Psalm 54:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?” O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might.

NIV: For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, 'Is not David hiding among us?' Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might.

NASB: Save me, God, by Your name, And vindicate me by Your power.

CSB: God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might!

NLT: Come with great power, O God, and rescue me! Defend me with your might.

KJV: {To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when the Ziphims came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us?} Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength.

NKJV: {To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David when the Ziphites went and said to Saul, “Is David not hiding with us?”} Save me, O God, by Your name, And vindicate me by Your strength.

Before David ruled Israel, he was pursued by King Saul, who had turned from God and was murderously jealous of David. When David was hiding in a region called Ziph, locals informed Saul (1 Samuel 23:19–20), who planned to send men to kill David (1 Samuel 23:23).

Here, David prays for deliverance, evoking God's name. This does not mean to use a name as a magical spell or talisman. Rather, it means to appeal to the nature and authority of the Lord. God's "name" represents His perfect character and what He has done. David knew he could trust the Lord to do what was right. Because of the promises made to David by God (1 Samuel 16:13), David was confident he would be rescued. To be "vindicated" is to be proven blameless, or in the right. The evil men who wanted to kill David thought he deserved that fate. God had the power to squelch those lies and show that David was the righteous one in that conflict.

Jesus promised blessing for maligned believers. He said, "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so thy persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11–12). Instead of trying to retaliate when others speak or act against them, the believer should leave matters in God's hands. God has said, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay" (Romans 12:19).

Psalm 54:1–3 is part of David's prayer for rescue. He was pursued by the king, Saul, and betrayed by the people of Ziph (1 Samuel 23:19–20). David asks for the Lord's help against godless people who want to kill him. This will be followed by David's confident expression of trust in God.

David prays for God's rescue and vindication. Heartless, godless men are working to have him killed (1 Samuel 23:19–20). However, David is certain that God is his helper and will keep him alive. He believes God will bring vengeance on those enemies, ending their lives while sparing David. David is so confident in the Lord's rescue that he promises to present a freewill offering when he returns to the sanctuary. David's trust in God is based, in part, on the ways the Lord had helped him in the past.

Psalm 54 is one of the psalms written by David when he was a fugitive from King Saul. David describes his dependence on the Lord to help him in a crisis. The crisis involved the Ziphites' betraying David by telling Saul where he was (1 Samuel 23:19–20; 26:1–2). God rewarded David's confidence and refusal to take revenge (1 Samuel 24:4–8) by sparing his life.

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.