Psalm 57 commentary

PSALM 57 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do ot
Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.[b] When he had
fled from Saul into the cave.
I TRODUCTIO
SPURGEO , "TITLE. To the Chief Musician. So glad a song as this becomes ere it
closes, should be in the keeping of the most skilled of all the temple minstrels.
Altaschith, i.e., DESTROY OT. This petition is a very sententious prayer, as full as
it is brief, and well worthy to be the motto for a sacred song. David had said,
"destroy not, "in reference to Saul, when he had him in his power, and now he takes
pleasure in employing the same words in supplication to God. We may infer from
the spirit of the Lord's prayer, that the Lord will spare us as we spare our foes.
There are four of these "Destroy not" Psalms, namely, the 57th, 58th, 59th, and
75th. In all of them there is a distinct declaration of the destruction of the wicked
and the preservation of the righteous, and they all have probably a reference to the
overthrow of the Jews, on account of their persecution of the great Son of David:
they will endure heavy chastisement, but concerning them it is written in the divine
decree, "Destroy them not." Michtam of David. For quality this Psalm is called
golden, or a secret, and it well deserves the name. We may read the words and yet
not know the secret joy of David, which he has locked up in his golden casket. When
he fled from Saul in the cave. This is a song from the bowels of the earth, and, like
Jonah's prayer from the bottom of the sea, it has a taste of the place. The poet is in
the shadow of the cave at first, but he comes to the cavern's mouth at last, and sings
in the sweet fresh air, with his eye on the heavens, watching joyously the clouds
floating therein.
DIVISIO S. We have here prayer, Psalms 57:1-6, and praise, Psalms 57:7-11. The
hunted one takes a long breath of prayer, and when he is fully inspired, he breathes
out his soul in jubilant song.
ELLICOTT, "This psalm offers a good example of the way in which hymns were
sometimes composed for the congregation It is plainly the work of a man with a fine
poetic sense. The imagery is striking, and the versification regular and pleasing. A
refrain divides it into two equal pieces, each falling into two stanzas of six lines. Yet
it is plainly a composition from older hymns. (Comp. especially Psalms 36:5-6;
Psalms 56:2-3; Psalms 7:15; Psalms 9:15.) The second part has itself in turn been

used by another compiler. (See Psalms 108)
Title.—See Psalms 4, 16, title, and comp. titles of Psalms 58, 59, 75
Al-taschith—i.e., destroy not, the first words of some song to the tune of which this
was to be sung.
COKE, "Title. ‫אל‬ ‫תשׂחת‬ Al-taschith— Destroy not. This psalm is thus intitled,
because some of David's men, observing the advantage that he had over Saul, would
fain have dispatched him, if David had not forbidden the person who was ready to
strike the blow, saying, Destroy not. The same title is prefixed to the two following,
and to the 76th psalm, most probably to shew that they were to be sung to the same
tune. See the history referred to 1 Samuel 24.
1 Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.
BAR ES, "Be merciful unto me, O God - The same beginning as the former
psalm - a cry for mercy; an overwhelming sense of trouble and danger leading him to
come at once to the throne of God for help. See the notes at Psa_56:1.
For my soul trusteth in thee - See the notes at Psa_56:3. He had nowhere else to
go; there was no one on whom he could rely but God.
Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge - Under the protection
or covering of his wings - as young birds seek protection under the wings of the parent
bird. See the notes at Psa_17:8. Compare Psa_36:7.
Until these calamities be overpast - Compare Job_14:13, note; Psa_27:13, note;
also at Isa_26:20, note. He believed that these calamities “would” pass away, or would
cease; that a time would come when he would not thus be driven from place to place. At
present he knew that he was in danger, and he desired the divine protection, for under
“that” protection he would be safe.

CLARKE, "Be merciful unto me - To show David’s deep earnestness, he repeats
this twice; he was in great danger, surrounded by implacable enemies, and he knew that
God alone could deliver him.
My soul trusteth in thee - I put my life into thy hand; and my immortal spirit
knows no other portion than thyself.
In the shadow of thy wings - A metaphor taken from the brood of a hen taking
shelter under her wings when they see a bird of prey; and there they continue to hide
themselves till their evemy disappears. In a storm, or tempest of rain, the mother covers
them with her wings to afford them shelter and defense. This the psalmist has
particularly in view, as the following words show: “Until these calamities be overpast.”
GILL, "Be merciful unto me, O God,.... Or "be gracious to me" (k); which words are
repeated by him. "Be merciful", or "gracious, unto me"; to show the greatness of his
distress, the eagerness, vehemency, and importunity he used in prayer; his case
requiring a speedy answer, and immediate relief; and that he expected only from the
mercy and grace of God; See Gill on Psa_56:1;
for my soul trusteth in thee; or "in thy word"; as the Targum; and in thee only, both
as the God of providence and the God of grace; and a great act of faith this was to trust in
the Lord in such circumstances; and it was not a bare profession of trust, but it was
hearty and sincere; his "soul" trusted in the Lord; he trusted in him with all his heart and
soul, and trusted him with his soul or life: and this he makes a reason or argument for
mercy; seeing, as the mercy of the Lord is an encouragement to faith and hope; so the
Lord has declared, that he takes pleasure in those that hope and trust in it; wherefore
mercy may be expected by such;
yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge; or "I will hope" (l); the
meaning is, that he would betake himself to the power and protection of God, and make
him his refuge from the enemy: the allusion is either to the hen, or any other bird
covering its young with its wings, when a bird of prey is near, till that is gone; or to the
cherubim, whose wings overshadowed the mercy seat, between which the glory of God
dwelt; and so the Targum,
"in the shadow of thy Shechinah, or glorious Majesty, will I trust;''
which agrees with his applying to the mercy seat, or to God on a throne of grace and
mercy: and here he determines to abide,
until these calamities be overpast; the storm of them was over, which was very
black and threatening. The Targum is,
"until the tumult is over;''
and so the Syriac version; until Saul and his men were gone, of whom he was afraid. The

Septuagint version, and those that follow it, render the words "until sin passeth away";
the cause of these troubles; unless sin is put for sinful men; and so the sense is as before;
see Isa_26:20.
HE RY, "The title of this psalm has one word new in it, Al-taschith - Destroy not.
Some make it to be only some known tune to which this psalm was set; others apply it to
the occasion and matter of the psalm. Destroy not; that is, David would not let Saul be
destroyed, when now in the cave there was a fair opportunity of killing him, and his
servants would fain have done so. No, says David, destroy him not, 1Sa_24:4, 1Sa_24:6.
Or, rather, God would not let David be destroyed by Saul; he suffered him to persecute
David, but still under this limitation, Destroy him hot; as he permitted Satan to afflict
Job, Only save his life. David must not be destroyed, for a blessing is in him (Isa_65:8),
even Christ, the best of blessings. When David was in the cave, in imminent peril, he
here tells us what were the workings of his heart towards God; and happy are those that
have such good thoughts as these in their minds when they are in danger!
I. He supports himself with faith and hope in God, and prayer to him, Psa_57:1, Psa_
57:2. Seeing himself surrounded with enemies, he looks up to God with that suitable
prayer: Be merciful to me, O Lord! which he again repeats, and it is no vain repetition:
Be merciful unto me. It was the publican's prayer, Luk_18:13. It is a pity that any should
use it slightly and profanely, should cry, God be merciful to us, or, Lord, have mercy
upon us, when they mean only to express their wonder, or surprise, or vexation, but God
and his mercy are not in all their thoughts. It is with much devout affection that David
here prays, “Be merciful unto me, O Lord! look with compassion upon me, and in thy
love and pity redeem me.” To recommend himself to God's mercy, he here professes,
1. That all his dependence is upon God: My soul trusteth in thee, Psa_57:1. He did not
only profess to trust in God, but his soul did indeed rely on God only, with a sincere
devotion and self-dedication, and an entire complacency and satisfaction. He goes to
God, and, at the footstool of the throne of his grace, humbly professes his confidence in
him: In the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, as the chickens take shelter
under the wings of the hen when the birds of prey are ready to strike at them, until these
calamities be over-past. (1.) He was confident his troubles would end well, in due time;
these calamities will be over-past; the storm will blow over. Non si male nunc et olim sic
erit - Though now distressed, I shall not always be so. Our Lord Jesus comforted
himself with this in his sufferings, Luk_22:37. The things concerning me have an end.
(2.) He was very easy under the divine protection in the mean time. [1.] He comforted
himself in the goodness of God's nature, by which he is inclined to succour and protect
his people, as the hen is by instinct to shelter her young ones. God comes upon the wing
to the help of his people, which denotes a speedy deliverance (Psa_18:10); and he takes
them under his wing, which denotes warmth and refreshment, even when the calamities
are upon them; see Mat_23:37. [2.] In the promise of his word and the covenant of his
grace; for it may refer to the out-stretched wings of the cherubim, between which God is
said to dwell (Psa_80:1) and whence he gave his oracles. “To God, as the God of grace,
will I fly, and his promise shall be my refuge, and a sure passport it will be through all
these danger.” God, by his promise, offers himself to us, to be trusted; we by our faith
must accept of him, and put our trust in him.
JAMISO , "Psa_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; 1Sa_26:1-3. In Moses’ prayer (Deu_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 Psa_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.
my soul — or self, or life, which is threatened.
shadow of thy wings — (Psa_17:8; Psa_36:7).
calamities — literally, “mischiefs” (Psa_52:2; Psa_55:10).
CALVI , "1.Be merciful unto me, O God! The repetition of the prayer proves that
the grief, the anxiety, and the apprehension, with which David was filled at this
time, must have been of no common description. It is noticeable, that his plea for
mercy is, his having hoped in God. His soul trusted in him; and this is a form of
expression the force of which is not to be overlooked: for it implies that the trust
which he exercised proceeded from his very innermost affections, — that it was of
no volatile character, but deeply and strongly rooted. He declares the same truth in
figurative terms, when he adds his persuasion that God would cover him with the
shadow of his wings. The Hebrew word ‫,חסה‬ chasah, which I have translated to
hope, signifies occasionally to lodge, or obtain shelter, and in this sense it may be
understood with great propriety in the passage before us, where allusion is made to
the shadow of wings. David had committed himself, in short, entirely to the
guardianship of God; and now experienced that blessed consciousness of dwelling in
a place of safety, which he expresses in the beginning of the ninetieth psalm. The
divine protection is compared to the shadow of wings, because God, as I have
elsewhere observed, the more familiarly to invite us to himself, is represented as
stretching out his wings like the hen, or other birds, for the shelter of their young.
The greater our ingratitude and perversity, in being so slow to comply with such an
endearing and gentle invitation! He does not merely say, in general, that he would
hope in God, and rest under the shadow of his wings, but, particularly, that he
would do so at the time when wickedness should pass over him, like a storm or
whirlwind. The Hebrew word ‫,הוה‬ hovah, which I have rendered wickedness, some
translate power. Be that as it may, it is evident he declares that God would prove his
refuge, and the wings of God his shelter, under every tempest of affliction which
blew over him. There are seasons when we are privileged to enjoy the calm sunshine
of prosperity; but there is not a day of our lives in which we may not suddenly be
overtaken by storms of affliction, and it is necessary we should be persuaded that
God will cover us with his wings. To hope he adds prayer. Those, indeed, who have
placed their trust in God, will always direct their prayers to him; and David gives
here a practical proof of his hope, by showing that he applied to God in his
emergencies. In addressing God, he applies to him an honorable title, commending
him as the God who performed whatsoever he had promised, or (as we may
understand the expression) who carries forward to perfection the work which he
has begun. (339) The Hebrew word ‫גמר‬ , gomer, here employed, would seem to be
used in the same sense as in Psalms 138:8, the scope of both passages being the same.

