Psalm 57 – Confidence About God’s Salvation

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 4 Oct. 2026

Underlined words in Scripture quotes indicate words that are in common with the Biblical language text of the sermon passage. Otherwise, underlining indicates words to emphasize vocally when reading this transcript out loud.

Introduction:

Looking at the superscription of Psalm 57, we learn that
- This psalm was to be sung, not just by David, but by the congregation of God’s people because it was “for the concertmaster/music leader/choir director.” It is a song for us to sing, so let us learn it and sing it and pray it to God.
- We also see that it is a “Miktam,” which basically means something that has been “written down” – perhaps like a journal entry written after a certain event in David’s life. This is the second of 5 Miktam Psalms in a row by David.
- We also see that it is “Al-Tashkheyt,” which means, “Do not destroy.”
  - The next two Psalms and also Psalm 75 share this “Do not destroy” superscription.
  - There is only one other place in the Bible outside these Psalms where this phrase “Al-Tashkheyt” occurs, and that is Deuteronomy 9:26, where Moses interceded before God for the nation of Israel after they had worshiped the idol of the golden calf in the desert. Moses prayed, “...O Lord GOD, do not destroy Your people and Your inheritance whom You have redeemed through Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand.” (NKJV)
  - David seems to have found special meaning in this prayer of Moses – in the confidence that God’s holy people should not be destroyed, and, whether he put Deuteronomy 9 to music himself or whether some other ancient Israelite was the one who made up a tune for it, it appears that David wrote words to match that prayer or song from Deuteronomy 9 – kind of like I matched the versified words of Psalm 57 from the Irish Presbyterian Psalter to the Warrington tune for us to sing it because the tune fits the meter of the words and is somewhat familiar to us, since we have sung one or two other hymns to that tune.
  - Not only did David make Psalms according to the pattern or tune of Moses’ prayer, it was also a catch-phrase which David used in his political life:
    - The superscription of this psalm mentions David “fleeing” “from Saul” and hiding in a “cave,” which would be the cave of Adullam in the wilderness of Judea not far from his hometown of Bethlehem (1 Sam. 22:1).
    - King Saul had become jealous of David because David had become a celebrity throughout Israel due to some impressive military victories. King Saul had also disobeyed God flagrantly, resulting in God saying that He wanted someone else to be king. Saul had a pretty good guess that David was the one God wanted to become king instead of him and his son Jonathan. So Saul began trying to kill David in order to remain king and keep David from becoming king.
    - In 1 Samuel 24, King Saul and his army were out hunting for David to kill him, and Saul happened to rest in the very cave where David was hiding. David kept quiet and Saul didn’t realize David was there, but when Saul left the cave, David announced, “Look, your eyes have seen this day that Yahweh gave you today into my control in the cave, and I considered assassinating you, but I had pity on you, and I said, 'I will not reach out my hand against my master because he is the anointed one of Yahweh.'” (1 Sam. 26:10)
    - Shortly thereafter, in 1 Samuel 26, while King Saul and his army were still out hunting for David, David and his buddy Abner sneaked into King Saul’s camp and found Saul and his bodyguards asleep. Abner raised his spear to kill Saul, but David said, “Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the LORD'S anointed, and be guiltless?" (1 Sam. 26:26, NAW)
    - Later on, in the first chapter of 2 Samuel, David asks the Amalekite who claimed to have euthanized King Saul, “How dare you destroy the Lord’s Anointed!” (2 Sam. 1:14 paraphrase by NAW)
    - David believed that it was God’s will to preserve His people as well as the leaders whom God had Anointed to lead His people, and that belief gave confidence to his prayers for preservation when his own life was threatened.
Read my translation of Psalm 57:
[For the concertmaster, to “Do Not Destroy,” by David, a journal during his flight from the presence of Saul in the cave.] Be gracious to me, God! Be gracious to me, because it is in You that my soul has taken refuge, so, in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until the blood-lusts pass. I call out to God Most High – to the God who brings closure for me. He will commission from the heavens and make me safe; He will find fault with those who are hounding me. SELAH. God will commission His lovingkindness and His truth. /He has saved\ my soul /from\ the midst of fierce lions; I will lie down facing the blazings. As for the sons of men, their teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue is a sharp sword. Rise up over the heavens, God, /and\ let your glory be over all the earth. They set up a capture-net for my footsteps /when\ my soul was down. They dug a pit out in front of me, /but\ they fell into the midst of it! SELAH. My heart has been set up, God; my heart has been set up: I will sing and I will play music! Let my glory be roused, let the harp and guitar be roused! I will rouse the dawn! I will respond to You among the peoples, my Lord; I will play music to You among the nations, because Your lovingkindness is great – up to the heavens, and your faithfulness is up to the clouds. Rise up over the heavens, God, /and\ let your glory be over all the earth.

