Psalm 56:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?

NIV: Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll -- are they not in your record?

NASB: You have taken account of my miseries; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?

CSB: You yourself have recorded my wanderings. Put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?

NLT: You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.

KJV: Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

NKJV: You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?

In hard times, we often worry that God has forgotten us (Psalm 42:9) . David was no stranger to hardship (Psalm 3:1–2), or to fear (Psalm 55:5; 56:1–3). The words used here literally refer to God using a "wineskin" to catch David's tears, suggesting quite a bit of emotion. Yet he knew that God sees all things. Instead of despair, David reacted to fear with faith. He knew that the Lord was aware of his suffering. Here, he describes God's response as tender and caring. God is depicted as counting David's every move and saving each of his tears. This beautifully depicts the Christian idea that God will ultimately redeem all suffering. According to the Bible, no suffering is "wasted" or pointless (Romans 8:28). All evil will be punished (Revelation 20:11–15) and all hurt will be made right (Revelation 21:4) for those who know Christ as Savior (John 3:16, 36).

Later in Israel's history, King Hezekiah became terribly ill. He turned his face to the wall, prayed, and wept bitterly. The Lord answered through the prophet Isaiah. God heard Hezekiah's prayer and had seen his tears (2 Kings 20:1–5). The famously short verse John11:35 has only two words: "Jesus wept." Yet this phrase is full of meaning. God the Creator, in human form, knowing He was about to raise a man from death, still expressed emotion over the pain of human suffering. He felt the sorrow of Lazarus's sisters at the loss of their brother. The Lord knows all about our heartaches, and He cares (1 Peter 5:7)!

Psalm 56:5–11 describes the hateful actions of David's enemies. He pleads with the Lord to punish these foes. He recalls the misery of his flight from Saul in the wilderness (1 Samuel 19:18; 20:1). David was assured God knew his troubles. Poetically, David speaks of God's precious awareness of suffering. He believed the Lord would answer his prayers and defeat his enemies. With confidence that God was on his side, David vowed to praise God's Word, trust in Him, and not be afraid.

David prays for God's protection as he is "oppressed" and "trampled" by his enemies. This refers to his experience in enemy territory near the city of Gath (1 Samuel 21:10–15). Despite natural fear, David chooses to trust in God. He knows the Lord will bring judgment to evil people, and that God sees everything which David has experienced. David resolves to praise the Lord once this danger has passed.

When David fled from Saul (1 Samuel 19:1–2, 18; 22:17–19), he was forced to enter enemy territory: the land of the Philistines. When he was recognized, David was captured but pretended to be insane (1 Samuel 21:10–15). This psalm reflects his prayer for safety while subject to these dangers.

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.