Psalm 59:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men.

NIV: Deliver me from evildoers and save me from those who are after my blood.

NASB: Rescue me from those who practice injustice, And save me from men of bloodshed.

CSB: Rescue me from those who practice sin, and save me from men of bloodshed.

NLT: Rescue me from these criminals; save me from these murderers.

KJV: Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.

NKJV: Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, And save me from bloodthirsty men.

In another "imprecatory" psalm (Psalm 5:6), calling on God's judgment against evil, David also refers to his enemies as violent. This uses the Hebrew term for "blood" as a descriptive term for these foes: they are "men of bloodshed" or "bloodthirsty" opponents. Their goals are evil, so David prays for the Lords' protection (Psalm 59:1). Later verses will describe how these men conspire to ambush David without due cause (Psalm 59:3). This corresponds to an incident where Saul sent assassins to wait for David, who escaped with help from his wife, Michal (1 Samuel 19:11–16).

Among these men who seek violence is Saul, who was then king. Saul was not always evil, but his life changed dramatically for the worse when he disobeyed the Lord. The Lord told him to eliminate a depraved enemy and spare nothing (1 Samuel 15:1–3). Contrary to what the Lord told him, Saul spared the king of the Amalekites and kept the choicest livestock (1 Samuel 15:9). This was an early, overt sign that Saul was committed to himself, and not to God (1 Samuel 15:11). Eventually, it seems, Saul surrounded himself with those who were killers at heart. Saul sank to an all-time low when he tried to kill not only David (1 Samuel 19:9–10), but even lashed out at his own son (1 Samuel 20:30–33).

Psalm 59:1–8 contains David's prayer for rescue from his enemies. These men are evil and conspire against David, despite him having done nothing wrong. Yet David is assured that his God, powerful enough to control the entire world, can thwart their plots.

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.