v. 1 Request for God’s Grace on the Basis of Personal Commitment

In verse 1, David asks twice in a row for God to “be gracious/have mercy” on him.
- This repeated request “Have mercy on me/be gracious to me” is a theme throughout the Psalms – esp. the first two books.
- In the circumstances of running for his life from King Saul, David certainly needs God’s protection, so he appeals to the LORD to extend grace to him.
But in using the term “mercy/grace,” David is acknowledging that he does not deserve what he is asking for from God. Mercy is being treated kindly by someone after you have wronged them. Grace is when someone gives something valuable to you for free, without you doing anything to earn it.
- This is something I have struggled a lot with personally – humbling myself to admit that God doesn’t owe anything to me. I feel that, since I gave up my engineering career for a missionary career and endured poverty when church people didn’t give me enough to live on, and since I suffered injustice from Christian leaders who sinned in various ways that hurt me, that God owes me at least a little gravy now. Often I get depressed when people find fault with me and I think, “God, I am working so carefully to obey you with integrity; why can’t you at least reward me by making everyone appreciate me?” This is a proud failure to realize that it’s impossible to put in any overtime for extra benefits from God, because all my effort is nothing more than what’s expected of His servant, and furthermore, the best of my efforts are like “filthy rags” that don’t obligate God to do anything special for me in return. What I need to realize is that anything good that comes into my life is due to God’s mercy, not my goodness, and so all I can do is ask Him to be gracious to me in all my needs.
And David knows that God responds to such humble pleas for mercy.
- I am reminded of how Jesus responded with help and healing when
  - the blind men called out to him, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” (Matt. 9:27),
  - when the woman with the demonized daughter cried out to Him, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! …” (Matt. 15:22),
  - and when the man in Mathew 17:15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son…”
  - We know that the Lord responds to this kind of prayer, so this is a prayer we should pray confidently whenever we need mercy from God!
Notice, however, the reason why David says that God should have mercy on him: It is because he has “trusted/taken refuge” (Hebrew perfect tense) in the LORD.
- This “taking refuge” in God alone is another major theme of the first half of the book of Psalms.
  - It is synonymous with covenanting with Yahweh to be your God and committing to live as His people,
  - and it is synonymous to the New Testament language of “trusting/believing” in Jesus so as to be “in Christ” and a “child of God.”
- In the Hebrew wording, the phrase “in You” is emphatic. David is saying, “I haven’t been trusting in Baal or Ashtoreth. I haven’t been trusting in my mighty-men. I haven’t been trusting in myself. I’m not even really trusting in this cave. It is because I have been trusting in You, Lord, to save me, rather than in any of those other things – because I took refuge in You, I have grounds to call upon You to bring grace into my life.
- Jesus said that you cannot serve two masters (Matt. 6:24). Who are you depending on to bring grace into your life? If you are looking to friends or to wealth or to your physical or intellectual strength to sustain you – if God is just one of many resources in your portfolio, God will often say, “Well, go ahead and try those other refuges. See if they will bring grace into your life. When you figure out how worthless they are to give you refuge and you seek me with all your heart, that’s when I’ll come-through for you!”
David ends verse one with this beautifully-poetic picture of taking refuge in the “shadow of [God’s] wings until the calamities/disaster/storms/destruction pass.”
- David has mentioned in Psalms 52 and 55 what those “calamities/disasters/destructions” are. He’s talking about King Saul’s “evil-intent” to murder him. He says explicitly in Psalm 38:12 “And those who seek [to end] my life have struck hard; and those who pursue evil [against] me have declared destructive-desires; they meditate on deceptions all day [long].” (NAW) That’s exactly what Saul was doing – brooding with his army officers over how to kill David. It is Saul’s plan to destroy David which David hopes to survive by taking refuge in God.
- David is going to hang all his hopes on God, taking refuge in the shadow of his wings until Saul’s blood-lust blows over and David’s life will no longer be threatened.
- David got the image of finding safety under God’s wings from God Himself.
  - In Exodus 19:3-4 “...Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself.”’”
  - So, based on God’s word to him, Moses sang in Deuteronomy 32:11-12 “As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings, So the LORD alone led [Israel], And there was no foreign god with him.” (NKJV) As the Hebrews trusted in God alone to save them, God preserved the nation through decades of desert wanderings.
  - David drew on the imagery of being protected by God as being on the wings of an eagle from his reading of the Pentateuch.
  - And David’s great-grandpa, Boaz used this image in commending the faith of David’s great-grandma Ruth: “...[may] full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge¹.” (Ruth 2:12, NKJV)
- But what does David mean by the “shadow?” The phrase “shadow of your wings” only occurs in the Psalms. The only thing ever mentioned in the Bible as being “overshadowed” by “wings” was the Ark of the Covenant, which had golden statues of cherubim-angels with outspread wings built over the top of it:
  - 1 Kings 8:7 || 2 Chronicles 5:8 “[T]he cherubim spread their [two] wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles.” (NKJV, cf. 1 Chron. 28:18)
  - Hebrews 9:3-5 “[B]eyond the second curtain was a tabernacle which is called, ‘Holy of Holies,’ containing a golden incense-altar and the ark of the covenant covered all-over with gold... above [which were] cherubim-angels of the Glory casting shade on the atonement-place…” (NAW)
  - the “atonement-place/mercy seat” on top of the Ark of the Covenant underneath the outspread wings of the golden cherubim is where the blood of the sacrificed lamb was sprinkled once a year by the priest for the forgiveness of all the sins of the people of God in the Old Testament.
  - As knowledgeable as David obviously was of Scripture, this couldn’t have been a mere coincidence that he used the phrase “in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge.” Physically, David was trusting God to keep him safe despite King Saul’s blood-lust, but spiritually, David was also depending on God’s method for forgiving sin to keep him safe from hell.
  - Hebrews 9:11-12 goes on to explain that “But Christ, the high priest of the good things which are about to happen, having come along through the greater and more perfect tabernacle... entered once-for-all into the holy places, and not by means of the blood of goats or calves but by means of His own blood, after having obtained eternal redemption.” (NAW) That is why Christians trust Jesus to save us from God’s wrath against sin instead of offering animal sacrifices.
  - And where is Jesus now? Seated at the right hand of God in heaven, making sure that God forgives our sins. The tabernacle of David’s day was just a model to represent the real presence of God in heaven. Those golden cherubim have been lost, but according to Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4, there are real, live cherubim-angels with wings all around the throne of God in heaven. Whereas David’s eternal hope was prefigured in a wooden box overshadowed by golden statues, our eternal hope is in the crucified and resurrected Christ, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, sitting amidst six-winged angels in heaven! It is by faith in Jesus that we take refuge in the shadow of those wings.