It materially confirms and sustains our hope to reflect that God will never forsake
the workmanship of his own hands, — that he will perfect the salvation of his
people, and continue his divine guidance until he have brought them to the
termination of their course. Some read, to God, who rewards me; but this fails to
bring out the force of the expression. It would be more to the purpose, in my
judgment, to read, God, who fails me; in which case the sentence would, of course,
require to be understood adversatively: That though God failed him, and stretched
not out his hand for his deliverance, he would still persist in crying to him. The
other meaning, which some have suggested, I will cry to God, who performs, or
exerts to the utmost, his severity against me, is evidently forced, and the context
would lead us to understand the word as referring to the goodness of God, the
constancy of which in perfecting his work when once begun, should ever be present
to our remembrance,
SPURGEO , "Ver. 1. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me. Urgent
need suggests the repetition of the cry, for thus intense urgency of desire is
expressed. If `he gives twice who gives quickly, 'so he who would receive quickly
must ask twice. For mercy the psalmist pleads at first, and he feels he cannot
improve upon his plea, and therefore returns to it. God is the God of mercy, and the
Father of mercies, it is most fit therefore that in distress he should seek mercy from
him in whom it dwells.
For my soul trusteth in thee. Faith urges her suit right well. How can the Lord be
unmerciful to a trustful soul? Our faith does not deserve mercy, but it always wins it
from the sovereign grace of God when it is sincere, as in this case where the soul of
the man believed. "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness."
Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge. ot in the cave alone would
he hide, but in the cleft of the Rock of ages. As the little birds find ample shelter
beneath the parental wing, even so would the fugitive place himself beneath the
secure protection of the divine power. The emblem is delightfully familiar and
suggestive. May we all experimentally know its meaning. When we cannot see the
sunshine of God's face, it is blessed to cower down beneath the shadow of his wings.
Until these calamities be overpast. Evil will pass away, and the eternal wings will
abide over us till then. Blessed be God, our calamities are matters of time, but our
safety is a matter of eternity. When we are under the divine shadow, the passing
over of trouble cannot harm us; the hawk flies across the sky, but this is no evil to
the chicks when they are safely nestling beneath the hen.
EXPLA ATORY OTES A D QUAI T SAYI GS
Title. This Psalm was composed, as the title notes, by David prayer wise, when he
hid himself from Saul in the cave, and is inscribed with a double title, Altaschith,
Michtam of David. Altaschith refers to the scope, and Michtam to the dignity of the
subject matter. The former signifies destroy not, or, let there be no slaughter; and
may either refer to Saul, concerning whom he gave charge to his servants not to
destroy him; or rather it hath reference to God, to whom in this great exigence he
poured out his soul in this pathetic ejaculation; Altaschith, destroy not. The latter
title, Michtam, signifies a golden ornament, and so is suited to the choice and
excellent matter of the Psalm, which much more deserves such a title than

Pythagoras' golden verses did. John Flavel (1627-1692), in "Divine Conduct, or the
Mystery of Providence."
Title. A Psalm composed when David fled from Saul in the cave, which is referred to
in Psalms 143:1-12, and which, because it is without any other distinction called
"the cave, "is probably that celebrated cave where David with his six hundred
followers lay concealed when Saul entered and David cut off the skirt of his robe.
The king, accompanied by three thousand followers, chased him to the loftiest
alpine heights--"to the sheepcotes, "where the cattle were driven in the hottest
summer months only--to hunt him in every hiding place. There was a cave, in the
darkened cool of which David and his men were hid. Such caves in Palestine and the
East are frequently enlarged by human hands, and so capacious that they
accommodate thousands of people. This song of complaint was written during the
hours of suspense which David spent there, to wait until the calamity was overpast
(Psalms 57:2); in which he only gradually gains a stout heart (Psalms 57:8). His life
was really suspended by a hair, if Saul or any of his attendants had espied him!
Agustus F. Tholuck.
Title. The cave. There appear good grounds for the local tradition which fixes the
cave on the borders of the Dead Sea, although there is no certainty with regard to
the particular cave pointed out. The cave so designated is at a point to which David
was far more likely to summon his parents, whom he intended to take from
Bethlehem in to Moab, than to any place in the western plains... It is an immense
natural cavern, the mouth of which can be approached only on foot along the side of
the cliff. Irby and Mangles, who visited it without being aware that it was the
reputed Cave of Adullam, state that it "runs in by a long, winding, narrow passage,
with small chambers or cavities on either side. We soon came to a large chamber
with natural arches of great height; from this last there were numerous passages,
leading in all directions, occasionally joined by others at right angles, and forming a
perfect labyrinth, which our guides assured us had never been perfectly explored--
the people being afraid of losing themselves. The passages are generally four feet
high by three feet wide, and were all on a level with each other." ...It seems probable
that David as a native of Bethlehem, must have been well acquainted with this
remarkable spot, and had probably often availed himself of its shelter, when out
with his father's flocks. It would, therefore, naturally occur to him as a place of
refuge when he fled from Gath. John Kitto (1804-1854), in "A Cyclopaedia of
Biblical Literature."
Whole Psalm. Mystically this hymn may be construed of Christ, who was in the days
of his flesh assaulted by the tyranny both of spiritual and temporal enemies. His
temporal enemies, Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and people of Israel,
furiously raged and took counsel together against him. The chief priests and princes
were, saith Hierome, like lions, and the people like the whelps of lions, all of them in
a readiness to devour his soul. The rulers laid a net for his feet in their captious
interrogatories, asking (Matthew 22:17), "Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or
not?" and (John 8:5) whether the woman taken in the very act of adultery should be
stoned to death or no. The people were "set on fire, "when as they raged against
him, and their teeth and tongues were spears and swords in crying, "Crucify him,
crucify him." His spiritual enemies also sought to swallow him up; his soul was
among lions all the days of his life, at the hour of his death especially. The devil in

tempting and troubling him, had laid a snare for his feet; and death, in digging a pit
for him, had thought to devour him. As David was in death, so Christ the Son of
David was in the grave. John Boys, 1571-1625.
Ver. 1. Be merciful unto me, O God, etc. This excellent Psalm was composed by
David when there was enough to discompose the best man in the world. The
repetition notes both the extremity of the danger, and the ardency of the supplicant.
Mercy! Mercy! othing but mercy, and that exerting itself in any extraordinary
way, can now save him from ruin. The arguments he pleads for obtaining mercy in
this distress are very considerable.
1. He pleads his reliance upon God as an argument to move mercy. My soul trusteth
in thee, etc. This his trust and dependence upon God, though it be not
argumentative in respect of the dignity of the act; yet it is so in respect both of the
nature of the object, a compassionate God who will not expose any that take shelter
under his wings, and in respect of the promise, whereby protection is assured to
them that fly to him for sanctuary. Isaiah 26:3.
2. He pleads former experiences of his help in past distresses, as an argument
encouraging hope under the present strait (Psalms 57:2). John Flavel.
Ver. 1. Be merciful unto me. According to the weight of the burden that grieveth us,
is the cry that comes from us. How do poor condemned prisoners cry to their judges,
"Have pity upon us, have pity upon us!" David, in the day of his calamities doubles
his prayer for mercy: Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul
trusteth in thee, etc., Until these calamities be overpast. It was not a single calamity,
but a multitude of calamities which compassed David, and therefore he compasseth
the Lord about with petitions. His spirit being up in prayer, like a bell that rings
out, he strikes on both sides, Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me.
Joseph Caryl.
Ver. 1. Be merciful unto me. The first clause contains the prayer itself in a very
forcible word ygnx, properly, "Show thy most tender affection to me, "such as
animals, with a humming sound, show to their young. Hermann Venema.
Ver. 1. For my soul trusteth in thee. The best reason with God, who "taketh
pleasure in those that hope in his mercy." Psalms 147:11. Poole's Synopsis.
Ver. 1. Soul. His soul trusted in God; and this is a form of expression the force of
which is not to be overlooked; for it implies that the trust which he exercised
proceeded from his very innermost affection--that it was of no volatile character,
but deeply and strongly rooted. He declares the same truth in figurative terms, when
he adds his persuasion that God would cover him with the shadow of his wings.
John Calvin.
Ver. 1. In the shadow of thy wings I will trust; properly, I will seek for protection.
The very delightful figure here employed, is taken from the chicken lying safely hid
under the mother's wings; at the same time it seems to have reference to the wings of
the cherubim, by which the mercyseat was covered. Simon de Muis, 1587-1644.
Ver. 1. The shadow of thy wings. Compare Ps 17:8 61:4; and Matthew 23:37; and
the Apocalyptic imagery, describing the church fleeing from the dragon in the
wilderness; and "to her are given the two wings of the great eagle, "and she is
delivered from the dragon, who desires to swallow her up. See Revelation 12:6;
Revelation 12:15-16. Christopher Wordsworth, 1868.
Ver. 1. Until these calamities be overpast. He compares his afflictions and calamity

