Psalm 59 is the 59th 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 ...

: "Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me". In the slightly different numbering system of 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 ...

version of the Bible and the 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 ...

, this psalm is Psalm 56. In Latin, it is known as "Eripe me de inimicis meis Deu". It is described as "a prayer composed when

Saul Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered t ...

sent messengers to wait at the house in order to kill him", and commentator Cyril Rodd describes it as a "vigorous plea for the destruction of the psalmist's enemies".Rodd, C. S., ‘18. Psalms’ in Barton, J. & Muddiman, J. (2001)
The Oxford Bible Commentary
pp. 383–4. 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 ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music.

Text

Hebrew Bible version

The following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 59:

King James Version

# Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me. # Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men. # For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD. # They run and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me, and behold. # Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah. # They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city. # Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear? # But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision. # Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence. # The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies. # Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield. # For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak. # Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah. # And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city. # Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied. # But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble. # Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.

Heading

:''To the Chief Musician. Set to "Do Not Destroy". A Michtam of

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 ...

when

sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him.'' This text, connected with an incident recorded in , may be an editorial addition. "Do Not Destroy", or Altaschith, may refer to an ancient song whose tune was to be used in singing the psalms.

Uses

Judaism

Psalm 59 is one of the ten Psalms of the Tikkun HaKlali of Rebbe

Nachman of Breslov Nachman of Breslov ( he, רַבִּי נַחְמָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב ''Rabbī'' ''Naḥmān mīBreslev''), also known as Reb Nachman of Bratslav, Reb Nachman Breslover ( yi, רבי נחמן ברעסלאווער ''Rebe Nakhmen Breslover'' ...

. Verse 18 (verse 17 in English translations) is found in the repetition of the Amidah during Rosh Hashanah.

Book of Common Prayer

In the

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 11th day of the month.Church of England
Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter
as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, pp. 196ff.

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 59 in a metred version in German, "Hilf, Herre Gott, errette mich", SWV 156, 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.

References

External links

* * * in Hebrew and English - Mechon-mamre * Text of Psalm 59 according to th
1928 Psalter

For the director. Do not destroy. A miktam of David, when Saul sent people to watch his house and kill him. / Rescue me from my enemies, my God
text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

introduction and text, biblestudytools.com
Psalm 59 – Praise to My High Tower Against Assassins
enduringword.com
Psalm 59 Refrain: You, O God, are my strong tower.

Psalm 59
at biblegateway.com
Hymns for Psalm 59
hymnary.org {{Psalms 059 Works attributed to David