vs. 2-3 Holler to God, Confident that God Will Bring Salvation & Justice

The imperfect tense in verse 2, “I call/cry out to God,” indicates that this is something David does frequently. His relationship with God was not based on a prayer he prayed once as a child and then forgot about; it is a relationship with ongoing communication. The Hebrew word here can mean to “cry out,” but it can also mean to simply “call out to” or even to “visit with.” Is your relationship with God like that – characterized by frequent visits in prayer with God?
And it’s not to just any old God that David calls out to – it is to “God Most High” (Elohim Elyon – the name for God which Melchizedek taught Abraham back in Genesis 14:18-22). David believes the book of Genesis, that Yahweh is greater and more powerful than any other god – He is the MOST High! Do you believe that?
The next verb describing God in the second half of verse 2 is a rare verb in Hebrew, but it clearly means to “bring to an end.” It shows us that, in contrast to the wicked in verse 1 who are pursuing “destructive-desires,” God also has plans which He is bringing to pass – plans, as He later told Jeremiah, to give us “a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11). And God’s plans, unlike those of the wicked, will certainly come to pass. In David’s case, God had announced plans through the prophet Samuel to depose King Saul and to make David king. Despite how unlikely things looked at the moment, David was calling upon God for grace/mercy and placing his hope and trust in God to bring those prophesies to fulfillment.
Later on, in Psalm 138:8, David used the same Hebrew verb to say: “The LORD will perfect/accomplish/vindicate/fulfill/work out that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever…” (NKJV)
Verse 3 expresses David’s confident trust in God’s salvation BEFORE the salvation happens either politically or spiritually. The first half of verse 3 states that God will send something from heaven, and the second half tells us what God will send from heaven, namely His lovingkindness and truth.
One can’t help but see the Messianic fulfillment of this in Jesus, who was “sent” by the Father “from heaven” and who is “the way, the truth, and the life!” (In John 6:38, Jesus said, “... I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent² Me.” and in 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave³ His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” ~NKJV)
And not only will God bring deliverance, God will also punish the wicked who are “hotly pursuing [to] trample upon and swallow up” David. God will “find fault” with the wicked and “rebuke/reproach/put him (or them) to shame”! That is complete justice which both saves those who are in the right and punishes those who are in the wrong. God’s plan for full and perfect justice will be “performed” and “accomplished.”
This isn’t some pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking on David’s part; this is nitty-gritty reliance based upon a real relationship with the Most High God in person – and you can have that too, through trusting Jesus – taking refuge in Him and calling upon Him to be merciful to you!

vs. 4-6 Exalt God Despite Present Danger

In verse 4, David begins to describe his circumstances and the threat to his life.
- He is (or at least has been) “among lions” – the Hebrew word is actually spelled more like “lionesses” than “lions,” perhaps since the female of that species has a reputation for being more aggressive at hunting. This pictures a life-threatening situation, living perilously-close to entities known for being ruthless.
- He is also “lying down” in some relationship with “fire.”
  - The original text does not make it clear whether this is a literal fire or a figure of speech for hatred and anger. Some English Bibles add the word “beasts” (which is not in the original text) to force the meaning in the literal direction, but I suspect it is a parallel to the to the “blood-lust” of King Saul and his men mentioned at the end of v.1.
  - Most English Bibles translate David’s position in relation to these “blazings” as “among/ amid” them, but that preposition (“among”) is not actually in the Hebrew, Greek, Latin, or Syriac of this verse. It is merely suggested by the surrounding text. I think that what we have here is a picture of David lying in the cave, looking out at Saul and his army, safe in God’s protection, but dangerously-close to being discovered and killed.
- The second half of verse 4 describes the threat to David in terms of what is being said by his enemies. The “teeth” and “tongue” stand for the organs of speech used to falsely accuse David and smear his reputation and turn the army against him, so that instead of wanting him to lead them, now they want to kill him. Saul’s hateful slander against David has resulted in actual “spears,” “arrows,” and “swords” being aimed at David.
- David is looking at fierce soldiers who have been whipped up into a frenzy of anger against him and who are carrying lethal weapons to kill him, and what does he do? What would you do in circumstances like that? David prayed for God to be exalted and to exalt divine glory all over the world!
It should be noted that “be exalted” in verse 5 is not passive but active. David is not asking God to sit around and wait for people to exalt Him, rather David is asking God to “rise up and remain in an exalted position.”
- Why? As long as David is unjustly persecuted and wicked men are running rampant, God’s character and work remain hidden to most people on the earth, but when God’s people are saved and those in rebellion against God are punished, then God’s glory becomes apparent on earth.
- So that’s what David is praying for – not merely for God to save his skin, but for all the earth to see how great God is by God saving his skin! David sets the example for us to have the attitude of wanting God to be worshiped as our motivation, and let that drive the way we pray about our own needs.
- “Rise up and let your glory be over all the earth and heaven.” We know that this is the most important statement in the psalm, because it is repeated word-for-word at the end of the psalm. The revealing of God’s glory through saving His people and punishing the wicked is the most important thing to God, and so that’s what David prays for.
In verse 6, we see another description of the threat David faced as he prayed to God for help, but we also see the answer to that prayer:
- The wicked “had dug a pit” and “set/spread/prepared a capture-net” so that when David walked by, he would be captured in the net and the pit, and the bad-guys could then finish him off.
- Although the Hebrew literally says that they dug the pit “in front of [David’s] face,” I think the NIV and ESV convey the right idea that this was probably done secretly out along the path that his enemies knew he would walk, so that it would be hidden right in front of him and he would fall into it.
- It’s possible that this happened literally and was just not mentioned in the history book of 1 Samuel, or it could be figurative language describing the military maneuvers we read about in the book of 1 Samuel, as Saul and his army kept trying to capture David at different places and times and God kept enabling David to evade capture.
- David says that, during this time, his soul was “bowed down.” He knew that Saul was out to get him, so part of the hardship for David was – not only the issue of maintaining physical security, but the psychological anxiety of knowing that danger lurked around every corner. Living in a constant state of hyper-vigilance for years takes its toll on a person’s soul.
- And yet, in the end, the wicked fell into the very trap which they had made for David!
- This testimony of God’s deliverance of David and God’s punishment of the wicked can be found throughout the Psalms:
  - Psalm 7:15 “He dug out a hole and scoured it, but he fell into a pit he worked on!” (NAW, cf. 94:13, 119:85)
  - Psalm 9:15 “Nations have sunk⁴ into a pit they made; their foot⁵ has been caught in a net which they hid!” (NAW)
  - Psalm 10:9 “The wicked... sets an ambush (יֶאֱרֹב) to nab a lowly one. He nabs a lowly one by drawing him into his net…” (NAW)
  - Psalm 25:15 “My eyes will always be [looking] to Yahweh, because it is He who will get my feet (רַגְלָי) out from the capture-net.” (NAW)
  - Psalm 31:4 “You will get me out of the net which they hid⁶ to [capture] me because You are my strength.” (NAW)
  - Psalm 35:7-8 “...they hid (טָמְנוּ) their pit-net for me; gratuitously they scoured⁷ it out to [take] my soul! Ruin will come to him without him knowing, and his net which he hid (טָמַן) will capture him; he will fall into ruin with it.” (NAW, cf. 140:6)
So, here we are thousands of years later, reading about how God saved David and punished King Saul.
- David did not keep that story to himself; He shared it. Why? Because he wanted God’s “glory” to be “over all the earth”!
- We should likewise tell the stories – not only about what God did for David, but also about what God has done in our lives to save us from harm and bring justice against evil.
- The rest of the Psalm is about this very thing – how to let others know about God’s salvation and justice.