to a storm that cometh and goeth; as it is not always fair weather with us in this life,
so not always foul. Athanasius said of Julian furiously raging against the Lord's
Anointed, " ubecula est, cito transibit, "he is a little cloud; he will soon pass away.
Man is born to labour and dolour, to travail and trouble; to labour in his actions, to
dolour in his passions; and so, "Great are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord
delivereth him out of all." If we put our trust in him and cast all our care upon him,
he will in his good time bring it to pass, that all our afflictions shall overpass. He will
either take them from us or us from them, and then we shall assuredly know that
the troubles of this life present are not worthy of the glory which in the life to come
shall be showed unto us. For as the globe of the earth, which improperly for his
show of bigness we term the world, and is, after the mathematician's account, many
thousand miles in compass; yet, being compared unto the greatness of the starry
sky's circumference, is but a centre or little prick: so the travail and affliction of this
life temporal, in respect of the joys eternal in the world to come, bear not any
proportion, but are to be reputed in comparison a very nothing, as a dark cloud that
cometh and goeth in a moment. John Boys.
Ver. 1-3. In the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be
overpast, etc. As if he had said, Lord, I am already in the cave and in the holds, and
in the shadow of it, but yet for all that I think not myself safe indeed, till I have
made my refuge in the shadow of thy wings: that is therefore the course I resolve
and build upon. It was wisely done of him: and mark what course he takes to do it,
Psalms 57:2, I will cry unto God most high, I will by prayer put myself under the
shadow of God's wings: and mark what success should follow, Psalms 57:3, He shall
send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up.
God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. When we send prayers up to heaven,
God will send help down from heaven. But yet David prays to God, as well as trusts
in God. And unless we pray as well as trust, our trust will fail us, for we must trust
to God for that we pray for. Jeremiah Dyke, 1620.
TRAPP, "Psalms 57:1 « To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when
he fled from Saul in the cave. » Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me:
for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge,
until [these] calamities be overpast.
Al-taschith] i.e. Destroy not; µη διαφθειρης (Sept.). David being in imminent danger
of destruction in the cave, might send up this short request as it were in a fright,
before he uttered this ensuing prayer. Al-taschith in such an exigent might well be
an effectual prayer; as was the woman of Canaan’s Lord, help me, and the sick
man’s Abba, Father; or these might now be his words (to Abishai, or some other of
his servants, whose fingers even itched to be doing with Saul), as afterwards they
were upon a like occasion, 1 Samuel 26:9. Destroy not Saul. See thou do it not.
Michtam of David] See Psalms 16:1, title.
When he fled from Saul in the cave] 1 Samuel 24:1, or, into the cave for shelter; and

where, when he might have cut Saul’s throat, he cut his coat only, and was inwardly
checked for it; nevertheless the Spirit came upon him, which was no small comfort,
as Aben Ezra here observeth, and he said,
Ver. 1. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful] q.d. ow or never help at a dead
lift. Bis, pro more rogantium, ad corroborandum, saith Kimchi. Other Jewish
doctors give this reason of the repetition of his petition: "Be merciful," &c., lest
either I fall into Saul’s hands, or Saul into mine; lest desire for revenge prick me on
to kill him. Or, have mercy on me, that I sin not; or if I do sin, that I may repent
(Midr. Tillin.)
For my soul trusteth in thee] An excellent argument, so it comes from the soul, so it
be heart-sprung.
Yea, in the shadow of thy wings, &c.] As the little chicken in danger of the kite
hovereth, and covereth under the hen.
Until these calamities be over past] For long they will not continue. ubecula est,
cito transibit, said Athanasius of the Arian persecutions, which for present were
very sharp. So Master Jewel, about the beginning of Queen Mary’s reign,
persuading many to patience, said often, Haec non durabunt setatem, This sharp
shower will soon be over.
BE SO , "Psalms 57:1. Be merciful unto me, O God — Thus the psalmist prays,
and looks to God for help, when surrounded with enemies: and he repeats his
petition because of the greatness of his danger, and through the fervency of his spirit
in his request, withal implying that his whole hope and trust was in God’s mercy.
Yea, in the shadow of thy wings — In thy almighty protection; will I make my
refuge — Will I still depend, as I have hitherto done, for defence and preservation;
until these calamities be overpast — Or the time of these calamities, which I know
will soon have an end: or till this danger be past, which is now impending over me,
and threatens to destroy me.
WHEDO , "1. Be merciful… be merciful—The repetition springs from a soul in
agony.
Shadow of thy wings—The metaphor denotes protection and tenderness. Psalms
94:1; Psalms 94:4; Matthew 23:37.
Until these calamities be overpast—The plural noun with a singular verb denotes
that it is to be taken distributively—until every one of these calamities shall pass.
COFFMA , "PRAYER FOR DELIVERA CE A D THA KSGIVI G TO GOD

THE SUPERSCRIPTIO : FOR THE CHIEF MUSICIA ; SET TO ALTASHETH.
A PSALM OF DAVID. MICHTAM; WHE HE FLED FROM SAUL I THE
CAVE.
Set to Altasheth. This, or course, was the tune to which the psalm was to be sung;
but no one has the slightest idea what that tune was. Delitzsch tells us that "There
were three of the Davidic psalms set to this tune, namely, Psalms 57; Psalms 58; and
Psalms 59, and also one of the Psalms accredited to Asaph, Psalms 75."[1] Following
the Douay Version of the Old Testament, Spurgeon, translated the name of this
tune, as "Destroy ot."
He commented that, "David had said, `Destroy ot,' in reference to Saul, when he
had him in his power; and now he takes pleasure in the employment of the same
words in his supplications to God. We may thus infer from the spirit of the Lord's
Prayer, that God will spare us if we spare our foes."[2]
When he fled from Saul in the cave. "This occasion was either David's stay in the
cave of Adullum (1 Samuel 22:1), or the incident in the cave of Engedi (1 Samuel
24:3); but there is no direct reference in the psalm to either."[3]
A Psalm of David. It is customary for liberal commentators to reject these
superscriptions; but they are all we have as identification of authors and of the
occasions when certain psalms were written. Their comments that, "we don't know"
casts no reflection whatever upon these ancient words in the superscriptions. Until
valid objections and intelligent reasons are brought forth in refutation of what is
written in them, we shall continue to respect them; although, of course, no one
claims to be able "to prove" their reliability. " o valid reasons can be urged against
these statements (in the superscription)."[4] "Many interpreters recognize that in
this instance, the heading (in the superscription) may be regarded as historically
valid."[5]
In the previous Psalms 56, we mentioned the fact of that psalm and this being called,
`twins.' There are indeed some remarkable similarities.
(1) Both psalms begin with exactly the same words. (2) In both, a refrain divides the
psalm into two paragraphs. (3) The distressing situation is the same in both (Psalms
56:1 and Psalms 57:3). (4) The ends of the earth ("nations," "Gentiles," or
"peoples") in both are envisioned as ultimately concerned with David's deliverance
(Psalms 56:7, and Psalms 57:9). It is also of interest that verses 7-11 are repeated
(with slight variations) in Psalms 108:7-11. That fact, of course, has led to screams
of "disunity" by some; but as Leupold noted, "We lack evidence for such
claims."[6]
o one can be unaware of the constant repetition throughout the Book of Psalms,
repetition of themes, laments, imprecations, praises, etc., and the constant

recurrence of stereotyped phrases, sentences and conceptions. "In this psalm, we
have the familiar truths that God hears prayers, punishes the wicked and justifies
the righteous. Faith in God does not keep us from trials but enables us to triumph
over them."[7]
The title we have placed at the head of this chapter is taken from Kyle Yates.[8] The
paragraphing is suggested by the placement of the refrains in Psalms 57:5 and
Psalms 57:11.
Psalms 57:1-5
"Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me;
For my soul taketh refuge in thee:
Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge,
Until these calamities be overpast.
I will cry unto God Most High,
Unto God that performeth all things for me.
He will send from heaven, and save me,
When he that would swallow me up reproacheth; (Selah)
God will send forth his lovingkindness and his truth.
My soul is among lions;
I lie among them that are set on fire,
Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword."
"In the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge" (Psalms 57:1). This metaphor
reminds us of the words of Jesus, "How often would I have gathered thy children
together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not"
(Matthew 23:37).
"Until these calamities be overpast" (Psalms 57:1). "The word here rendered
`calamities' may also be translated as `wickednesses,' or `malignities.' That they
would indeed pass the psalmist was certain; but what he needed was support while
they endured."[9]

"Unto God who performeth all things for me" (Psalms 57:2). "This indicates that
already the psalmist's confidence in God's deliverance begins to be felt."[10]
Perhaps this confidence may spring in part from the titles of God here, which are
"[~'Elohiym], [~'Elyon], Almighty God, Most High."[11]
"When he that would swallow me up reproacheth" (Psalms 57:3). These were
nothing other than "people eaters" who were attacking David. The use of mixed
figures of speech in Psalms 57:4, which speaks of both wild beasts (`lions'), and
spears and arrows, "Along with the traditional phrases and stereotyped images
make it difficult to reconstruct the personal circumstances of the psalmist. Was he
being physically attacked, or falsely accused?"[12]
Spurgeon took the view that it was the vicious tongues of these "people eaters"
which constituted the principal trouble. He spoke to the gossips of his church as
follows:
<SIZE=2>"You eat men up; you eat their souls, the finest part of men. You are
more than glad if you can whisper a word that is derogatory to a neighbor, or his
wife, or his daughter. The morsel is too exquisite to be lost. Here is the soul of a
person, his hope in this life and his hope of heaven; and you have it on your fork,
and you can't refrain from eating it and asking others to taste it.[13] (Spurgeon then
quoted Henry Ward Beecher).
"You are cannibals, eating men's honor and rejoicing in it; and that too when
ninety-nine times out of a hundred the probabilities are there's not a word of truth
in it. - Beecher."SIZE>
"Among lions ... and the sons of men whose teeth are like spears and arrows"
(Psalms 57:4). The IV has "tongue" instead of "teeth" here. Ash stated that, "The
mixed metaphor of the `lions' and the `military' show how precarious the situation
was. Deliverance would have been hopeless without God."[14]
"Them that are set on fire" (Psalms 57:4). "These were they whose hearts were on
fire with enmity and hatred and who spoke words which were as sharp as military
weapons."[15]
EBC, "THIS psalm resembles the preceding in the singer’s circumstances of peril
and in his bold faith. It has also points of contact in the cry, "Be gracious," and in
the remarkable expression for enemies, "Those that would swallow me up." It has
also several features in common with the other psalms ascribed by the
superscriptions to the time of the Sauline persecution. Like Psalms 7:1-17 are the
metaphor of lions for enemies, that of digging a pit for their plots, the use of glory as
a synonym for soul. The difficult word rendered "destructions" in Psalms 57:1
connects this psalm with Psalms 55:11, dated as belonging to the time of Saul’s
hostility, and with Psalms 5:9; Psalms 38:12, both traditionally Davidic. There is
nothing in the psalm against the attribution of it to David in the cave, whether of
Adullam or Engedi, and the allusions to lying down among lions may possibly have

