Psalm 56

Psalm 56 belongs to Book Two of the Psalms (Psalms 42–72). It is the first in a group of psalms (Psalms 56–60) whose superscriptions bear the term Michtam. The preceding psalm, Psalm 55, is the lament of someone betrayed by a close friend, and Psalm 56 continues with the plea of someone pursued by enemies.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 The psalmist complains that men would swallow him up all day long and proudly fight against him, and he asks for God's mercy.
• Verses 3–4 He declares that in the day he is afraid he will trust in the Lord. The first refrain appears: "I will not fear what flesh can do unto me."
• Verses 5–7 His enemies wrest his words, gather together, hide themselves, and mark his steps. The psalmist asks God in His anger to cast down the peoples.
• Verses 8–9 Because the Lord has counted his wanderings, the psalmist asks Him to put his tears into His bottle. He is confident that his enemies will turn back on the day he cries out.
• Verses 10–11 The refrain recurs: trusting in God and in the LORD, he will praise His word.
• Verses 12–13 The psalmist resolves to offer thanksgiving as he has vowed, because the Lord has delivered his soul from death so that he may walk in the light of the living.

Key Verses

• Psalm 56:3 "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." This verse lies at the heart of the psalm, for it does not deny fear but confesses trust in the very midst of it.
• Psalm 56:8 "Put thou my tears into thy bottle." This verse is widely known for its image of God remembering even the tears of those who suffer.
• Psalm 56:11 "I will not be afraid what man can do unto me." Together with verse 4, this refrain binds the whole psalm together.

People and Places

• David: Named in the superscription as the author of the psalm and the figure in its historical setting.
• Gath: One of the five cities of the Philistines. The superscription states that the psalm comes from the time when the Philistines seized David there.

Points for Reflection

• The setting named in the superscription is connected with the episode in 1 Samuel 21, in which David fled from Saul to Achish, king of Gath, and feigned madness. Psalm 34 is another psalm associated with the same event. Scholars differ, however, on whether the superscription originally belonged to the psalm. Korean Bibles such as the Korean Revised Version do not number the superscription as a verse, so the psalm has thirteen verses.
• The phrase Jonath-elem-rechokim in the superscription is thought to be the name of a tune. It is sometimes rendered "the silent dove of far-off places" or something similar, but its meaning is uncertain.
• Some interpreters see a wordplay in verse 8, since the Hebrew words for "wanderings" and "bottle" (a skin flask) sound alike. An ancient custom of collecting tears in a bottle is also sometimes cited, though the text itself does not mention such a custom.
• Verse 13 closely resembles the wording of Psalm 116:8–9. The confession in verse 11 echoes Psalm 118:6, and in the New Testament Hebrews 13:5–6 quotes Psalm 118:6 to express the same trust.

In the Korean Church

Verses 3 and 8 are frequently cited in sermons and prayers that comfort believers amid suffering and fear, and they are also widely used as memory verses.