vs. 7-11 Praise To God For His Deliverance

Incidentally, the rest of Psalm 57 is almost identical to the first five verses of Psalm 108.
There is a play on words between verse 6 and verse 7 that most English versions don’t pick up on, in which the same Hebrew verb is used to describe what the wicked are doing in v.6 and what is being done to the heart of the righteous in v.7.
- In v.6 The wicked “prepared/spread/set up a capture-net,”
- and in v.7 “My heart has been set up [same verb but passive]/fixed/steadfast/prepared... [to] sing and praise/make music/play melody.”
- This whole experience of being threatened and praying and taking refuge in God and then seeing God come through with deliverance and justice has all been a big fix-up/set-up for David’s heart, to prepare him to sing and play this Psalm!
So, in verse 8, after this dark night of the soul, David reaches for musical instruments and starts singing thanks to God and praising God as the sun begins to rise again.
The “rousing” of his own “glory” – or “body” – to “praise” God in verse 8 is parallel to the “exalting/rising up” of God’s “glory” “over all the earth” in verses 5 and 11. Although some English versions translate the same Hebrew word with two different English words, it should say “glory” in both places, and the verbs are also both synonyms having to do with “rising up” – God “exalting/raising up” His “glory” over all the earth results in us “waking up/arousing ourselves” to give glory to Him through our “praise/thanks.”
- “Praise” God for His “lovingkindness/mercy/steadfast love” and “faithfulness/truth” which He “commissioned from heaven” to bring mercy to us!
- And note David’s example that he offered his praise to God not merely privately from his home but in ways that would make God’s praises known among other nations and peoples.