been suggested by the wild beasts prowling round the psalmist’s shelter. The use in
Psalms 57:1 of the picturesque word for taking refuge derives special
appropriateness from the circumstances of the fugitive, over whose else defenceless
head the sides of his cave arched themselves like great wings, beneath which he lay
safe, though the growls of beasts of prey echoed round. But there is no need to seek
for further certainty as to the occasion of the psalm. Baethgen thinks that it can only
have been composed after "the annihilation of the independence of the Israelite
state," because the vow in Psalms 57:9 to make God’s name known among the
nations can only be the utterance of the oppressed congregation, which is sure of
deliverance, because it is conscious of its Divine call to sing God’s praise to heathens.
But that vow is equally explicable on the assumption that the individual singer was
conscious of such a call.
There is no very sharp division of parts in the psalm. A grand refrain separates it
into two portions, in the former of which prayer for deliverance and contemplation
of dangers prevail, while in the latter the foe is beheld as already baffled, and
exuberant praise is poured forth and vowed.
As in Psalms 54:1-7 and often, the first part begins with an act of faith reaching out
to God, and strengthening itself by the contemplation of His character and acts.
That energy of confidence wins assurance of help, and only after that calming
certitude has filled the soul does the psalmist turn his eye directly on his enemies.
His faith does not make him oblivious of his danger, but it minimises his dread. An
eye that has seen God sees little terror in the most terrible things.
The psalmist knows that a soul which trusts has a right to God’s gracious dealings,
and he is not afraid to urge his confidence as a plea with God. The boldness of the
plea is not less indicative of the depth and purity of his religious experience than are
the tender metaphors in which it is expressed. What truer or richer description of
trust could be given than that which likens it to the act of a fugitive betaking himself
to the shelter of some mountain fastness, impregnable and inaccessible? What
lovelier thought of the safe, warm hiding place which God affords was ever spoken
than that of "the shadow of Thy wings"? Very significant is the recurrence of the
same verb in two different tenses in two successive clauses (Psalms 57:1 b, c). The
psalmist heartens himself for present and future trust by remembrance of past days,
when he exercised it and was not put to shame. That faith is blessed, and cannot but
be strong, which is nurtured by the remembrance of past acts of rewarded faith, as
the leaves of bygone summers make rich mould for a new generation of flowers.
When kites are in the sky, young birds seek protection from the mother’s wing as
well as warmth from her breast. So the singer betakes himself to his shelter till
"destructions are gone by." Possibly these are likened to a wild storm which sweeps
across the land, but is not felt in the stillness of the cave fortress. Hidden in God, a
man "heareth not the loud winds when they call," and may solace himself in the
midst of their roar by the thought that they will soon blow over. He will not cease to
take refuge in God when the stress is past, nor throw off his cloak when the rain
ceases; but he will nestle close while it lasts, and have as his reward the clear
certainty of its transiency. The faith which clings to God after the tempest is no less

close than that which screened itself in Him while it raged.
PETT, "Verses 1-3
Heading (Psalms 57:1 a).
‘For the Chief Musician; set to Al-tashheth. A Psalm of David. Michtam; when he
fled from Saul, in the cave.’
This is one of many Psalms dedicated to the Choirmaster or Chief Musician. It may
simply indicate Psalms put at his disposal. It is set to the tune Al-tashheth (‘Do not
destroy’), and is one of the ‘Psalms of David’. Michtam is probably to be seen as a
plea for protection Its provenance is said to be ‘when he fled from Saul in the cave’,
which probably refers to his exploits in the wilderness of Engedi, near the Dead Sea,
rather than to his time in the Cave of Adullam. There is nothing in the Psalm which
excludes Davidic authorship.
It commences in the same way as the previous Psalm and in the same way speaks of
those who would ‘swallow him up’ (Psalms 57:3). It continues the theme of God’s
protection from his enemies, and from those who speak against him (Psalms 57:4),
forecasting the downfall of his enemies (Psalms 57:6). There is thus some
relationship between the two Psalms.
The Psalm can be divided into three parts:
· A Call For God’s Favour And Protection In The Face Of His Enemies
(Psalms 57:1-3).
· A Description Of His Enemies And Their Fate (Psalms 57:4-6).
· An Expression Of Praise And Thanksgiving For God’s Intervention On His
Behalf (Psalms 57:7-11).
Psalms 57:1-3
A Call For God’s Favour And Protection In The Face Of His Enemies (Psalms 57:1-
3).
He calls for God’s favour to be shown towards him because he has taken refuge
under the shadow of His wings until all danger is past, and because he looks to Him
to save him from the reproaches of his enemy.
Psalms 57:1
‘Show favour to me, O God, show favour to me,
For my person takes refuge in you,
Yes, in the shadow of your wings will I take refuge,
Until these calamities are overpast.’
He twice calls on God to show him favour in the midst of his calamities, confident
that at some stage they will pass, as they must do in the face of God’s promises to
him. He reminds Him that at His word he has taken refuge in him, and that he will

continue to take refuge under the shadow of His wings. God has called him and he
looks to Him to protect him. The picture is of nestlings sheltering under the wings of
the mother bird, secure from all that is happening around including storms and
tempests, not emerging until all is safe. It was a favourite illustration of David, see
Psalms 17:8; Psalms 36:7; Psalms 61:4; Psalms 63:7. Compare also Psalms 91:4;
Ruth 2:12; Matthew 23:37.
K&D 1-5, "By means of the two distinctive tense-forms the poet describes his
believing flight to God for refuge as that which has once taken place (‫ה‬ָ‫י‬ ָ‫ס‬ ָ‫ח‬ from ‫ה‬ ָ‫ס‬ ָ‫ח‬ = ‫י‬ ַ‫ס‬ ָ‫ח‬
out of pause, like the same forms in Psa_73:2; Psa_122:6), and still, because it is a living
fact, is ever, and now in particular, renewed (‫ה‬ ֶ‫ס‬ ֱ‫ֽח‬ ֶ‫.)א‬ The shadow of the wings of God is
the protection of His gentle, tender love; and the shadow of the wings is the quickening,
cordial solace that is combined with this protection. Into this shadow the poet betakes
himself for refuge now as he has done before, until ‫ּות‬‫וּ‬ ַ‫,ה‬ i.e., the abysmal danger that
threatens him, be overpast, praeteriverit (cf. Isa_26:20, and on the enallage numeri
Psa_10:10, Ges. §147, a). Not as though he would then no longer stand in need of the
divine protection, but he now feels himself to be specially in need of it; and therefore his
chief aim is an undaunted triumphant resistance of the impending trials. The effort on
his own part, however, by means of which he always anew takes refuge in this shadow, is
prayer to Him who dwells above and rules the universe. ‫ּון‬‫י‬ ְ‫ל‬ ֶ‫ע‬ is without the article, which
it never takes; and ‫ר‬ ֵ‫ּמ‬ (Psa_57:3) is the same, because it is regularly left out before the
participle, which admits of being more fully defined, Amo_9:12; Eze_21:19 (Hitzig). He
calls upon God who accomplisheth concerning, i.e., for him (Est_4:16), who carrieth out
his cause, the cause of the persecuted one; ‫ר‬ ַ‫מ‬ָ is transitive as in Psa_138:8. The lxx
renders τᆵν εᆒεργετήσαντά µε, as though it were ‫עלי‬ ‫ל‬ ֵ‫ּמ‬ (Psa_13:6, and frequently); and
even Hitzig and Hupfeld hold that the meaning is exactly the same. But although ‫גמל‬ and
‫גמר‬ fall back upon one and the same radical notion, still it is just their distinctive final
letters that serve to indicate a difference of signification that is strictly maintained. In
Psa_57:4 follow futures of hope. In this instance “that which brings me deliverance” is to
be supplied in thought to ‫ח‬ ַ‫ל‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ִ‫י‬ (cf. Psa_20:3) and not ‫ּו‬‫ד‬ָ‫י‬ as in Psa_18:17, cf. Psa_144:7;
and this general and unmentioned object is then specialized and defined in the words
“His mercy and His truth” in Psa_57:4. Mercy and truth are as it were the two good
spirits, which descending from heaven to earth (cf. Psa_43:3) bring the divine ‫ה‬ ָ‫שׁוּע‬ְ‫י‬ to an
accomplishment. The words ‫י‬ ִ‫פ‬ ֲ‫ּא‬‫שׁ‬ ‫ף‬ ֵ‫ר‬ ֵ‫ח‬ sdro standing between a and c have been drawn by
the accentuators to the first half of the verse, they probably interpreting it thus: He
(God) reproacheth my devourers for ever (Sela). But ‫ף‬ ֵ‫ר‬ ֵ‫ח‬ always (e.g., Isa_37:23) has
God as its object, not as its subject. ‫שׁאפי‬ ‫חרף‬ is to be connected with what follows as a
hypothetical protasis (Ges. §155, 4, a): supposing that he who is greedy or pants for me
(inhians mihi) slandereth, then Elohim will send His mercy and His truth. The music that
becomes forte in between, introduces and accompanies the throbbing confidence of the
apodosis.
In Psa_57:5, on the contrary, we may follow the interpretation of the text that is
handed down and defined by the accentuation, natural as it may also be, with Luther and

