor they bring down trouble upon me,<\/span><\/em>
\nAnd in wrath they hate me.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

4\u00a0<\/sup>My heart is severely pained within me,<\/span><\/em>
\nAnd the terrors of death have fallen upon me.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

5\u00a0<\/sup>Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me,<\/span><\/em>
\nAnd horror has overwhelmed me.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

6\u00a0<\/sup>So I said, \u201cOh, that I had wings like a dove!<\/span><\/em>
\nI would fly away and be at rest.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

7\u00a0<\/sup>Indeed, I would wander far off,<\/span><\/em>
\nAnd remain in the wilderness. Selah<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

8\u00a0<\/sup>I would hasten my escape<\/span><\/em>
\nFrom the windy storm and tempest.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

9\u00a0<\/sup>Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues,<\/span><\/em>
\nFor I have seen violence and strife in the city.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

10\u00a0<\/sup>Day and night they go around it on its walls;<\/span><\/em>
\nIniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

11\u00a0<\/sup>Destruction is in its midst;<\/span><\/em>
\nOppression and deceit do not depart from its streets.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

12\u00a0<\/sup>For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;<\/span><\/em>
\nThen I could bear it.<\/span><\/em>
\nNor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me;<\/span><\/em>
\nThen I could hide from him.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

13\u00a0<\/sup>But it was you, a man my equal,<\/span><\/em>
\nMy companion and my acquaintance.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

14\u00a0<\/sup>We took sweet counsel together,<\/span><\/em>
\nAnd walked to the house of God in the throng.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

15\u00a0<\/sup>Let death seize them;<\/span><\/em>
\nLet them go down alive into hell,<\/span><\/em>
\nFor wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

16\u00a0<\/sup>As for me, I will call upon God,<\/span><\/em>
\nAnd the Lord<\/span> shall save me.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

17\u00a0<\/sup>Evening and morning and at noon<\/span><\/em>
\nI will pray, and cry aloud,<\/span><\/em>
\nAnd He shall hear my voice.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

18\u00a0<\/sup>He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me,<\/span><\/em>
\nFor there were many against me.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

19\u00a0<\/sup>God will hear, and afflict them,<\/span><\/em>
\nEven He who abides from of old. Selah<\/span><\/span><\/em>
\nBecause they do not change,<\/span><\/em>
\nTherefore they do not fear God.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

20\u00a0<\/sup>He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him;<\/span><\/em>
\nHe has broken his covenant.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

21\u00a0<\/sup>The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,<\/span><\/em>
\nBut war was in his heart;<\/span><\/em>
\nHis words were softer than oil,<\/span><\/em>
\nYet they were drawn swords.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

22\u00a0<\/sup>Cast your burden on the Lord<\/span>,<\/span><\/em>
\nAnd He shall sustain you;<\/span><\/em>
\nHe shall never permit the righteous to be moved.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n
\n

23\u00a0<\/sup>But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction;<\/span><\/em>
\nBloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days;<\/span><\/em>
\nBut I will trust in You.<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

moan noisily<\/span> (v.2) = made an uproar, express great agitation<\/h3>\n

severely pained<\/span> (v.4) = lit. trembling, the tremors brought on by anxiety<\/h3>\n

terrors (v.4) = dread<\/h3>\n

Though the situation underlying this psalm is unspecified, a clue as to what it may have been is indicated by his wish (in v.6) that he had wings like a dove that he might fly away and be at rest (doves being prone to fly about and dwell in places inaccessible to hunters), which recalls David’s words in 1 Samuel 26:20, when he was cornered by Saul in the wilderness of Ziph. \u2014 Wechsler, page 154.<\/span><\/h3>\n

divide their tongues (v.9) \u2014 If this psalm was written about the time of Absalom and Ahithophel’s rebellion, this prayer would seem to have been answered in 2 Samuel 17:1-14. This may be a reference to Babel.<\/h3>\n

my companion and my acquaintance (v.12) \u2014 “acquaintance” can be translated “familiar friend” or even “relative” (as in Ruth 2:1). This could apply, in David’s case to either Saul or Absalom.
\n<\/span><\/h3>\n

As typically in his psalms of lament and complaint, David finds solace despite his situation (i.e., before it has been resolved) by affirming what he knows God will do \u2014 not by presuming upon God with what David wants Him to do, but rather affirming what He Himself has said He will do, and, because He is faithful to His word (1 Samuel 15:29), what we who are His children have every right to expect Him to do. \u2014 Wechsler, page 155.<\/span><\/h3>\n

moved (v.22) = never lose or be separated \u2014 from his promised inheritance of life in the eternity in the presence of God.<\/h3>\n

Williams’ take:<\/h3>\n

The conduct of Absalom and Ahithophel (2 Samuel 15) illustrate but do not exhaust the Psalm. It concerns the hatred and treachery which Messiah suffered personally in the days of His flesh; and which He now suffers, and will yet suffer, in sympathy with His people (Colossians 1:24<\/a><\/span>). <\/span><\/h3>\n

As predicted in Daniel 11 and John 5:43<\/a><\/span>, the majority of the Jews will accept Anti-Christ as the promised Messiah. He will make a covenant with them, and, with them, cruelly persecute the believing minority. But after a little time he will break the covenant and seek to destroy them all. This is the covenant referred to in verse 20; and his is the hypocrisy of verse 11. \u2014 Williams, page 342<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David. 1 Give ear to my prayer, O God, And do not hide Yourself from my supplication. 2\u00a0Attend to me, and hear me; I am restless in my complaint, and … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-psalms"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4321"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8755,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4321\/revisions\/8755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/versebyverse.carpelibra.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}