Psalm 59:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Awake, come to meet me, and see!

NIV: I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. Arise to help me; look on my plight!

NASB: For no guilt of mine, they run and take their stand against me. Stir Yourself to help me, and see!

CSB: For no fault of mine, they run and take up a position. Awake to help me, and take notice.

NLT: I have done nothing wrong, yet they prepare to attack me. Wake up! See what is happening and help me!

KJV: They run and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me, and behold.

NKJV: They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine. Awake to help me, and behold!

The men who lie in wait to ambush David (Psalm 59:1–3) do so for no good reason. These words were inspired by an incident where Saul, the king, sent assassins to kill David as he left his house. David escaped with the help of his wife, Michal, who was also Saul's daughter (1 Samuel 19:11–16). Saul's hatred for David was completely unjustified. David had neither rebelled nor given the king reason to want him killed (1 Samuel 20:30–33). At one point, David proved this by passing up the chance to kill Saul outright (1 Samuel 24:11). David poetically calls on God to "awake"—to be stirred into action.

Centuries later, the scribes and the Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus, the chief descendant of David. After apprehending Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, they handed Him over to Pilate for crucifixion, but Pilate reluctantly delivered Him to the crowd for crucifixion. He asked, "What evil has he done?" (Matthew 27:23), and declared, "I have found in him no guilt deserving death" (Luke 23:22). The apostle Peter refers to Jesus, the crucified Lamb of God, as completely innocent. He writes that Jesus' blood was "like that of a lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Peter 1:19). In 1 Peter 2:22 Peter writes that Jesus "committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth." The apostle Paul also credits Jesus with sinlessness. He writes: "For our sake [God the Father] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). The author of Hebrews similarly affirms Jesus' sinlessness: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin."

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.