others, to take one's own course. Since ‫ים‬ ִ‫א‬ ָ‫ב‬ ְ‫ל‬ (has Zarka (Zinnor) and ‫ים‬ ִ‫ט‬ ֲ‫ּה‬‫ל‬ Olewejored,
it is accordingly to be rendered: “My soul is in the midst of lions, I will (must) lie down
with flaming ones; the children of men - their teeth are a spear and arrows.” The
rendering of the lxx, of Theodotion, and of the Syriac version accords with the
interpunction of our text so far as both begin a new clause with ᅚκοιµήθην (‫,ודמכת‬ and I
slept); whereas Aquila and Symmachus (taking ‫,נפשׁי‬ as it seems, as a periphrastic
expression of the subject-notion placed in advance) render all as afar as ‫להטים‬ as one
clause, at least dividing the verse into two parts, just as the accentuators do, at ‫.להטים‬
The rendering of Aquila is ᅚν µέσሩ λεαινራν κοιµηθήσοµαι λάβρων; that of Symmachus: ᅚν
µέσሩ λεόντራν εᆒθαρσራν ᅚκοιµήθην; or according to another reading, µεταξᆷ λεόντων
ᅚκοιµήθην φλεγόντων. They are followed by Jerome, who, however, in order that he may
be able to reproduce the ‫,נפשׁי‬ changes ‫אשׁכבה‬ into ‫:שׁכבה‬ Anima mea in medio leonum
dormivit ferocientium. This construction, however, can be used in Greek and Latin, but
not in Hebrew. We therefore follow the accents even in reference to the Zarka above
‫ים‬ ִ‫א‬ ָ‫ב‬ ְ‫ל‬ (a plural form that only occurs in this one passage in the Psalter, = ‫ים‬ִ‫י‬ ָ‫ב‬ ְ‫.)ל‬ In a
general way it is to be observed that this ‫לבאים‬ in connection with ‫ה‬ ָ‫ב‬ ְⅴ ְ‫שׁ‬ ֶ‫א‬ is not so much
the accusative of the object as the accusative of the place, although it may even be said to
be the customary local accusative of the object with verbs of dwelling; on ‫שׁכב‬ cf. Rth_
3:8, Rth_3:14, and Psa_88:6; Mic_7:5 (where at least the possibility of this construction
of the verb is presupposed). But in particular it is doubtful (1) what ‫ים‬ ִ‫ט‬ ֲ‫ּה‬‫ל‬ signifies. The
rendering “flaming ones” is offered by the Targum, Saadia, and perhaps Symmachus.
The verb ‫להט‬ obtains this signification apparently from the fundamental notion of licking
or swallowing; and accordingly Theodotion renders it by ᅊναλισκόντων, and Aquila most
appropriately by λάβρων (a word used of a ravenous furious longing for anything). But
‫להט‬ nowhere means “to devour;” the poet must, therefore, in connection with ‫,להטים‬ have
been thinking of the flaming look or the fiery jaws of the lions, and this attributive will
denote figuratively their strong desire, which snorts forth as it were flames of fire. The
question further arises, (2) how the cohortative ‫אשׁכבה‬ is meant to be taken. Since the
cohortative sometimes expresses that which is to be done more by outward constraint
than inward impulse-never, however, without willing it one's self (Ew. §228, a) - the
rendering “I must,” or “therefore must I lie down,” commends itself. But the contrast,
which has been almost entirely overlooked, between the literal beasts of prey and the
children of men, who are worse than these, requires the simple and most natural
rendering of the cohortative. We need only picture to ourselves the situation. The verb
‫שׁכב‬ here has the sense of cubitum ire (Ps 4:9). Starting from this ‫אשׁכבה‬ we look to Psa_
57:9, and it at once becomes clear that we have before us an evening or nightly song.
David the persecuted one finds himself in the wilderness and, if we accept the testimony
of the inscription, in a cave: his soul is in the midst of lions, by which he means to say
that his life is exposed to them. Here bold in faith, he is resolved to lie down to sleep,
feeling himself more secure among lions than among men; for the children of men, his
deadly foes both in word and in deed, are worse than beasts of prey: teeth and tongue are

murderous weapons. This more than brutal joy at the destruction of one's neighbour
(Note: Cf. Sir. 25:15, in the Hebrew: ‫אויב‬ ‫חמה‬ ‫מעל‬ ‫חמה‬ ‫ואין‬ ‫פתן‬ ‫ראשׁ‬ ‫מעל‬ ‫ראשׁ‬ ‫אין‬ (no
poison exceeds the poison of the serpent, and no wrath exceeds the wrath of an
enemy).)
which prevails among men, urges him to put forth the prayer that God, who in Himself
is exalted above the heavens and the whole earth, would show Himself by some visible
manifestation over the heavens above as the exalted One, and the prayer that His glory
may be, i.e., may become manifest (or even: exalted be His glory, ‫רוּם‬ָ‫,)י‬ over the whole
earth beneath, - His glory which to His saints is a health-diffusing light, and to the
heartless foes of men and God a consuming fire, - so that the whole world shall be
compelled to acknowledge this glory in which His holiness manifests itself, and shall
become conformed to it after everything that is hostile is overthrown.
BI 1-11, "Be merciful unto me, O God.
Spiritual experimentalism
I. A blessed religious exercise.
1. Praying. “Be merciful unto me,” etc. An epitome of all true prayer. Mercy is what
we need; to remove our sense of guilt, to break our moral chains, to clear our
spiritual vision, to quicken and harmoniously develop all the powers of our higher
nature.
2. Trusting. “My soul trusteth in Thee.” This implies—
(1) A knowledge of the trustworthiness of God.
(2) A supreme love for the excellency of God.
3. Resolving. “Yea, in the shadow,” etc. God is the natural Protector of souls.
4. Hoping (Psa_57:3). All godly souls are in a waiting attitude.
II. A wretched social condition. Among savage, crafty and deadly enemies (Psa_57:4;
Psa_57:6). That men should feel thus to their fellow-men argues two things.
1. That morally they are in an abnormal condition.
2. That sin is essentially malignant. Sin, when it enters the soul, scorches all
benevolent sympathy. Sin never fails to make its subject a tormenting devil.
III. A happy moral state. Moral fixation, or godly decision of soul, “My heart is fixed.” In
our unregenerate state the heart is unsettled, divided, distracted, and herein is its
misery. This fixation originates—
1. High happiness. “I will sing and give praise. Awake, psaltery and harp,” etc.
2. High worship. “I will praise Thee, O Lord,” etc. (Homilist.)
Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing
The writer begins in deep distress; but he prays himself out of the pit; and in the end he
rises to a sunny height of security and faith, where he praises the God who has delivered
him.

I. The art of prayer (Psa_57:1-6). Here he, first, clearly and fully describes his trouble.
This is part of the art of prayer. It is often because we have nothing definite to pray about
that our devotions are unsatisfactory. God is as interested in the trials of His people to-
day as He was in those of David. Next, he argues his ease. And this also is part of the art
of prayer. God likes us to put our intellect as well as our feeling into our prayers. His first
argument is that he is trusting in God (Psa_57:1): he is trusting, he says, as the
fledgeling cowers beneath the wing of the mother bird. Can God leave in the lurch any
one who is thus depending on Him? But in Psa_57:2 he uses a still stronger argument:
he appeals to God’s character, calling Him “God that performeth”—or rather
perfecteth—“all things for me.” God the Perfecter, who, when He has begun a good work,
must finish it—how can He leave the career of His servant in its broken and incomplete
condition? This is an argument we can all use, and it is one which cannot fail with God.
He has now raised himself to complete confidence that God will deliver him; and to this
he gives exquisite expression in the third verse, describing Mercy and Truth as two
angels, whom God will send forth to rescue him from his necessities. In the same way in
the 23rd psalm Goodness and Mercy are represented as attendants, following a good
man all the days of his life, watching over his footsteps and always at his service.
II. The art of praise (Psa_57:7-11). First, praise begins with the fixing of the heart—“My
heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed.” The flutter of excitement is over, and he is able
to collect his powers in perfect repose. But, secondly, they are not to go to sleep, though
they are in repose; for he says, “Awake up, my glory; awake psaltery and harp; I myself
will awake early.” “My glory” is a name in Scripture for the soul, and surely a very fine
one; the soul is the glory of man. But it needs to be awaked to engage in God’s praise.
There is music in it, as there is in a piano when it is shut; but the instrument must be
opened and the keys touched. The music in our souls is allowed to slumber too much.
The words, “I myself will awake early,” ought rather to read, “I will awake the dawn.”
David was to be so early astir at his devotions that, instead of the dawn awaking him, he
would awake it: he would summon it to arise out of the east and help him to praise his
Maker. But it is not Nature alone he would inspire with his enthusiasm: so full is he of
joy in God that he wishes to communicate his emotions to all his fellow-creatures (Psa_
57:9). How marelously has this wish been fulfilled! The Psalter has been translated into
scores of languages, and wherever it has been known it has been loved. Finally he gives
the reasons for praise (Psa_57:10), “For Thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and Thy
truth unto the clouds.” These will always be the reasons for praise that is truly hearty—to
know the mercy that is as far above our sins as the dome of heaven is above the earth,
and to know the faithfulness which, having begun a good work in us, will complete it
unto the day of Christ. (J. Stalker, D. D.)
In the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge.—
Christ our refuge
What a beautiful illustration is the city of refuge of olden time of Christ as our Refuge!
We have heard the solemn words, “The soul that sinneth it shall die.” How can we escape
from death? There is a Refuge, even Jesus; and we can hide in Him and be safe.
1. The cities of refuge were so scattered over the country that one of them could be
easily reached from any part. “Kedesh” in the north, and “Hebron” in the south,
while “Shechem” lay midway. “Bezer” was situated in the flat country, while
“Ramoth” and “Golan” were on elevated ground. So our Refuge is easily reached by
any one, it is “whosoever believeth in Him,” and “him that cometh unto Me I will in

no wise cast out.” It is the simple coming to Him and the taking Him at His word.
2. The gates of the cities of refuge were open day and night, that the man-slayer
might enter at any time. And we, too, may go to our Refuge at any time. He is ever
ready to hear our cry and to rescue us, and to save us; but let us not delay.
3. Any one might flee thither, the stranger as well as the Israelite. So it is with Christ:
all may come to Him, of whatever nationality (Gal_3:28).
4. When the man-slayer reached the city of refuge, he had to plead his cause to the
elders of that city, and then, if necessary, before the congregation of the children of
Israel; and it was only when his innocence of the crime of murder had been proved
that he was allowed to take refuge there; otherwise he was delivered up to the
avenger of blood to be slain. But in Christ the murderer may take refuge, and find
pardon and peace; the worst of sinners have found refuge there.
5. Then we read that the man-slayer who had fled for refuge should stay in that city,
for if he went out of the gate at any time the avenger of blood might slay him, and his
blood would be upon his own head. He should have remained in the city whither he
had fled. So with us; if we are not in Christ the Refuge, we are out at our own risk. (L.
Shorey.)
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who vindicates me.
BAR ES, "I will cry unto God most high - The idea is - God is exalted above all
creatures; all events are “under” him, and he can control them. The appeal was not to
man, however exalted; not to an angel, however far he may be above man; it was an
appeal made at once to the Supreme Being, the God to whom all worlds and all creatures
are subject, and under whose protection, therefore, he must be safe.
Unto God that performeth all things for me - The word used here, and rendered
“performeth” - ‫גמר‬ gâmar - means properly to bring to an end; to complete; to perfect.
The idea here is, that it is the character of God, that he “completes” or “perfects,” or
brings to a happy issue all his plans. The psalmist had had experience of that in the past.
God had done this in former trials; he felt assured that God would do it in this; and he,
therefore, came to God with a confident belief that all would be safe in his hands.