Psalm 57 – Side-by side comparison of versions^A

Douay^B (Vulgate)	LXX^C (Ps. 56)	Brenton^D (Vaticanus)	KJV^E (1769)	NASB^F (1995)	NIV^G (1984)	ESV^H (2025)	NAW (2026)	Hebrew^I	Bauscher^J (Peshitta)	E.M.Cook^K (Targums)
1 Unto the end, destroy not, for David, for an inscription of a title, when he fled from ^L Saul into the cave.	56:1 Εἰς τὸ τέλος· μὴ διαφθείρῃς· τῷ Δαυιδ εἰς στηλογραφίαν^M ἐν τῷ αὐτὸν ἀποδιδράσκειν ἀπὸ προσώπου Σαουλ εἰς τὸ σπήλαιον.	1 For the end. Destroy not: by David, for a memorial, when he fled from the presence of Saul to the cave.	1 To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from X X Saul in the cave.	1 For the choir director; *set to* Al-tashheth. A Mikhtam of David, when he fled from X X Saul in the cave.	1 For the director of music. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." Of David. A miktam. When he had fled from X X Saul into the cave.	1 To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from X X Saul, in the cave.	1 For the concertmaster, to “Do Not Destroy,” by David, a journal during his flight from the presence of Saul in the cave.	¹ לַמְנַצֵּ֣חַ אַל־תַּ֭שְׁחֵת^N לְדָוִ֣ד מִכְתָּ֑ם בְּבׇרְח֥וֹ ^Oמִפְּנֵי־שָׁ֝א֗וּל בַּמְּעָרָֽה׃		1 For praise, concerning the distress at the time when David said, “Do not harm.” It was spoken by David, ~~humble~~ [and innocent], when he fled from Saul’s presence in the cave.
2 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me: for my soul trusteth in thee. And in the shadow of thy wings will I hope, until iniquity pass away.	56:2 Ἐλέησόν^P με, ὁ θεός, ἐλέησόν με, ὅτι ἐπὶ σοὶ πέποιθεν ἡ ψυχή μου καὶ ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ τῶν πτερύγων σου ἐλπιῶ^Q, ἕως οὗ παρέλθῃ ἡ ἀνομία^R.	Have mercy, upon me, O God, have mercy upon me: for my soul has trusted in thee: and in the shadow of thy wings will I hope, until the iniquity have passed away.	Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.	Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, For my soul takes refuge in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge Until destruction passes by.	Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. X I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.	Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; X in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.	Be gracious to me, God! Be gracious to me because it is in You that my soul has taken refuge, so, in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until the blood-lusts pass.	² חׇנֵּ֤נִי^S אֱלֹהִ֨ים ׀ חׇנֵּ֗נִי כִּ֥י בְךָ֮ חָסָ֢יָה^T נַ֫פְשִׁ֥י וּבְצֵֽל־כְּנָפֶ֥יךָ^U אֶחְסֶ֑ה עַ֗֝ד יַעֲבֹ֥ר הַוּֽוֹת^V׃	1 Show mercy upon me, God, because it is in you that my soul hopes, and in the shadow of your wings I shall have refuge until trouble passes.	2 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in your word my soul has trusted, and in the shade of your Presence I will be confident until the turmoil passes.
3 I will cry to God the most high; to God who hath ~~done good~~ to me.	56:3 κεκράξομαι πρὸς τὸν θεὸν τὸν ὕψιστον, τὸν θεὸν τὸν εὐεργετήσαντά^W με.	2 I will cry to God most high; the God who has ~~benefited~~ me. [Pause.]	2 I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.	2 I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me.	2 I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills [his purpose] for me.	2 I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills [his purpose] for me.	2 I call out to God Most High – to the God who brings closure for me.	³ אֶ֭קְרָא לֵאלֹהִ֣ים עֶלְי֑וֹן^X לָ֝אֵ֗ל גֹּמֵ֥ר^Y עָלָֽי׃	2 I shall call to God, The Highest, and to God my ~~Savior~~.	3 I will ~~pray~~ before God Most High, [the mighty one, who commanded (lit. Appointed) the spider] who completed [a web] for me.
4 He ~~hath~~ sent from heaven and delivered me: he hath made them a reproach that trod upon me. ^Z God hath sent his mercy and his truth,	56:4 ἐξαπέστειλεν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἔσωσέν με, ἔδωκεν εἰς ὄνειδος τοὺς καταπατοῦντάς με. [διάψαλμα]. ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτοῦ	3 He X sent from heaven and saved me; he gave to reproach them that trampled on me: X God has sent forth his mercy and his truth;	3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would ~~swal~~~~low~~ me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.	3 He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me. Selah. God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth.	3 He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah God sends his love and his faithfulness.	3 He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!	3 He will commission from the heavens and make me safe; He will find fault with those who are hounding me. SELAH. God will commission His lovingkindness and His truth.	⁴ יִשְׁלַ֤ח^AA מִשָּׁמַ֨יִם ׀ וְֽיוֹשִׁיעֵ֗נִי חֵרֵ֣ף שֹׁאֲפִ֣י^AB סֶ֑לָה יִשְׁלַ֥ח אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים חַסְדּ֥וֹ וַאֲמִתּֽוֹ׃	3 [For] he X sent from Heaven and he saved me and he has reproached my ~~enemie~~s X. God sent his grace and his truth.	4 He will send [lit appoint] [his angel] from heaven [above], and he will redeem me; he has put to shame the one who bruises me, ~~forever~~; God will send his goodness and his truth.
5 [And he hath delivered] my soul from the midst of the young lions. I slept troubled. The sons of men, whose teeth are weapons^AC and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.	56:5 [καὶ ἐρρύσατο] τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐκ μέσου σκύμνων^AD. ἐκοιμήθην τεταραγμένος^AE· υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων, οἱ ὀδόντες αὐτῶν ὅπλον^AF καὶ βέλη, καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτῶν μάχαιρα ὀξεῖα.	4 [and he has delivered] my soul from the midst of lions' whelps: I lay down [to sleep], though troubled. As for the sons of men, their teeth are arms and missile weapons, and their tongue a sharp sword.	4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.	4 My soul is among lions; I must lie among those who breathe forth fire, Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows And their tongue a sharp sword.	4 I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous [beasts]-- men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongue[s] are sharp swords.	4 My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery [beasts]— the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongue[s] are sharp swords.	4 /He has saved\ my soul /from\ the midst of fierce lions; I will lie down facing the blazings. As for the sons of men, their teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue is a sharp sword.	⁵ נַפְשִׁ֤י ׀^AG ^AHבְּת֥וֹךְ לְבָאִם֮^AI אֶשְׁכְּבָ֢ה^AJ לֹ֫הֲטִ֥ים^AK בְּֽנֵי־אָדָ֗ם שִׁ֭נֵּיהֶם חֲנִ֣ית וְחִצִּ֑ים וּ֝לְשׁוֹנָ֗ם חֶ֣רֶב חַדָּֽה׃	4 [And he saved] my soul from the ~~dogs~~^AL and I slept as I was troubled. The teeth of the children of men are spears and arrows and their tongue [like] a sharp sword.	5 My soul [glows (lit. rejoices) while] in the midst of ~~flames~~; I will sleep [among coals that] burn, the sons of men whose teeth are [like] lances and arrows, and whose tongue is [like] a sharp sword.
