Psalms 57:1

Be merciful unto me, O God,.... Or "be gracious to me" (k); which words are repeated by him.

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.

Psalms 57 Al-taschith signifies destroy not; which some think to be a preface containing the sum of the Psalm, and reminding David of his great distress, in which he then was; which obliged him to make fervent prayers to God that he would not destroy him, nor give him up into the hands of his enemies, who always designed and desired to destroy him, and now seemed to have a fair opportunity to do it. The cave; either, 1. That of Adullam, ; or, 2. That of En-gedi, . The psalmist in prayer fleeth to God for protection and favour in his dangerous condition, ; describeth the wicked projects of his enemies, , and encourageth himself from God’ s mercy to praise him, . Be merciful unto me: the repetition implies both the greatness of his danger, and the fervency of his spirit in this request, and withal that his whole trust and hope was in God’ s mercy. In the shadow of thy wings, i.e. of thy protection; to which alone I trust, and not to the shadow of this dark cave, in which I now hide myself. These calamities; or, the time of these calamities, which I know will shortly have an end.

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; μηδιαφθειρης (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. Now 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. Nubecula 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.

(1) Trusteth.—Better, has taken refuge. The future of the same verb occurs in the next clause. Shadow of thy wings.—See Note, Psalms 17:8. Until these calamities.—Danger of destruction gives the feeling of the Hebrew better than “camities.”

PSALM LVII David cries to God for mercy, with the strongest confidence of being heard, 1-3; he describes his enemies as lions, 4; thanks God for his deliverance, 5; and purposes to publish the praises of the Lord among his people, 6-11. NOTES ON PSALM LVII The title is, To the chief Musician, Al-taschith, (destroy not,) a golden Psalm of David, (or one to be engraven,) where he fed from Saul in the cave. It is very likely that this Psalm was made to commemorate his escape from Saul in the cave of En-gedi, where Saul had entered without knowing that David was there, and David cut off the skirt of his garment. And it is not improbable that, when he found that Saul was providentially delivered into his hand, he might have formed the hasty resolution to take away his life, as his companions counselled him to do; and in that moment the Divine monition came, אל תשצת al tascheth! Destroy not! lift not up thy hand against the Lord's anointed! Instead, therefore, of taking away his life, he contented himself with taking away his skirt, to show him that he had been in his power. When, afterwards, he composed the Psalm, he gave it for title the words which he received as a Divine warning. See the history 1 Samuel 24:1-22. See also my note upon the fourth verse of that chapter. 1 Samuel 24:4. Verse 1. 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 enemy disappears. In a storm, or tempest of rain, the mother covers them with her wings to afford them shelter and defence. This the psalmist has particularly in view, as the following words show: "Until these calamities be overpast."

1–5. Beset by fierce and cruel enemies, the Psalmist throws himself upon God’s protection, with the confident assurance of speedy help.

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 Psalms 56:1.

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.