CLARKE, "I will cry unto God most high - He is the Most High; and therefore
far above all my enemies, though the prince of the power of the air be at their head.
Unto God, ‫לאל‬ lael, unto the strong Good, one against whom no human or diabolic
might can prevail. David felt his own weakness, and he knew the strength of his
adversaries; and therefore he views God under those attributes and characters which
were suited to his state. This is a great secret in the Christian life; few pray to God wisely;
though they may do it fervently.
That performeth all things for me - Who works for me; ‫גמר‬ gomer, he who
completes for me, and will bring all to a happy issue.
GILL, "I will cry unto God most high,.... To remember him in his low estate, and
who is higher than the highest, than Saul and his mighty men with him. This epithet
David no doubt made use of, to encourage his faith in the Lord, who is above all, and can
do all things; as follows;
unto God that performeth all things for me; in a providential way, having made
him, upheld him in being, fed and clothed him, preserved him, and followed him with
his goodness all his days; and in a way of grace he performed all his purposes concerning
him, all his promises unto him, and was performing and would perfect the work of grace
in him; see Psa_138:8. The Targum adds a fable by way of paraphrase on the text,
"who commanded, or prepared a spider, to perfect in the mouth of the cave a web for
me;''
so it is in the king's Bible; as if, when he was in the cave, God so ordered it in his
providence, that a spider should spin a web over the month of it, which prevented his
persecutors from searching for him in it; but the Scripture is silent in this matter. Such a
story is reported of Felix, bishop of Nola, in ecclesiastical history (m).
HE RY, ". That all his desire is towards God (Psa_57:2): “I will cry unto God most
high, for succour and relief; to him that is most high will I lift up my soul, and pray
earnestly, even unto God that performs all things for me.” Note, (1.) In every thing that
befalls us we ought to see and own the hand of God; whatever is done is of his
performing; in it his counsel is accomplished and the scripture is fulfilled. (2.) Whatever
God performs concerning his people, it will appear, in the issue, to have been performed
for them and for their benefit. Though God be high, most high, yet he condescends so
low as to take care that all things be made to work for good to them. (3.) This is a good
reason why we should, in all our straits and difficulties, cry unto him, not only pray, but
pray earnestly.
SPURGEO , "Ver. 2. I will cry. He is quite safe, but yet he prays, for faith is never
dumb. We pray because we believe. We exercise by faith the spirit of adoption
whereby we cry. He says not I do cry, or I have cried, but I will cry, and indeed, this

resolution may stand with all of us until we pass through the gates of pearl; for
while we are here below we shall still have need to cry.
Unto God most high. --Prayers are for God only; the greatness and sublimity of his
person and character suggest and encourage prayer; however high our enemies, our
heavenly Friend is higher, for he is Most high, and he can readily send from the
height of his power the succour which we need.
Unto God that performeth all things for me. He has cogent reason for praying, for
he sees God performing. The believer waits and God works. The Lord has
undertaken for us, and he will not draw back, he will go through with his covenant
engagements. Our translators have very properly inserted the words, "all things,
"for there is a blank in the Hebrew, as if it were a carte blanche, and you might
write therein that the Lord would finish anything and everything which he has
begun. Whatsoever the Lord takes in hand he will accomplish; hence past mercies
are guarantees for the future, and admirable reasons for continuing to cry unto him.
Ver. 2. Unto God that performeth all things for me. God's favours already received
are a pledge that he will complete his work of love "upon le me." The beginning is
the earnest of the completion. His word is a guarantee for the performance of "all
things" that I need. (Compare Ps 57:3 56:4 1Sa 2:9 3:12 1Sa 23:17 24:21 Ps 128:8
Job 10:3,8 14:15 Philippians 1:6, Isaiah 26:12). A. R. Fausset.
Ver. 2. God that performeth all things for me. Hebrew, that performeth (or
perfecteth, or finisheth, as this word is rendered, Psalms 138:8; i.e., will certainly
perform or finish), for, or towards, or concerning me. He doth not express what he
performeth, or perfecteth, or fulfileth, but leaveth it to be understood, as being easy
to be understood. He performeth or perfecteth, to wit, all that he hath promised;
engages himself to perform what he hath begun to do, or what is yet to be
performed; it being usual in the Hebrew language to understand a verbal noun after
the verb. He implies that God is not like men, who make large promises, but either
through inability, or carelessness, or unfaithfulness, do not perform them, but will
certainly be as good as his word. Matthew Poole, 1624-1679.
Ver. 2. (last clause). The word which we translate performeth comes from a root
that signifies both to perfect and to desist or cease. For when a business is
performed or perfected, the agent then ceases and desists from working: he puts to
the last hand when he finishes the work. To such a happy issue the Lord hath
brought all his doubtful and difficult matters before; and this gives him

encouragement that he will still be gracious, and perfect that which concerneth him
now, as he speaks, Psalms 138:8, "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me."
The Septuagint renders it by ton euergetm sonta me, who profits or benefits me.
And it is a certain truth, that all the results and issues of providence are profitable
and beneficial to the saints. But the supplement in our translation well conveys the
importance of the place; "who performeth all things; and it involves the most strict
and proper notion of providence, which is nothing else but the performance of
God's gracious purposes and promises to his people." And therefore Vatablus and
Muis supply and fill up the room with the conciseness of the original leaves, with
quae promisit: I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth the things
which he hath promised. Payment is the performance of promises. Grace makes the
promise, and providence the payment. Piscator fills it with benignitatem et
misericordiam suam; "unto God that performeth his kindness and mercy." But still
it supposes the mercy performed to be contained in the promise, and much more so
in the providential performance of it to us. John Flavel.
Ver. 2. (last clause). David even then when he fled from Saul in the cave he looks
upon God as having performed all things for him. The word is, he hath perfected all
things; and it is observable that David uses the same expression of praising God
here when he was in the cave, hiding himself to save his life, as he did when he
triumphed over his enemies--Psalms 6:1-10 and Psalms 108:1-13. Jeremiah
Burroughs, 1599-1646.
Ver. 2. (last clause). The Targum curiously paraphrases this clause: "Who ordered
the spider that wrought the web, on my account, at the mouth of the cave; "applying
a later historical fact, which, however, may have had its prototype in David's
history. Andrew A. Bonar, in "Christ and his Church in the Book of Psalms, "1859.
HI TS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Ver. 2. Prayer to the performing God. He performs all his promises, all my
salvation, all my preservation, all needed between here and heaven. Here he reveals
his omnipotence, his grace, his faithfulness, his immutability; and we are bound to
show our faith, patience, joy, and gratitude.
Ver. 2. Strange reasons.
I. The psalmist in the depth of distress, cries to God,
because he is most high in glory. Surely this thought
might well paralyse him with the fear of divine
inaccessibility, but the soul quickened with
suffering, sees through and beyond the metaphor,
rejoices in the truth, "Though the Lord be high, yet
hath he respect unto the lowly."
II. He cries to God for help, because God is
performing all things for him. Why urge him then?
Prayer is the music to which "the mighty man of war"
goes forth to battle. R. A. G.
TRAPP, "Psalms 57:2 I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth [all
things] for me.

Ver. 2. I will cry unto God most high] Who can easily overtop Saul, as high as he is,
and all his complices; against whom I have this comfort, that in the thing wherein
they deal proudly God is above them, Exodus 18:11.
Unto God that performeth all things for me] And in me, Isaiah 26:12; doth not his
work to the halves, but is both author and finisher of my faith, and other affairs,
Hebrews 12:2, Philippians 1:6, Psalms 138:8. Here are the two props of David’s
prayer: First, God’s sufficiency, he is the most high. Secondly, His efficiency, he
perfectly accomplisheth all things for me.
BE SO , "Psalms 57:2. I will cry unto God — For succour and relief; most high —
To whom there is none superior or equal; and unto whom, therefore, I will
continually commend myself; unto God that performeth all things for me —
Hebrew, ‫עלי‬ ‫,גמר‬ gomer gnali, that perfecteth, or finisheth, as this word properly
signifies; that is, will certainly perform or finish, for, or, toward, or, concerning me.
He does not express what God performed or perfected, (the words all things not
being in the Hebrew,) but leaves it to be understood by the reader. He performeth,
or perfecteth, all that he hath promised; he engages himself to finish what he hath
begun, or what is yet to be completed. His words imply, that God is not like men,
who make large promises, but, either through inability, or carelessness, or
unfaithfulness, do not perform them; but that he will certainly be as good as his
word.
WHEDO , "2. Unto God that performeth all things for me—The verb for
“performeth” signifies to bring to an end, as Psalms 7:9; also, to complete; and in
the judicial sense, to bring to a righteous determination. David expresses his
confidence that God will adjudge and bring to a righteous termination all things
concerning him, whether promises to himself or threatenings upon his enemies. See
the same word in Psalms 138:8, and compare, doctrinally, Philippians 1:6
COKE, "Psalms 57:2. Unto God, that performeth all things for me— To the
Divinity that completely covereth me all over: literally, that perfecteth all over, or
around me: "That completely shelters me all around, namely, under his wing:"
Mudge: and compare Psalms 138:8. Dr. Chandler observes, that the word ‫גמר‬
gomeir rendered performeth, signifies to perfect and consummate, or to do every
thing necessary for a person in his particular station and character. Thus in the
Syriac version of the ew Testament the word is used of Christ's being made perfect
by sufferings; Hebrews 12:2 and this rendering well suits the place before us. "It is
God who effectually doth every thing concerning me: that is, which is necessary to
my safety."
EBC, "Hidden in his shelter, the psalmist, in Psalms 57:2 tells himself the grounds
on which he may be sure that his cry to God will not be in vain. His name is "Most
High," and His elevation is the pledge of His irresistible might. He is the "God" (the
Strong) who accomplishes all for the psalmist which he needs, and His past
manifestations in that character make His future interventions certain. Therefore