Douay (Vulgate)	LXX (Ps. 56)	Brenton (Vaticanus)	KJV (1769)	NASB (1995)	NIV (1984)	ESV (2025)	NAW (2026)	Hebrew	Bauscher (Peshitta)	E.M.Cook (Targums)
6 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens, [and] thy glory above all the earth.	56:6 ὑψώθητι ἐπὶ τοὺς οὐρανούς, ὁ θεός, [καὶ] ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἡ δόξα σου.	5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; [and] thy glory above all the earth.	5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.	5 Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth.	5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.	5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!	5 Rise up over the heavens, God, /and\ let your glory be over all the earth.	⁶ ר֣וּמָה עַל־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם אֱלֹהִ֑ים ^AMעַ֖ל כׇּל־הָאָ֣רֶץ כְּבוֹדֶֽךָ׃	5 God is exalted above Heaven [and] your honor is over all the Earth.	6 Be exalted over the [angels of] heaven, O God; your glory is over all those [who dwell on] earth.
7 They prepared a snare for my ~~feet~~; [and] they bowed down my soul. They dug a pit before my face, [and] they are fallen into it. diapsalma	56:7 παγίδα ἡτοίμασαν τοῖς ποσίν μου [καὶ] κατέκαμψαν τὴν ψυχήν μου· ὤρυξαν πρὸ προσώπου μου βόθρον [καὶ] ἐνέπεσαν εἰς αὐτόν. διάψαλμα.	6 They have prepared snare[s] for my ~~feet~~, [and] have bowed down my soul: they have dug a pit before my face, [and] fallen into it [themselves]. Pause.	6 They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.	6 They have prepared a net for my steps; My soul is bowed down; They dug a pit before me; They themselves have fallen into the midst of it. Selah.	6 They ~~spread~~ a net for my ~~feet~~-- I was bowed down [in distress]. They dug a pit in my ~~path~~-- [but] they have fallen into it [themselves]. Selah	6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my ~~way~~, [but] they have fallen into it [themselves]. Selah	6 They set up a capture-net for my footsteps /when\ my soul was down. They dug a pit out in front of me, /but\ they fell into the midst of it! SELAH.	⁷ רֶ֤שֶׁת ׀ הֵכִ֣ינוּ לִפְעָמַי֮ כָּפַ֢ף^AN נַ֫פְשִׁ֥י כָּר֣וּ לְפָנַ֣י שִׁיחָ֑ה ^AOנָפְל֖וּ בְתוֹכָ֣הּ סֶֽלָה׃	6 They prepared a net for my ~~feet~~ [and] X X X X. they have dug a ditch ~~for~~ my ~~soul~~ [and] they fell into it. X	7 They have set a net for my footsteps; my soul is bowed down; they dug before me a pit, they have fallen into the middle of it forever.
8 My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready: I will sing, and rehearse a psalm.	56:8 ἑτοίμη^AP ἡ καρδία μου, ὁ θεός, ἑτοίμη ἡ καρδία μου, ᾄσομαι καὶ ψαλῶ.	7 My heart, O God, is ready, my heart is ready: I will sing, yea will sing psalms.	7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.	7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!	7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.	7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody!	7 My heart has been set up, God; my heart has been set up: I will sing and I will play music!	⁸ נָ֘כ֤וֹן לִבִּ֣י אֱ֭לֹהִים נָכ֣וֹן לִבִּ֑י אָ֝שִׁ֗ירָה וַאֲזַמֵּֽרָה׃	7 My heart is ready, oh, God, my heart is ready; I shall praise and sing in my honor.	8 My heart is ~~turned~~ [to your Torah,] O ~~Lord~~; my heart is ~~turned~~ [to fear you]; I will praise and sing!
9 Arise, O my glory, arise psaltery and harp: I will arise early.	56:9 ἐξεγέρθητι, ἡ δόξα μου· ἐξεγέρθητι, ψαλτήριον^AQ καὶ κιθάρα· ἐξεγερθήσομαι ὄρθρου.	8 Awake, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I will awake ~~early~~.	8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake ~~early~~.	8 Awake, my glory! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.	8 Awake, my ~~soul~~! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.	8 Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn!	8 Let my glory be roused, let the harp and guitar be roused! I will rouse the dawn!	⁹ ע֤וּרָה ^ARכְבוֹדִ֗י ע֭וּרָֽה הַנֵּ֥בֶל וְכִנּ֗וֹר אָעִ֥ירָה שָּֽׁחַר^AS׃	8 Awake my harp^AT! Awake psaltery and harp, and I shall awake [at] dawn!	9 Wake up, my glory! Wake up [to praise by means of] the harp and lyre; X X wake up [for the prayer of] morning.
10 I will give praise to thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing a psalm to thee among the nations.	56:10 ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι ἐν λαοῖς, κύριε X, ψαλῶ σοι ἐν ἔθνεσιν,	9 O Lord, I will give thanks to thee among the nations: I will sing to thee among the Gentiles.	9 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.	9 I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations.	9 I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.	9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.	9 I will respond to You among the peoples, my Lord; I will play music to You among the nations,	¹⁰ אוֹדְךָ֖ בָעַמִּ֥ים ׀ ^AUאֲדֹנָ֑י אֲ֝זַמֶּרְךָ֗ בַּלְאֻמִּֽים^AV׃	9 I shall confess to you among the nations, oh, ~~God~~; I shall sing to your Name among the peoples	10 I will give thanks before you among the peoples, O L~~ord~~; I will praise you among the nations.
11 For thy mercy is ~~magnified~~ even to the heavens: and thy truth unto the clouds.	56:11 ὅτι ἐμεγα~~λύνθη~~ ἕως τῶν οὐρανῶν τὸ ἔλεός σου καὶ ἕως τῶν νεφελῶν^AW ἡ ἀλήθειά σου.	10 For thy mercy has been ~~magnified~~ even to the heavens, and thy truth to the clouds.	10 For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.	10 For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens And Your truth to the clouds.	10 For great is your Xlove, [reaching] to the heavens; your faithfulness [reaches] to the ~~skies~~.	10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.	10 because Your lovingkindness is great – up to the heavens, and your faithfulness is up to the clouds.	¹¹ כִּֽי־גָדֹ֣ל^AX עַד־שָׁמַ֣יִם חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ וְֽעַד־שְׁחָקִ֥ים אֲמִתֶּֽךָ^AY׃	10 Because your kindness is ~~exalted~~ unto Heaven and your faithfulness unto the roof of Heaven!	11 For your goodness is high^AZ to [reach] the heavens, and your truth, to the clouds.
12 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: [and] thy glory above all the earth.	56:12 ὑψώθητι ἐπὶ τοὺς οὐρανούς, ὁ θεός, [καὶ] ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἡ δόξα σου.	11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; [and] thy glory above all the earth.	11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.	11 Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth.	11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.	11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!	11 Rise up over the heavens, God, /and\ let your glory be over all the earth.	¹² ר֣וּמָה עַל־שָׁמַ֣יִם אֱלֹהִ֑ים ^BAעַ֖ל כׇּל־הָאָ֣רֶץ כְּבוֹדֶֽךָ׃	11 God, be exalted above Heaven, [and] let your honor be above all the Earth!	12 Be exalted, [O Lord,] above the [angels of] heaven; O God, above all [the inhabitants of ]the earth is your glory.

