Psalm 54
לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ בִּנְגִינֹ֗ת מַשְׂכִּ֥יל לְדָוִֽד בְּב֣וֹא הַ֭זִּיפִים וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ לְשָׁא֑וּל הֲלֹ֥א דָ֝וִ֗ד מִסְתַּתֵּ֥ר עִמָּֽנוּ
BSB
Save Me by Your Name
(1 Samuel 23:7–29)
For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. When the Ziphites went to Saul and said, “Is David not hiding among us?”
1Save me, O God, by Your name,
and vindicate me by Your might!
2Hear my prayer, O God;
listen to the words of my mouth.
3For strangers rise up against me,
and ruthless men seek my life—
men with no regard for God.
Selah
4Surely God is my helper;
the Lord is the sustainer of my soul.
5He will reward my enemies with evil.
In Your faithfulness, destroy them.
6Freely I will sacrifice to You;
I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good.
7For He has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eyes have stared down my foes.
Introduction
Psalms 54
The key of this psalm hangs at the door, for the title tells us upon what occasion it was penned - when the inhabitants of Ziph, men of Judah (types of Judas the traitor), betrayed David to Saul, by informing him where he was and putting him in a way how to seize him. This they did twice (Sa1 23:19; Sa1 26:1), and it is upon record to their everlasting infamy. The psalm is sweet; the former part of it, perhaps, was meditated when he was in his distress and put into writing when the danger was over, with the addition of the last two verses, which express his thankfulness for the deliverance, which yet might be written in faith, even when he was in the midst of his fright. Here, I. He complains to God of the malice of his enemies, and prays for help against them (Psa 54:1-3). II. He comforts himself with an assurance of the divine favour and protection, and that, in due time, his enemies should be confounded and be delivered (Psa 54:4-7). What time we are in distress we may comfortable sing this psalm.
To the chief musician on Neginoth, Maschil. A psalm of David, when the Ziphim came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us?
Cross-references: 1Sam 23:19 · 1Sam 26:1 · Ps 54:1 · Ps 54:4