the singer is sure of what will happen. Two bright angels-Lovingkindness and Troth
or Faithfulness their names-will be despatched from heaven for the rescue of the
man who has trusted. That is certain, because of what God is and has done. It is no
less certain, because of what the psalmist is and has done; for a soul that gazes on
God as its sole Helper, and has pressed, in its feebleness, close beneath these mighty
pinions, cannot but bring down angel helpers, the executants of God’s love.
The confidence expressed in Psalms 57:2 is interrupted by an abrupt glance at the
enemy. "He that would swallow me up blasphemes" is the most probable rendering
of a difficult phrase, the meaning and connection of which are both dubious. If it is
so rendered, the connection is probably that Which we have expressed in the
translation by inserting "For." The wish to destroy the psalmist is itself blasphemy,
or is accompanied with blasphemy; and therefore God will surely send down what
will bring it to nought. The same identification of his own cause with God’s, which
marks many of the psalms ascribed to the persecuted David, underlies this sudden
reference to the enemy, and warrants the conclusion drawn, that help will come.
The Selah at the end of the clause is unusual in the middle of a verse; but it may be
intended to underscore, as it were, the impiety of the enemy, and so corresponds
with the other Selah in Psalms 57:6, which is also in an unusual place, and points
attention to the enemy’s ruin, as this does to his wickedness.
PETT, "Psalms 57:2-3
‘I will cry to God Most High,
To God who performs all things for me.
He will send from heaven, and save me,
When he who would swallow me up reproaches. [Selah
God will send forth his covenant love and his truth.’
He declares that his cry is to God Most High (Elohim Elyon), the God Who is above
all things, and Whom he knows will perform all things that are necessary for him.
He is confident that God will send from heaven and deliver him from the reproaches
of ‘him who would swallow him up’. This last can only be Saul, who began so well,
but failed in the end through disobedience. As we know David was innocent of the
charges of being a traitor that were laid against him. So David’s confidence lies in
the fact of the God Who will send forth His covenant love and truth. He will be
faithful to His promises given in the covenant, revealing His love towards those who
walk in it, and establishing them in truth. Or ‘truth’ may be a description of God’s
own faithfulness. He is true to those who look to Him. Compare Psalms 57:10 where
he again exalts God’s covenant love and truth.
As in Psalms 55 the selah appears in mid theme. It is drawing attention to God’s
intervention on David’s behalf. ote that David expects His help ‘from heaven’, not
from Zion. He is aware that God is over all. He is God Most High.
This is the only use of the title God Most High by David, although he does refer to
Him as YHWH Most High in Psalms 7:17. It is used in a Maschil of Asaph in Psalms
78:56. YHWH Most High is also used by the sons of Korah in Psalms 47:2. When

used it is therefore significant.
3 He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me—[c]
God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.
BAR ES, "He shall send from heaven - That is, from himself; or, he will
interpose to save me. The psalmist does not say “how” he expected this interposition -
whether by an angel, by a miracle, by tempest or storm, but he felt that help was to come
from God alone, and he was sure that it would come.
And save me from the reproach ... - This would be more correctly rendered, “He
shall save me; he shall reproach him that would swallow me up.” So it is rendered in the
margin. On the word rendered “would swallow me up,” see the notes at Psa_56:1. The
idea here is, that God would “rebuke” or “reproach,” to wit, by overthrowing him that
sought to devour or destroy him. God had interposed formerly in his behalf Psa_57:2,
and he felt assured that he would do it again.
Selah - This seems here to be a mere musical pause. It has no connection with the
sense. See the notes at Psa_3:2.
God shall send forth his mercy - In saving me. He will “manifest” his mercy.
And his truth - His fidelity to his promise; his faithfulness to those who put their
trust in him. He will show himself “true” to all the promises which he has made.
Compare Psa_40:11.
CLARKE, "He shall send from heaven, and save me - Were there no human
agents or earthly means that he could employ, he would send his angels from heaven to
rescue me from my enemies. Or, He will give his command from heaven that this may be
done on earth.
Selah - I think this word should be at the end of the verse.
God shall send forth his mercy and his truth - Here mercy and truth are
personified. They are the messengers that God will send from heaven to save me. His
mercy ever inclines him to help and save the distressed. This he has promised to do; and
his truth binds him to fulfll the promises or engagements his mercy has made, both to

saints and sinners.
GILL, "He shall send from heaven, and save me,.... His angel, as the Targum
adds; or his angels, as Kimchi; who are ministering spirits, sent forth by him, to encamp
about his people, and guard them, as they did Jacob when in fear of Esau, Gen_32:1; or
to deliver them out of trouble, as Peter when in prison, Act_12:7; or rather the sense may
be, that David did not expect any help and deliverance in an human way, by means of
men on earth; but he expected it from above, from heaven, from God above, and which
he believed he should have; and he might have a further view to the mission of Christ
from heaven to save him, and all the Lord's people; and which he may mention, both for
his own comfort, and for the strengthening of the faith of others in that important
article;
from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Meaning Saul; see Psa_
56:1. The Targum renders it,
"he hath reproached him that would swallow me up for ever;''
and to the same sense the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Ethiopic, Arabic, and Syriac
versions; disappointed them, and filled them with reproach, shame, and confusion.
Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psa_3:2.
God shall send forth his mercy and his truth; shall manifest and display the glory
of these his perfections, his mercy and grace, his truth and faithfulness, in his
deliverance and salvation; and which are remarkably glorified in salvation by Christ
Jesus; and who himself may be called "his grace and his truth" (n), as the words may be
rendered; he being the Word of his grace, and truth itself, and full of both; and by whom,
when sent forth, grace and truth came, Joh_1:14; it may also intend a constant supply of
grace, whereby God would show forth the truth of his promises to him.
HE RY, " That all his expectation is from God (Psa_57:3): He shall send from
heaven, and save me. Those that make God their only refuge, and fly to him by faith and
prayer, may be sure of salvation, in his way and time. Observe here, (1.) Whence he
expects the salvation - from heaven. Look which way he will, in this earth, refuge fails,
no help appears; but he looks for it from heaven. Those that lift up their hearts to things
above may thence expect all good. (2.) What the salvation is that he expects. He trusts
that God will save him from the reproach of those that would swallow him up, that
aimed to ruin him, and, in the mean time, did all they could to vex him. Some read it, He
shall send from heaven and save me, for he has put to shame him that would swallow
me up; he has disappointed their designs against me hitherto, and therefore he will
perfect my deliverance. (3.) What he will ascribe his salvation to: God shall send forth
his mercy and truth. God is good in himself and faithful to every word that he has
spoken, and so he makes it appear when he works deliverance for his people. We need
no more to make us happy than to have the benefit of the mercy and truth of God, Psa_
25:10.

JAMISO , "from ... swallow me up — that pants in rage after me (Psa_56:2).
mercy and ... truth — (Psa_25:10; Psa_36:5), as messengers (Psa_43:3) sent to
deliver him.
CALVI , "3He shall send from heaven, and save me. David, as I have repeatedly
had occasion to observe, interlaces his prayers with holy meditations for the comfort
of his own soul, in which he contemplates his hopes as already realised in the event.
In the words before us, he glories in the divine help with as much assurance as if he
had already seen the hand of God interposed in his behalf. When it is said, he shall
send from heaven, some consider the expression as elliptical, meaning that he would
send his angels; but it seems rather to be an indefinite form of speech, signifying
that the deliverance which David expected was one not of a common, but a signal
and miraculous description. The expression denotes the greatness of the
interposition which he looked for, and heaven is opposed to earthly or natural
means of deliverance. What follows admits of being rendered in two different ways.
We may supply the Hebrew preposition ‫,מ‬ mem, and read, He shall save me from
the reproach; or it might be better to understand the words appositively, He shall
save me, to the reproach of him who swallows me up. (340) The latter expression
might be rendered, from him who waits for me. His enemies gaped upon him in
their eagerness to accomplish his destruction, and insidiously watched their
opportunity; but God would deliver him, to their disgrace. He is said to strike his
enemies with shame and reproach, when he disappoints their expectations. The
deliverance which David anticipated was signal and miraculous; and he adds, that
he looked for it entirely from the mercy and truth of God, which he represents here
as the hands, so to speak, by which his assistance is extended to his people.
SPURGEO , "Ver. 3. He shall send from heaven. If there be no fit instruments on
earth, heaven shall yield up its legions of angels for the succour of the saints. We
may in times of great straits expect mercies of a remarkable kind; like the Israelites
in the wilderness, we shall have our bread hot from heaven, new every morning;
and for the overthrow of our enemies God shall open his celestial batteries, and put
them to utter confusion. Wherever the battle is more fierce than ordinary, there
shall come succours from headquarters, for the Commander in chief sees all.
And save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. He will be in
time, not only to rescue his servants from being swallowed up, but even from being
reproached. ot only shall they escape the flames, but not even the smell of fire shall
pass upon them. O dog of hell, I am not only delivered from thy bite, but even from
thy bark. Our foes shall not have the power to sneer at us, their cruel jests and
taunting gibes shall be ended by the message from heaven, which shall for ever save
us.
Selah. Such mercy may well make us pause to meditate and give thanks. Rest,
singer, for God has given thee rest!
God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. He asked for mercy, and truth came

with it. Thus evermore doth God give us more than we ask or think. His attributes,
like angels on the wing, are ever ready to come to the rescue of his chosen.
Ver. 3. Him that would swallow me up. If I were to take you to my house, and say
that I had an exquisite fat man, and wished you to join me in eating him, your
indignation could be restrained by nothing. You would pronounce me to be crazy.
There is not in ew York a man so mean that he would not put down a man who
should propose to have a banquet off from a fellow man, cutting steaks out of him,
and eating them. And that is nothing but feasting on the human body, while they
will all sit down, and take a man's soul, and look for the tender loins, and invite
their neighbours in to partake of the little titbits. They will take a man's honour and
name, and broil them over the coals of their indignation, and fill the whole room
with the aroma thereof, and give their neighbour a piece, and watch him, and wink
as he tastes it. You all eat men up... You eat the souls, the finest elements of men.
You are more than glad if you can whisper a word that is derogatory to a
neighbour, or his wife, or his daughter... The morsel is too exquisite to be lost. Here
is the soul of a person, here is a person's hope for this world and the world to come,
and you have it on your fork, and you cannot refrain from tasting it, and give it to
some one else to taste. You are cannibals, eating men's honour and name and
rejoicing in it--and that, too, when you do not always know that the things charged
against them are true; when in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred the probabilities
are that they are not true. Henry Ward Beecher, 1870.
Ver. 3. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth, viz., to save me. That is to say,
God, to manifest his mercy, and vindicate the truth of his promises, will save me.
The reader will observe, that mercy and truth are here poetically represented as
ministers of God, standing in his presence, ready to execute his pleasure, and
employed by him in the salvation of his people. Samuel Chandler.
Ver. 3. His mercy and his truth. He need not send down angels, he need send but
mercy and truth down, which elsewhere it is said he prepares in the heavens. Psalms
61:7. He prepares commissions for them, and sends them down with them for
execution. Thomas Goodwin.
TRAPP, "Psalms 57:3 He shall send from heaven, and save me [from] the reproach
of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his
truth.

