Psalm 56
Biblical psalm
title: "Psalm 56" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["psalms"] description: "Biblical psalm" topic_path: "general/psalms" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalm_56" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Biblical psalm ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox musical composition"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Psalm 56 |
| subtitle | "Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up" |
| image | File:Salmo56.jpg |
| image_upright | 1.2 |
| caption | Psalm 56 in a Portuguese Bible |
| other_name | |
| language | Hebrew (original) |
| :: |
| name = Psalm 56 | subtitle = "Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up" | type = | image = File:Salmo56.jpg | alt = | image_upright = 1.2 | caption = Psalm 56 in a Portuguese Bible | other_name = | related = | text = | language = Hebrew (original) | published = Psalm 56 is the 56th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up". In the slightly different numbering system of the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible and the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 55. In Latin, it is known as "Miserere mei Deus quoniam conculcavit me homo". The psalm is the first of a series of five psalms in this part of the book which are referred to as Miktams. It is attributed to King David and may be considered representative of him or anyone else hiding from an enemy.
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music.
Commentary
The historical setting of this Psalm, as given in its title, is David's flight to Gath, which is recorded in . It is a prayer for help against enemies, ascribed to royal rites, as indicated by the interpretation of the 'peoples' in verse 7 as foreign enemies, the references to national war in verses 1–2, 9, as well as the vows and thank-offerings (verse 12) which are particularly suitable for a king, and the references to 'death' and the 'light of life' (verse 13) are also linked to royal imagery.
Book of Common Prayer
In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the 11th day of the month.
Musical settings
Heinrich Schütz wrote a setting of a paraphrase of Psalm 40 in German, "Herr Gott, erzeig mir Hülf und Gnad", SWV 153, for the Becker Psalter, published first in 1628. Mendelssohn used a verse in German for the text of the third movement from his Lobgesang. Alan Hovhaness set text from this Psalm, as well as Psalms 54 and 55, in his 1966 work Make a Joyful Noise.
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 55. ::data[format=table]
| # | Hebrew | English | Greek |
|---|---|---|---|
| (To the chief Musician upon Jonathelemrechokim, Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath.) | Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων μεμακρυμμένου· τῷ Δαυΐδ εἰς στηλογραφίαν, ὁπότε ἐκράτησαν αὐτὸν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι ἐν Γέθ. - | ||
| 1 | Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. | ΕΛΕΗΣΟΝ με, ὁ Θεός, ὅτι κατεπάτησέ με ἄνθρωπος, ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν πολεμῶν ἔθλιψέ με. | |
| 2 | Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High. | κατεπάτησάν με οἱ ἐχθροί μου ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ὅτι πολλοὶ οἱ πολεμοῦντες με ἀπὸ ὕψους. | |
| 3 | What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. | ἡμέρας οὐ φοβηθήσομαι, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐλπιῶ ἐπὶ σέ. | |
| 4 | In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. | ἐν τῷ Θεῷ ἐπαινέσω τοὺς λόγους μου, ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ ἤλπισα, οὐ φοβηθήσομαι τί ποιήσει μοι σάρξ. | |
| 5 | Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. | ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν τοὺς λόγους μου ἐβδελύσσοντο, κατ᾿ ἐμοῦ πάντες οἱ διαλογισμοὶ αὐτῶν εἰς κακόν. | |
| 6 | They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul. | παροικήσουσι καὶ κατακρύψουσιν· αὐτοὶ τὴν πτέρναν μου φυλάξουσι, καθάπερ ὑπέμειναν τῇ ψυχῇ μου. | |
| 7 | Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God. | ὑπὲρ τοῦ μηθενὸς σώσεις αὐτούς, ἐν ὀργῇ λαοὺς κατάξεις. ὁ Θεός, | |
| 8 | Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? | τὴν ζωήν μου ἐξήγγειλά σοι, ἔθου τὰ δάκρυά μου ἐνώπιόν σου ὡς καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐπαγγελίᾳ σου. | |
| 9 | When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me. | ἐπιστρέψουσιν οἱ ἐχθροί μου εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, ἐν ᾗ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπικαλέσωμαί σε· ἰδοὺ ἔγνων ὅτι Θεός μου εἶ σύ. | |
| 10 | In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word. | ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ αἰνέσω ῥῆμα, ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ αἰνέσω λόγον. | |
| 11 | In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. | ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ ἤλπισα, οὐ φοβηθήσομαι τί ποιήσει μοι ἄνθρωπος. | |
| 12 | Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. | ἐν ἐμοί, ὁ Θεός, εὐχαί, ἃς ἀποδώσω αἰνέσεώς σου, | |
| 13 | For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living? | ὅτι ἐρρύσω τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐκ θανάτου καὶ τοὺς πόδας μου ἐξ ὀλισθήματος· εὐαρεστήσω ἐνώπιον Κυρίου ἐν φωτὶ ζώντων. | |
| :: |
Heading
In the Hebrew Bible, Psalm 56:1 comprises the designation :To the chief Musician upon Jonath-elem-rechokim, Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath. (KJV) rendered in the New King James Version as "Set to 'The Silent Dove in Distant Lands'." Jonath-elem-rechokim, meaning "The Silent Dove in Distant Lands", may have been the name of a particular tune or style. From then on verses 1–13 in English versions correspond to verses 2–14 in the Hebrew text. The heading in the Septuagint reads "for the people far off from the holy places (or holy people)", while the Targum has "concerning the congregation of Israel, which is compared to a silent dove at the time when they were far from their cities, and turned again and praised the Lord of the world'".
Notes
References
References
- [http://medievalist.net/psalmstxt/ps55.htm Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 55 (56)] {{webarchive. link. (7 May 2017 medievalist.net)
- "Comparison of Enumeration of the Psalms in the Book of Divine Worship and in the Vulgate".
- The Artscroll Tehillim, page 110
- 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
- "Alan Hovhaness List of Works by Opus Number".
- "Psalms – Chapter 56". Mechon Mamre.
- "Psalms 56 - JPS 1917". [[Sefaria.
- "Psalm 55 - Septuagint and Brenton's Septuagint Translation". Ellopos.
- Strong, James. "Strong's Hebrew: 3128. יוֹנַת (Yonath Elem Rechoqim) -- "The Silent Dove of Distant Places"".
- Rodd, C. S.. (2007). "The Oxford Bible Commentary". Oxford University Press.
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