1לחסות תחת־כנפיו, a synonymous phrase to David’s בצל־כנפיך אחסה.

2 πέμψαντός, a synonym to the LXX Eξαπέστειλεν in Psalm 57:4.

3εδωκεν

4טָבְעוּ, synonymous with כּפַף and נָפְלוּ in Ps. 57:6.

5רַגְלָ, a synonym to‎‎ פְעָמַ in Ps. 57:6.

6טָמְנוּ compare with‎ הֵכִינוּ (“set up”) in Ps. 57:6.

7חָפְרוּ, a synonym to כרו in Ps. 57:6.

AWhen a translation adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done so by the use of italics (or greyed-out text), I put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is different from all the other translations, I underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text, I use ~~strikeout~~. And when a version omits a word which is in the original text, I insert an X. (I also place an X at the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English translation is singular.) I occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between the various editions and versions when there are more than two different translations of a given word. The only known Dead Sea Scroll containing Psalm 57 is Pesher Psalms C, dated to the 2^nd century BC, and which contains part of the superscription. Where the DSS is legible and reads the same as the MT, the Hebrew text is colored purple. Where the DSS and ancient versions support each other against the MT in such a way that I suspect they are the original reading, I have highlighted them with yellow.

BDouay Old Testament first published by the English College at Douay, A.D. 1609, Revised and Diligently Compared with the Latin Vulgate by Bishop Richard Challoner, Published in 1582, 1609, 1752. As published on E-Sword Aug 5, 2026.

CThe Septuagint (LXX), edited by Alfred Rahlfs. Published in 1935; public domain. As published on E-Sword Aug 5, 2026

DEnglish translation of the Septuagint by Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton, 1851, “based upon the text of the Vaticanus” but not identical to the Vaticanus. As published on E-Sword Aug 5, 2026

E1769 King James Version of the Holy Bible; public domain. As published electronically by E-Sword Aug 8, 2019.

HThis publication contains The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright ©2001, 2016, 2025 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV® Text Edition: 2025. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

IFrom the Wiki Hebrew Bible https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%A8_%D7%AA%D7%94%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D.
DSS text comes from https://downloads.thewaytoyahuweh.com

LDouay omitted the word facie (“face”) which is in the Vulgate and in the Hebrew.

MInstead of “memorial,” 2^nd century versions render it “humbled to the extreme” (Aquilla) and “humble-minded and unblemished” (Symmachus).

NThere are only four other places in the O.T. where this phrase occurs: Deut. 9:26, Ps. 58:1, 59:1, and 75:1.

OBHQ claims that the Dead sea scrolls spell this word with a doubled rather than a single preposition: מלפני instead of מפני. I can only assume that this is referring to Pesher Psalms C, but I have not been able to find an image or transcription of this Pesher to confirm. It wouldn’t make any difference in meaning anyway.

PAquilla rendered with δωρησαι (“be gracious”). I think the LXX is a better translation here, though.

QSymmachus rendered ευθαρσησω (“I will have good courage”).

RLit. “lawlessness” probably due to mis-construing the Hebrew root. Aquilla’s επιβουλη (“plot”) is a better translation. Cf. Sym. επηρεαστης (“abused-status”).

SThis repeated request “Have mercy on me/be gracious to me” is a theme throughout the Psalms – esp. the first two books: (4:2; 6:3; 9:14; 25:16; 26:11; 27:7; 31:10; 41:5, 11; 51:3; 56:2; 57:2; 67:2; 86:3, 16; 119:29, 58, 132; 123:2-3).

T“trusting/taking refuge” in the LORD is a major theme of the Psalms – esp. of the first two books: (2:12; 5:12; 7:2; 11:1; 16:1; 17:7; 18:3, 31; 25:20; 31:2, 20; 34:9, 23; 36:8; 37:40; 57:2; 61:5; 64:11; 71:1; 91:4; 118:8-9; 141:8; 144:2).

U“Shadow of your wings” shows up 4 other times in the Psalms:
Psalm 17:8 “Protect me like You would [the] apple of [your] eye. In the shadow of Your wings You will hide me”
Psalm 36:7 “God, how precious Your lovingkindness is! So the children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.” (NAW)
Psalm 61:4 “I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah”
Psalm 63:7 “Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.” (NKJV)
Cf. Ex. 19:3-4 - God’s words formed the basis of Moses’ song in Deut. 32:11-12.
Cf. The spot under the wings of the cherubim on the ark of the covenant was the “mercy seat” where blood was sprinkled to forgive sins.

VCf. Psalm 38:12. Cf. this same desire on the part of David’s enemy to bring harm in 52:4-9 and 55:12. The middle two letters of this Hebrew word are the same as the word for “iniquity” (עוון), so it appears that the LXX and Vulgate were confused about the root of this word, which modern lexicographers identify as הַוָּה.

WAq. = απηρτισμενον (“skillfully works out”), Sym. = επιτιμησαντα (“raises honor”).

XThis is the name for God which Melchizedek taught Abraham in Genesis 14:18-22.

