Psalm 54 is the 54th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...

: "Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond ...

and Latin

Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...

translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 53. In Latin, it is known as "Deus in nomine tuo salvum me fac", Attributed to

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, it was written for one who finds oneself betrayed by a friend. The psalm forms a regular part of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...

and

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

liturgies.

Text

Hebrew Bible version

Following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 54:

King James Version

The following is the full English text of the Psalm from the King James Bible. :(To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David, :when the Ziphims came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us?) # Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength. # Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. # For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. Selah. # Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul. # He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth. # I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good. # For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies.

Verse numbering

Verses 1 and 2 in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' KJV The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by sponsorship of K ...

) Verses 1–7 in English versions correspond to verses 3–9 in the Hebrew text.Keil, Carl Friedrich; Delitzsch, Franz. (1857-1878)
Commentary on the Old Testament: Psalm 54
accessed 24 November 2021 The Ziphims lived in the wilderness of Ziph, a district to the south-east of

Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after Eas ...

in the Judean mountains. Kirkpatrick, A. (1906)
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
on Psalm 54, accessed 3 November 2020

Commentary

The historical setting of this short Psalm is given in its title, almost a direct quotation from (a similar style of historical setting as with Psalm 52). It is considered one of the psalms containing prayers against false accusations, linked with an ordeal, the taking of an oath, or an appeal to the 'higher court', as indicated in the following points: * The phrase 'vindicate me' (verse 1) * A royal perspective of opponents as 'strangers' (verse 3; the

New Revised Standard Version The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1989 by the National Council of Churches.Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

's ''

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

'', this psalm is appointed to be read on the evening of the tenth day of the month. The Psalm is a Proper Psalm for Good Friday.

Uses

Musical settings

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as one of the most important composers of the 17th century. He ...

set Psalm 54 in a metred version in German, "Hilf mir, Gott, durch den Namen dein", SWV 151, as part of the ''

Becker Psalter The ''Becker Psalter'' is a German metrical psalter authored by the Leipzig theologian Cornelius Becker and first published by Jakob Apel in Leipzig in 1602 under the title ''Der Psalter Davids Gesangweis''. Several composers set the psalms cont ...

'', first published in 1628.

Alan Hovhaness Alan Hovhaness (; March 8, 1911 – June 21, 2000) was an American- Armenian composer. He was one of the most prolific 20th-century composers, with his official catalog comprising 67 numbered symphonies (surviving manuscripts indicate over 70) a ...

set text from this Psalm and from Psalms 55 and 56 in his choral work ''Make a Joyful Noise''.

References

External links

* * * Text of Psalm 54 according to th
1928 Psalter

text in Hebrew and English, mechon-mamre.org
For the leader. On stringed instruments. A maskil of David, 2when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “David is hiding among us.” Oh God, by your name save me.
text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

introduction and text, biblestudytools.com
Psalm 54 – Help When Abandoned and Betrayed
enduringword.com
Psalm 54 / Refrain: Behold, God is my helper.

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

Psalm 54
at biblegateway.com
Hymns for Psalm 54
hymnary.org {{Psalms 054 Works attributed to David