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Psalm 59

Biblical psalm

Summary

Biblical psalm

Field	Value
name	Psalm 59
subtitle	"Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God"
image	Inschrift Brückentor Hochosterwitz.jpg
image_upright	1.2
caption	Inscription of a line from the psalm at a bridge in Hochosterwitz
other_name
language	Hebrew (original)

Psalm 59 is the 59th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in the English King James Version: "Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me". In the slightly different numbering system of the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible and the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 58. In Latin, it is known as "Eripe me de inimicis meis Deu". It is described as "a prayer composed when Saul 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".

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music.

Uses

Judaism

Psalm 59 is one of the ten Psalms of the Tikkun HaKlali of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov.

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's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is scheduled to be read on the evening of the 11th day of the month.

Musical settings

Heinrich Schütz set Psalm 59 in a metred version in German, "Hilf, Herre Gott, errette mich", SWV 156, as part of the Becker Psalter, first published in 1628.

Text

The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the Koine Greek text in the Septuagint and the English translation from the King James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text come from different textual traditions.A 1917 translation directly from Hebrew to English by the Jewish Publication Society can be found here or here, and an 1844 translation directly from the Septuagint by L. C. L. Brenton can be found here. Both translations are in the public domain. In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 58.

#	English	Greek
	(To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.)	Εἰς τὸ τέλος· μὴ διαφθείρῃς· τῷ Δαυΐδ εἰς στηλογραφίαν, ὁπότε ἀπέστειλε Σαοὺλ καὶ ἐφύλαξε τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ τοῦ θανατῶσαι αὐτόν. -
1	Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.	ΕΞΕΛΟΥ με ἐκ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου, ὁ Θεός, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐπανισταμένων ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ λύτρωσαί με·
2	Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.	ῥῦσαί με ἐκ τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν καὶ ἐξ ἀνδρῶν αἱμάτων σῶσόν με.
3	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.	ὅτι ἰδοὺ ἐθήρευσαν τὴν ψυχήν μου, ἐπέθεντο ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ κραταιοί. οὔτε ἡ ἀνομία μου οὔτε ἡ ἁμαρτία μου, Κύριε·
4	They run and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me, and behold.	ἄνευ ἀνομίας ἔδραμον καὶ κατεύθυνα· ἐξεγέρθητι εἰς συνάντησίν μου καὶ ἴδε.
5	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.	καὶ σύ, Κύριε, ὁ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων, ὁ Θεὸς τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ, πρόσχες τοῦ ἐπισκέψασθαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, μὴ οἰκτειρήσῃς πάντας τοὺς ἐργαζομένους τὴν ἀνομίαν. (διάψαλμα).
6	They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.	ἐπιστρέψουσιν εἰς ἑσπέραν καὶ λιμώξουσιν ὡς κύων καὶ κυκλώσουσι πόλιν.
7	Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear?	ἰδοὺ ἀποφθέγξονται ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν, καὶ ρομφαία ἐν τοῖς χείλεσιν αὐτῶν, ὅτι τίς ἤκουσε;
8	But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.	καὶ σύ, Κύριε, ἐκγελάσῃ αὐτούς, ἐξουδενώσεις πάντα τὰ ἔθνη.
9	Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.	τὸ κράτος μου, πρὸς σὲ φυλάξω, ὅτι σύ, ὁ Θεός, ἀντιλήπτωρ μου εἶ.
10	The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.	ὁ Θεός μου, τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ προφθάσει με· ὁ Θεός μου δείξει μοι ἐν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς μου.
11	Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield.	μὴ ἀποκτείνῃς αὐτούς, μήποτε ἐπιλάθωνται τοῦ νόμου σου· διασκόρπισον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου καὶ κατάγαγε αὐτούς, ὁ ὑπερασπιστής μου, Κύριε.
12	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.	ἁμαρτία στόματος αὐτῶν, λόγος χειλέων αὐτῶν, καὶ συλληφθήτωσαν ἐν τῇ ὑπερηφανίᾳ αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐξ ἀρᾶς καὶ ψεύδους διαγγελήσονται ἐν συντελείᾳ,
13	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.	ἐν ὀργῇ συντελείας, καὶ οὐ μὴ ὑπάρξουσι· καὶ γνώσονται, ὅτι Θεὸς δεσπόζει τοῦ ᾿Ιακὼβ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς. (διάψαλμα).
14	And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.	ἐπιστρέψουσιν εἰς ἑσπέραν, καὶ λιμώξουσιν ὡς κύων καὶ κυκλώσουσι πόλιν.
15	Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied.	αὐτοὶ διασκορπισθήσονται τοῦ φαγεῖν· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ χορτασθῶσι, καὶ γογγύσουσιν.
16	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.	ἐγὼ δὲ ᾄσομαι τῇ δυνάμει σου καὶ ἀγαλλιάσομαι τὸ πρωΐ τὸ ἔλεός σου, ὅτι ἐγενήθης ἀντιλήπτωρ μου καὶ καταφυγή μου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θλίψεώς μου.
17	Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.	βοηθός μου εἶ, σοὶ ψαλῶ, ὅτι σύ, ὁ Θεός, ἀντιλήπτωρ μου εἶ, ὁ Θεός μου, τὸ ἔλεός μου.

Notes

References

[http://medievalist.net/psalmstxt/ps58.htm Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 58 (59)] {{webarchive. link. (7 May 2017 medievalist.net)
"Comparison of Enumeration of the Psalms in the Book of Divine Worship and in the Vulgate".
Greenbaum, Rabbi Avraham. (2007). "The Ten Psalms: English Translation". Azamra.
Rodd, C. S., ‘18. Psalms’ in Barton, J. & Muddiman, J. (2001), [https://b-ok.org/dl/946961/8f5f43 The Oxford Bible Commentary] {{Webarchive. link. (2017-11-22 , pp. 383–4.)
Weintraub, Rabbi Simkha Y.. (2018). "Psalms as the Ultimate Self-Help Tool". My Jewish Learning.
The Complete Artscroll Machzor for Rosh Hashanah, p. 345.
Church of England, [https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/The%20Book%20of%20Common%20Prayer%201662.pdf Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter] as printed by [[John Baskerville]] in 1762, pp. 196ff.
"Psalms – Chapter 59". Mechon Mamre.
"Psalms 59 - JPS 1917". [[Sefaria.
"Psalm 58 - Septuagint and Brenton's Septuagint Translation". Ellopos.
Dunn, James D. G.. (19 November 2003). "Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible". Wm. B. Eerdmans Publ..

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