When I Am Afraid

Psalm 56:1-13 English Standard Version

Psalm 56:superscription

1. To the choirmaster:

2. according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths.

a. The reference to a dove in 55:7 may be intended to link Ps 56 to Ps 55 in some way (Kidner).[1]

b. It could be a tune, a kind of instrument, or a phrase meant to set the mood in which the psalm was to be read.[2]

c. After the … superscription of Ps 56, we find a phrase that the CSB renders “according to ‘A Silent Dove Far Away.’ ” This rendering is preferable to the ESV’s “according to the Dove on Far-off Terebinths.”[3]

d. The Greek text (LXX) has “concerning the people that were removed from the sanctuary,” perhaps implying a postexilic perspective on the psalm. The Targum lends support to this view, commenting, “at the time when they are far from their cities, and they return and sing to the Lord of the World, like David the humble and blameless one.”3 These comments are evidence of the use of this individual lament as a community lament in a later era.[4]

3. A Miktam of David,

a. Psalms 56–60 all have the term “Miktam” in their superscriptions, as does Ps 16:1. HALOT provides “inscription” as a proposed gloss.[5]

b. A miktam. Psalms 16 and 56–60 are described by this word. Eerdmans proposes that, in view of the peril that these psalms expose, it might be a “silent prayer” that David prayed, understanding the noun to come from the verb ktm, “to cover” (the lips), thus suggesting a gesture of silence.[6]

4. when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

a. Again a psalm of the second David Collection has a counterpart in the first. As David’s great sin gave rise to both 32 and 51, so his flight to Gath gave rise to both 34 and 56. In each case the psalm in the earlier collection seems to be a later, more considered poem, while the one in the later group looks like an earlier, more spontaneous piece of work.[7]

i. Psalm 34:title Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.

1. Psalm 34 is an alphabetic acrostic; Psalm 56 is a non-alphabetic acrostic.

b. Superscription (56:1). The historical note refers to an incident from the career of David which happened at Gath. The reference may arise, in part at least, from a wordplay on the root הלל (“to praise”) in the psalm (vv 5, 11) and the verb “to act like a madman,” (יתהלל) in 1 Sam 21:14 (13). Also, see the same verb for “fear” in Ps 56:4, 5, 12 and 1 Sam 21:13 (12). The text in 1 Sam 21 does not actually say that the Philistines held David as a prisoner at Gath, but the context, along with the mention of his escape in 22:1 (note the play on מלט 1 Sam 22:1 and פלט in Ps 56:8), allowed for the conclusion in the superscription. [8]

i. The musical-technical Superscription (→ Psalms 16 and 57–60, which have the same term miktām) has been expanded by a temporal phrase alluding to the situation of 1 Sam 21:11–16 (RSV 10–15), in which David is in the power (“in the hands,” 1 Sam 21:14 [RSV13]; “when the Philistines caught him,” v. 1) of the king of Gath.[9]

c. This continues the way that the superscriptions of Pss 52 and 54 tie those psalms to the period when Saul sought to kill David, and we find the same in Pss 57; 59.

d. The three central psalms in this grouping (57; 58; 59) share what appears to be a common reference to a tune for singing: ʾal tašḥet(“Do Not Destroy),” while the outer two psalms (56; 60) bear tune names that are distinct—from each other as well as this central phrase. The constellation of so many common elements leaves a strong impression that these psalms constitute a purposeful collection and arrangement.[10]and 63. The whole series of psalms following 51, from 52–71, seem tinged with that tale.[11]

e. There are two stories of David and Gath, in 1 Sam 21:10 [11]–22:1 and 27:1–29:11, though neither says that David was seized. Although Ps. 34 has already made a link with the first story, it is with this that Ps. 56 also has a number of verbal points of contact: David’s fear (the only occasion fear is attributed to him), the use of the verb hālal (v. 4), yôm (day [v. 6]), the double hălōʾ (is it not?/yes [vv. 8, 13]). The heading thus presents the psalm as suggesting how one might pray in a situation like David’s.[12]

i. 1 Samuel 21:10 And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath.

