Psalm 59:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.

NIV: my God on whom I can rely. God will go before me and will let me gloat over those who slander me.

NASB: My God in His faithfulness will meet me; God will let me look triumphantly upon my enemies.

CSB: My faithful God will come to meet me; God will let me look down on my adversaries.

NLT: In his unfailing love, my God will stand with me. He will let me look down in triumph on all my enemies.

KJV: The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.

NKJV: My God of mercy shall come to meet me; God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.

The first half of this psalm focused on David's violent, hateful enemies (Psalm 59:1–8). The second half turns to express confidence in the Lord. David referred to God as his "Strength" (Psalm 59:9), echoing ideas expressed in his other writings (Psalm 18:1–3). Here, David bursts with confidence in the Lord. He is certain God's loyal, unfailing love will champion his cause.

The Hebrew word referring to God "meeting" David literally means something that goes out ahead or approaches closely. David looks forward in time and fully expects to see the Lord arriving to provide rescue. In this expected future, the Lord first meets David, then provides him with victory over his wicked enemies. Most translations indicate that David describes how God acts—in faithfulness or unfailing love—rather than directly describing Him as "faithful."

Believers can share David's confidence. Their Commander-in-Chief, the Lord Jesus, leads them, and He always causes believers to triumph. The apostle Paul writes, "But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession" (2 Corinthians 2:14). In Romans 8:37 he assures believers, "We are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Revelation 19:11–16 pictures the end of the tribulation, when Jesus and His followers descend from heaven to the earth. Jesus goes before His followers, and He alone quells His enemies (Revelation 19:17–21).

Psalm 59:9–17 delivers an appropriate climax to David's cry for deliverance from his enemies. David puts his trust in God. He anticipates divine wrath being poured out on his unclean, beastly enemies. He also looks forward to more opportunities to offer praise for God's protection and love. As part of an "imprecatory" psalm, David calls on the Lord to make His retribution harsh and public, so the world will see it and acknowledge God.

David prays, asking the Lord to deliver him from a lurking band of bloodthirsty enemies. He calls on the God of Israel to make an example of these lying, evil men, and to destroy them entirely. Rather than despair, David firmly trusts in the Lord and looks forward to victory. David concludes his psalm with praise to the Lord, his Strength, whose love is loyal. David praises God for being his fortress and shelter.

This is one of many psalms where David prays for rescue from his enemies (Psalm 3:1–3; 7:1–2; 54:1–2). King Saul jealously sent men to wait outside David's home to assassinate him (1 Samuel 19:11–16), but David was able to escape with the help of his wife. Because David asks for the Lord to severely judge the wicked, this is considered one of the "imprecatory" psalms, along with Psalms 5, 10, 58, 69, 83, 109, 137, 140, and others.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.