Ver. 3. He shall send from heaven and save me] Rather than fail, I shall have an
angel to rescue me; for although the Lord usually worketh by means, yet he can
work by miracles, and will do it if there be a just occasion; howsoever, his mercy
and his truth he will be sure to send, and that is enough, He will be seen in the
mount, he will repent for his servants when he seeth their power is gone,
Deuteronomy 32:36, when there is dignus vindice nodus, an extremity fit for Divine
power to interpose.
BE SO , "Psalms 57:3. He shall send from heaven — Either his angels, as Daniel
3:28, or his power and help in some less extraordinary way. As if he had said, There
are greater armies in heaven than those that here surround me; and rather than I
should perish, he will send them for my deliverance; and save me from the reproach
of him, &c. — From that shameful destruction which Saul designs to bring upon
me. The Hebrew, however, ‫חר‬ Š ‫,שׁאפי‬ cheereeph shoapi, may be properly rendered,
as in the margin, he reproacheth, or hath reproached, that is, he will certainly put to
shame, or reproach him that would swallow me up, by disappointing his
expectation, and delivering me from his rage. God shall send forth his mercy and
truth — Shall discover them by their proper fruits, namely, by affording his
gracious help in pursuance of his promises. “The reader will observe, that mercy
and truth are here poetically represented as ministers of God, standing in his
presence, ready to execute his pleasure, and employed by him in the salvation of his
people.” — Dodd.
WHEDO , "3. He shall send from heaven—David steadfastly refused to take
vengeance into his own hands against Saul and his evil counsellors, but left the
questions of his vindication and of his promised accession to the throne wholly with
God.
The reproach—The slander of his enemies was the keenest edge of his sufferings.
Swallow me up—See on Psalms 56:1-2.
Mercy and… truth—See on Psalms 25:10, and compare “light and truth,” Psalms
43:3-4. David asked and desired no mercy which was against truth; but in the
triumph of these lay all his hope.
COKE, "Psalms 57:3. He shall send from heaven, and save me, &c.— He will send
from heaven, and save me: He defieth him who cometh upon me with open mouth:
God shall send forth his favour and truth: though I lie with my soul among lions:
Psalms 57:4. The sons of men are all on fire: their teeth spears, &c. Mudge. Others
read, He hath put to shame him who would swallow me up, &c. Psalms 57:4. My
soul, I lie among lions: the sons of men are set on fire, their teeth are spears, &c.
compare Psalms 59:7. The reader will observe, that mercy and truth are here
poetically represented as ministers of God; standing in his presence, ready to
execute his pleasure, and employed by him in the salvation of his people.

4 I am in the midst of lions;
I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.
BAR ES, "My soul is among lions - That is, among people who resemble lions;
men, fierce, savage, ferocious.
And I lie even among them that are set on fire - We have a term of similar
import in common use now, when we say that one is “inflamed” with passion, referring
to one who is infuriated and enraged. So we speak of “burning” with rage or wrath - an
expression derived, perhaps, from the inflamed “appearance” of a man in anger. The
idea here is not that he “would” lie down calmly among those persons, as Prof. Alexander
suggests, but that he actually “did” thus lie down. When he laid himself down at night,
when he sought repose in sleep, he was surrounded by such persons, and seemed to be
sleeping in the midst of them.
Even the sons of men - Yet they are not wild beasts, but “men” who seem to have
the ferocious nature of wild beasts. The phrase, “sons of men,” is often used to denote
men themselves.
Whose teeth are spears and arrows - Spears and arrows in their hands are what
the teeth of wild beasts are.
And their tongue a sharp sword - The mention of the tongue here has reference,
probably, to the abuse and slander to which he was exposed, and which was like a sharp
sword that pierced even to the seat of life. See the notes at Psa_55:21.
CLARKE, "My soul is among lions - ‫לבאם‬ ‫בתוך‬ bethoch lebaim. I agree with Dr.
Kennicott that this should be translated, “My soul dwells in parched places,” from ‫לאב‬
laab, he thirsted. And thus the Chaldee seems to have understood the place, though it be
not explicit.
I lie even among them that are set on fire - I seem to be among coals. It is no
ordinary rage and malice by which I am pursued: each of my enemies seems determined

to have my life.
GILL, "My soul is among lions,.... Not literally understood; though such there might
be in the wildernesses where he sometimes was; but figuratively, men comparable to
lions, for their stoutness, courage, strength, fierceness, and cruelty; meaning not his own
men, as some think, who were fierce, and of keen resentment against Saul, and would
fain have killed him when he was in the cave, had they not been restrained by David,
1Sa_24:4; but Saul, and those with him, who were three thousand chosen men, stout,
courageous, fierce, and furious. It is usual in scripture to describe powerful princes, and
especially persecuting ones, by the name of lions, Pro_28:15. Achilles, in Homer (o), is
compared to a lion for his cruelty. The soul of Christ was among such, when he was
apprehended by the band of men that came with Judas to take him; when he was in the
high priest's hall buffeted and spit upon; and when he was in the common hall of Pilate,
surrounded by the Roman soldiers; and when he was encircled on the cross with the
crowd of the common people, priests and elders, Mat_26:55; and so the souls of his
people are often among lions, persecuting men, and Satan and his principalities, who is
compared to a roaring lion, 1Pe_5:8; and among whom they are as wonderfully
preserved as Daniel in the lion's den;
and I lie even among them that are set on fire; of hell, as the tongue is said to be
in Jam_3:6; by the devil, who stirred up Saul against David, filled him with wrath and
fury, so that he breathed out nothing but flaming vengeance, threatening and slaughter,
against him; and by wicked men his courtiers, who kindled and stirred up the fire of
contention between them; among these incendiaries, as Junius renders the word (p),
David was, who inflamed the mind of Saul against him, which he suggests in 1Sa_24:10;
even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows; whose words,
formed by means of their teeth, were very devouring ones, Psa_52:4; were very piercing
and wounding; calumnies, detractions, and backbitings, speaking against him when
absent and at a distance, may be meant; see Pro_30:14;
and their tongue a sharp sword; See Gill on Psa_52:2; and there was a sort of
swords called "lingulae", because in the shape of a tongue (q).
HE RY, ". He represents the power and malice of his enemies (Psa_57:4): My soul is
among lions. So fierce and furious was Saul, and those about him, against David, that he
might have been as safe in a den of lions as among such men, who were continually
roaring against him and ready to make a prey of him. They are set on fire, and breathe
nothing but flame; they set on fire the course of nature, inflaming one another against
David, and they were themselves set on fire of hell, Jam_3:6. They were sons of men,
from whom one might have expected something of the reason and compassion of a man;
but they were beasts of prey in the shape of men; their teeth, which they gnashed upon
him, and with which they hoped to tear him to pieces and to eat him up, were spears
and arrows fitted for mischiefs and murders; and their tongue, with which they cursed
him and wounded his reputation, was as a sharp sword to cut and kill; see Psa_42:10. A
spiteful tongue is a dangerous weapon, wherewith Satan's instruments fight against
God's people. He describes their malicious projects against him (Psa_57:6) and shows

the issue of them: “They have prepared a net for my steps, in which to take me, that I
might not again escape out of their hands; they have digged a pit before me, that I
might, ere I was aware, run headlong into it.” See the policies of the church's enemies;
see the pains they take to do mischief. But let us see what comes of it. 1. It is indeed some
disturbance to David: My soul is bowed down. It made him droop, and hang the head, to
think that there should be those that bore him so much ill-will. But, 2. It was destruction
to themselves; they dug a pit for David, into the midst whereof they have fallen. The
mischief they designed against David returned upon themselves, and they were
embarrassed in their counsels; then when Saul was pursuing David the Philistines were
invading him; nay, in the cave, when Saul thought David should fall into his hands, he
fell into the hands of David, and lay at his mercy.
JAMISO , "
The mingled figures of wild beasts (Psa_10:9; Psa_17:12) and weapons of war (Psa_
11:2) heighten the picture of danger.
whose ... tongue — or slanders.
CALVI , "4.My soul is among lions. He again insists upon the cruelty of his
enemies as a plea to prevail with God for his speedier interposition. He compares
them to lions, speaks of them as inflamed with fury or implacable hatred, and likens
their teeth to spears and arrows. In what he says of their tongue, he alludes to the
virulent calumnies which are vended by the wicked, and which inflict a deeper
wound than any sword upon the innocent party who suffers from them. David, as is
well known, encountered no heavier trial than the false and calumnious charges
which were levelled against him by his enemies. When we hear of the cruel
persecution of different kinds which this saint was called upon to endure, we should
account it no hardship to be involved in the same conflict, but be satisfied so long as
we may bring our complaints to the Lord, who can bridle the false tongue, and put
an arrest upon the hand of violence.
SPURGEO , "Ver. 4. My soul is among lions. He was a very Daniel. Howled at,
hunted, wounded, but not slain. His place was in itself one of extreme peril, and yet
faith made him feel himself secure, so that he could lie down. The cave may have
reminded him of a lion's den, and Saul and his band shouting and yelling in their
disappointment at missing him, were the lions; yet beneath the divine shelter he
finds himself safe.
And I lie even among them that are set on fire. Perhaps Saul and his band kindled a
fire in the cavern while they halted in it, and David was thus reminded of the fiercer
fire of their hate which burned within their hearts. Like the bush in Horeb, the
believer is often in the midst of flames, but never consumed. It is a mighty triumph
of faith when we can lie down even among firebrands and find rest, because God is
our defence.
Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp
sword. Malicious men carry a whole armoury in their mouths; they have not
harmless mouths, whose teeth grind their own food as in a mill, but their jaws are as

Psalm 57 commentary

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