ii. 1 Samuel 21:11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”

iii. 1 Samuel 21:12 And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

iv. 1 Samuel 21:13 So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard.

v. 1 Samuel 21:14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me?

vi. 1 Samuel 21:15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”

vii. 1 Samuel 22:1 David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him.

f. With its word “escaped,” 1 Sam 22:1 strongly suggests that David was taken captive by the Philistines while in their land, as the superscription here also indicates.[13]

g. The imprecations in 54:5; 55:9, 15, 23 link them with 56:7, “repay them for their crime; in wrath cast down the peoples.” In both Psalms 55 and 56 the psalmist is endangered or persecuted; in each he or she voices a complaint and a request.[14]

Psalm 56:1

1. Be gracious to me, O God,

a. The invocation here is found also in Psalms 51:1 and 57:1 and internally in other psalms.[15]

2. for man tramples on me;

a. tramples - pursue, chase after, hound, i.e., follow a person with intensity, focus, and haste, implying that to catch up with the object ahead will result in a confrontation or fight, as a figurative extension of an animal pursuing and snapping at the object it is chasing (Ps 56:2[EB 1][16]

3. all day long an attacker oppresses me;

Psalm 56:2

1. my enemies trample on me all day long,

2. for many attack me proudly.

a. Man, an attacker (v.1)

b. My enemies, many (v.2)

i. Though this causes him fear, David asserts that he will trust God. In 56:1–2 (MT 56:2–3), the first line of each verse refers to those who “trample” David, and the second line refers to the individual and the many who “fight” him.[17]

1. Saul – singular

2. Philistines - plural

ii. The hot pursuit all day implies constant imminent danger, while “slanderers” and “in their pride” may point to Saul’s men rather than to the Philistines, although the reference to the nations (v. 7) looks in the opposite direction[18]

Psalm 56:3

1. (v.3) When I am afraid,

a. When – day long (vv.1, 2, 5); the day (v.9)

2. I put my trust in you.

3. (v.4) In God, whose word I praise,

a. The word in view likely includes not only all the Scripture available to David but also the promise of God made to him by the prophet Samuel—the promise that he would be king.[19]

b. Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

4. in God I trust;

5. I shall not be afraid.

6. What can flesh do to me?

Psalm 56:5

1. All day long they injure my cause;

a. Injure - to twist (deception) v. — to change the meaning of or be vague about in order to mislead or deceive.

b. Cause – same Hebrew word translated as “word” in verses 4 and 10.

2. all their thoughts are against me for evil.

Psalm 56:6

1. They stir up strife,

2. they lurk;

3. they watch my steps,

4. as they have waited for my life.

Psalm 56:7

1. For their crime will they escape?

2. In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!

a. Peoples - nations

Psalm 56:8

1. You have kept count of my tossings;

a. For no good reason, rsv alters the Hebrew text from ‘wandering’ to tossings. No doubt both were true, but ‘wandering’ was David’s special lot, and the word for it (nōd; cf. Gen. 4:16) evidently brought to mind the similar sound of n’ōd, flask or bottle, just as the expression kept count suggested the related word, thy book.[20]

2. put my tears in your bottle.

a. The image seems to reflect the practice in the arid climate of ancient Israel to preserve precious liquids—like water, wine, milk, etc.—in a leak-proof leather bag. Its small opening allowed the liquid to be dispersed efficiently into cup or mouth in a thin stream but inhibited evaporation. Although there is no clear evidence of a practice of saving tears in ancient Israel, the image is a potent one: The psalmist’s tears of lament are so precious to God that he collects and preserves them as he would water or wine.[21]

b. Revelation 5:8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

3. Are they not in your book?

a. Malachi 3:16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name.