YThis rare verb only occurs in the Psalms (7:10; 12:2; 57:3; 77:9; 138:8) and is translated with a different word every time in the Greek LXX. From the first two and fourth occurrence it clearly means to punish the wicked by “bringing them to an end,” but both here and in the final instance (Psalm 138:8 “The LORD will perfect/accomplish/vindicate/fulfill/work out that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever…”), it is applied to the righteous and must mean something positive. What makes the most sense is “bringing closure” by fulfilling the prophecies which had been made earlier to remove Saul from the throne and to establish David as king. In contrast to the wicked who have “destructive-desires,” God also has plans which He is bringing to pass, but, unlike the wicked, what God wills will certainly come to pass.

ZVulgate has a diapsalma here (just as the Hebrew and Greek do), but Douay didn’t carry it into the English translation.

AAThe second half of this verse lists what God will send from heaven, namely His lovingkindness and truth. One can’t help but see the Messianic fulfillment of this in Jesus, who was “sent” by the Father “from heaven” and who is “the way, the truth, and the life!” This is a confident trust in God’s salvation BEFORE the salvation happens either politically or spiritually! All the verbs in this verse are imperfect (future tense) in the MT and Targums, but past tense in the Vulgate, LXX, and Peshitta.

ABGB, KJV, Targums, NASB, and ESV follow the MT spelling which is singular (“him who tramples me”), but the Vulgate, LXX, and Peshitta, followed by the NET, NIV, & NLT all read plural “them who trample me.” Either interpretation is possible in the unpointed Hebrew, so there must have been a contextual reason why all the Latin, Syriac, and Greek speakers assumed it was plural. That contextual reason can be found in the 8 plurals describing David’s enemies in the subsequent verses (vs. 6 & 8) and the absence of any other singulars describing David’s enemies except for the singular “Saul” in the superscription. The same verb is used of David’s oppressor in Psalm 56:1-2.

ACLancea

ADCf. synonym in Aq/Sym λεαινων/λεοντων (“lions”).

AE“troubled” cf. Aq. = λαβρων (“takers?”), Sym. = μεταξυ φλεγοντων (“in the midst of burnings”), Theod. = Μετα αναλισκοντων (“with those who consume”).

AFTactical gear. Cf. Aq/Sym δορυ/δορατα (“spear/s”) and Theodotian τοξον (“bow”). “Spear” is the best translation for the Masoretic Hebrew.

AGThe Vulgate, LXX, Syriac, and Targums all print a verb here, but it has been dropped out of the MT. Even the editors of the BHQ suggested adding ויושע.

AHVulgate, Peshitta, LXX, and Targums all insert an extra preposition “from/although,” suggesting that the omission in the MT extends past the verb to also omit a mem preposition prefixed to this subsequent word in the Hebrew text.

AIHapex legomenon (the uniqueness of which explains why the Peshitta and Targums have such different translations from the LXX and Vulgate), but it appears to be related to לָבִיא – lioness, the female of which species has the reputation of being more aggressive in hunting than the male.

AJWestminster morphology (and that of Beal/Banks & Smith) interpret the final letter as a cohortative he, which only the NASB (following Delitzsch) and 2011NIV attempted to translate into English (“I must lie/am forced to dwell”), but I interpreted it as a directional he (“I will lie there”), and all the other English versions effectively did the same by adding the word “among,” even though there is not actually a preposition there (the next word begins with a lamed which can mean “among,” but that lamed is part of the root of the word, not a prepositional suffix).

AKEvery time that this word for “burning/blazing/fire” occurs in the Psalms, it describes God’s wrath consuming the wicked. In fact, this word is never used in the HOT to speak of wicked men’s actions apart from the judgment of God.

ALThe Syriac translators divided the words differently, as בתו כלבאם instead of בתוכ לבאם, changing the root word from “lions” to “dogs,” but that would result in improper spellings of “among” and of the plural of “dogs,” disconfirming that translation.

AMVulgate, Peshitta, and LXX all include a conjunction here which is not in the MT or Targums.

ANLXX, Vulgate, and Peshitta all inserted a conjunction before this verb. Vulgate and LXX read as though there were an extra vav at the end of this word making it plural “they bowed” rather than “my soul bowed.” One might expect to also see an את before “my soul” to indicate that it was a direct object rather than the subject in that case, but there is no such direct object indicator in the Hebrew.

AOLXX, Vulgate, and Peshitta (followed by NIV and ESV) all inserted a conjunction before this verb.

APSymmachus’ translation ‘εδραια (“firm”) is better.

AQAq. & Sym. transliterated this (ναβλα) rather than translating it as the LXX did.

ARIn the parallel Psalm 108, this word is “harp” instead of “glory.” (See next endnote below.) Geneva Bible inexplicably changed it to “tongue,” NIV changed it to “soul,” and NLT to “heart.” However, “awake my glory” provides a poetic counterpart to “let your glory be exalted” from two verses previous.

ASThis is a noun (“dawn”), and the Vulgate, LXX, Peshitta, and Targums also render it with a noun, but some of the older English versions rendered it “early” as though it were an adverb.

ATThe word for “harp” (כנור) looks very similar to the word for “glory” (כבוד) in Hebrew.

AUPsalm 108:4 gives the Yahwistic edition of this verse.

AVThis seems to be a variation on עמים, found only in Gen. 25:16, Num. 25:15, and Ps. 44:15, 57:10, 108:4, 117:1, & 149:7.

AWSymmachus rendered “space” (ειθερος) instead of “clouds.”

AXLXX, Vulgate, and Peshitta all interpreted this word as a verb rather than an adjective as the Masorite pointing interprets it. Without pointing, it could be a verb.

AY This is an almost-exact copy of Psalm 36:5.

AZThe word in the Targums is actually רב (“great”) not “high” (רום/במה/גבה/על/שגב).

BAThe Vulgate, Peshitta, and LXX all saw a conjunction here which is not in the MT. The conjunction is also present in the Yahwistic edition of this Psalm in 108.