Psalm 59:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.

NIV: They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city.

NASB: They return at evening, they howl like a dog, And prowl around the city.

CSB: They return at evening, snarling like dogs and prowling around the city.

NLT: They come out at night, snarling like vicious dogs as they prowl the streets.

KJV: They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.

NKJV: At evening they return, They growl like a dog, And go all around the city.

At one point, King Saul set men in an ambush to assassinate David at his own home (1 Samuel 19:11–16). This plot was foiled, in part, with help from David's wife, Michal. Here, David portrays his enemies as a pack of wild dogs. In that culture, dogs were considered unclean and unworthy animals. They were almost never kept as pets; they were feral animals roaming in packs to scavenge or attack the weak (1 Kings 14:11). Even in the modern world, packs of feral dogs can be dangerous within a city at night. The "bloodthirsty" men coming to attack David (Psalm 59:1–4) act like this type of beast. This description is not merely negative, but also insulting.

David also points out how these men act by night. Scripture uses the concept of "light" as a summary of truth and goodness. This makes darkness a symbol of lies, ignorance, or rebellion against God. Scripture notes that heinous crimes are often done at night, when people feel they can hide their actions (Job 24:13–17). While Jesus brought God's truth into the world, the world preferred darkness and evil (John 3:19). This parallels the way in which evil is often committed in the dark, where it can be hidden (John 3:20).

This exact criticism will be repeated near the end of the psalm (Psalm 59:14).

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.