Psalm 56:9

1. Then my enemies will turn back in the daywhen I call.

a. Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

b. “The day when I am afraid” has suggestively become “the day when I call.”[22]

2. This I know, that God is for me.

a. The formal announcement of coming salvation brought on by the destruction of the enemy (v. 10) has parallels in prophetic speech (ʾāz, “then,” points to the future in Mic 3:4; Zeph 3:9; Pss 2:5; 19:14 [RSV 13]; 51:21 [RSV19]; 96:12; 119:6; 126:2). Fulfillment of this vision will be considered a proof of God’s help (v. 10c) and again may be an expectation connected with prophetic announcement (note the recognition or confirmation formula “now I know” in Gen 22:12; Exod 18:11; Judg 17:13; 1 Kgs 17:24; 2 Kgs 5:15; Pss 20:7 [RSV 6]; 41:12 [RSV 11]; 135:5).[23]

Psalm 56:10-11

1. (v.10) In God, whose word I praise,

2. in the Lord, whose word I praise,

3. (v.11) in God I trust;

4. I shall not be afraid.

5. What can man do to me?

a. Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

b. Psalm 56:9 Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me.

Psalm 56:12

1. I must perform my vows to you, O God;

2. I will render thank offerings to you.

a. Psalm 50:14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High,

Psalm 56:13

1. For you have delivered my soul from death,

2. yes, my feet from falling,

3. that I may walk before God in the light of life.

a. The trouble now appears to be past, either as a biographical fact or, more likely, in the psalmist’s faith that God had heard and would act on his behalf.[24]

b. A chiasm stresses the terms of the statement and highlights the contrast by the use of antithetic terms in the corresponding positions:

i. A For you have delivered me from death

ii. B and my feet from stumbling,

iii. B′ that I may walk before God

iv. A′ in the light of life.[25]

c. Like Ps. 55, the prayer closes with a declaration of confidence and commitment, and like Ps. 54, it also looks forward to bringing an offering to mark what Yhwh has done and speaks as if that act is already a reality, which in a sense is so, if Yhwh has determined to act. The two verses thus stand in the present between a future that will see promises fulfilled (v. 12) and a past in which Yhwh has answered prayer (v. 13), though the very fact that the promises are still future indicates that the answer is also still future from the point of view of the suppliant’s experience. [26]

There are three terms for humanity in the psalm: ’enosh (“man,” 56:1; NIV: “they”), basar (“flesh,” 56:4; NIV: “mere mortals”), ’adam (“man,” 56:11), emphasizing mortality over against the immortal God. In comparison, “God” (’elohim) appears nine times, and “Lord” (YHWH) once (56:10), very likely to stress the overpowering presence of God against human nature, which is so responsive to human threats and the human attribute of fear.[27]

Psalm 56:3

1. (v.3) When I am afraid,

2. I put my trust in you.

3. (v.4) In God, whose word I praise,

4. in God I trust;

5. I shall not be afraid.

a. The two lines in v. 4 then take up the two cola in v. 3, in abb′a′ order. In v. 4a–b the second colon takes up the affirmation of *trust in v. 3b, though using a qatal verb. This might just be for variety, or it might be looking back to the past. It precedes this with another affirmation that elaborates it: trust goes along with or is expressed in or is based on the fact of praising God’s word. The reference to God’s word comes at the center of an abcb′a′ sequence in vv. 3–4 (fear-trust-word-trust-fear),16implying the key importance of this “word” to the move between fear and trust.[28]

i. In v. 4c–d the first colon takes up the verb from v. 3a and negatives it, thereby suggesting a further contradiction: “I am afraid, I do trust, I am not afraid.”[29]

Hebrews 13:6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

[1] Marvin E. Tate, Psalms 51–100, vol. 20, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 66. [2] James M. Hamilton Jr., Psalms, ed. T. Desmond Alexander, Thomas R. Schreiner, and Andreas J. Köstenberger, vol. 1, Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Academic, 2021), 534. CSB Christian Standard Bible ESV English Standard Version [3] James M. Hamilton Jr., Psalms, ed. T. Desmond Alexander, Thomas R. Schreiner, and Andreas J. Köstenberger, vol. 1, Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Academic, 2021), 534. LXX Septuagint 3 Stec, Targum of Psalms, 113. [4] C. Hassell Bullock, Psalms 1–72, ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton, vol. 1, Teach the Text Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015), 426. HALOT Koehler, Ludwig, Walter Baumgartner, and Johann J. Stamm. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Translated and edited under the supervision of Mervyn E. J. Richardson. 2 vols. Leiden: Brill, 2001. [5] James M. Hamilton Jr., Psalms, ed. T. Desmond Alexander, Thomas R. Schreiner, and Andreas J. Köstenberger, vol. 1, Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Academic, 2021), 534. [6] C. Hassell Bullock, Psalms 1–72, ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton, vol. 1, Teach the Text Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015), 426. [7] Michael Wilcock, The Message of Psalms: Songs for the People of God, ed. J. A. Motyer, vol. 1, The Bible Speaks Today (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2001), 204. [8] Marvin E. Tate, Psalms 51–100, vol. 20, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 69. → The arrow indicates a cross-reference to another section of the commentary RSV Revised Standard Version RSV Revised Standard Version [9] Erhard Gerstenberger, Psalms Part 1: With an Introduction to Cultic Poetry, vol. 14, The Forms of the Old Testament Literature (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), 227. [10] Gerald H. Wilson, Psalms, vol. 1, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002). [11] James M. Hamilton Jr., Psalms, ed. T. Desmond Alexander, Thomas R. Schreiner, and Andreas J. Köstenberger, vol. 1, Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Academic, 2021), 534. [12] John Goldingay, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Psalms 42–89, ed. Tremper Longman III, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006), 183. [13] Geoffrey W. Grogan, Psalms, The Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008), 111. [14] Konrad Schaefer, Psalms, ed. David W. Cotter, Jerome T. Walsh, and Chris Franke, Berit Olam Studies in Hebrew Narrative and Poetry (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2001), 139. [15] C. Hassell Bullock, Psalms 1–72, ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton, vol. 1, Teach the Text Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015), 427. EB English Bible versification [16] James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament)(Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997). MT Masoretic Text [17] James M. Hamilton Jr., Psalms, ed. T. Desmond Alexander, Thomas R. Schreiner, and Andreas J. Köstenberger, vol. 1, Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Academic, 2021), 534. [18] Geoffrey W. Grogan, Psalms, The Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008), 111–112. [19] James M. Hamilton Jr., Psalms, ed. T. Desmond Alexander, Thomas R. Schreiner, and Andreas J. Köstenberger, vol. 1, Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Academic, 2021), 535. rsvAmerican Revised Standard Version, 1952. [20] Derek Kidner, Psalms 1–72: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 15, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1973), 222. [21] Gerald H. Wilson, Psalms, vol. 1, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 823–824. [22] John Goldingay, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Psalms 42–89, ed. Tremper Longman III, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006), 187. RSV Revised Standard Version RSV Revised Standard Version RSV Revised Standard Version RSV Revised Standard Version [23] Erhard Gerstenberger, Psalms Part 1: With an Introduction to Cultic Poetry, vol. 14, The Forms of the Old Testament Literature (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), 228. [24] Geoffrey W. Grogan, Psalms, The Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008), 112. [25] C. Hassell Bullock, Psalms 1–72, ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton, vol. 1, Teach the Text Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015), 428. [26] John Goldingay, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Psalms 42–89, ed. Tremper Longman III, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006), 188. NIV New International Version NIV New International Version [27] C. Hassell Bullock, Psalms 1–72, ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton, vol. 1, Teach the Text Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015), 428. * indicates that the word appears in the glossary 16 Cf. Schaefer, Psalms, 139. [28] John Goldingay, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Psalms 42–89, ed. Tremper Longman III, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006), 185. [29] John Goldingay, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Psalms 42–89, ed. Tremper Longman III, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006), 185.