Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 59:13

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalms 59:0 Wild dogs

At the time of writing this psalm, David had not yet fled to Gath and Adullam. He was still at Saul’s court, but his repeated military successes stirred up Saul’s jealousy, resulting in another attempt by Saul to spear him (1 Samuel 19:1-10). David escaped to the safety of his own house. Saul then laid a plot to murder him at his home, and David escaped only narrowly (1 Samuel 19:11-17). This psalm concerns the attempt on David’s life at his house.

The psalm opens with a plea for protection against those whose intention is to murder David (1-2). Bloodthirsty people hide in the dark, awaiting the opportunity to kill an innocent man (3-5). David likens them to a pack of wild dogs that prowl the streets at night, seeking some helpless victim that they can attack and tear to pieces (6-7). But they are powerless against God, and therefore they are powerless against those whom he defends (8-10).
David knows that God will destroy these violent people, but he does not want them killed in a way that would appear to be the result of natural causes. He wants their death to occur in such a way that people will see clearly that it is a direct judgment from the righteous God (11-13).
Meanwhile the hungry dogs still prowl. Each night they return, eagerly looking for their victim (14-15). God, however, still guards David, and each morning David praises him afresh for his faithful protection (16-17).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

“My God with his lovingkindness will meet me; God will let me see my desire upon mine enemies. Slay them not, lest my people forget. Scatter them by thy power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield. For the sin of their mouth, and the word of their lips, Let them even be taken in their pride, And for cursing and lying which they speak. Consume them in thy wrath, consume them so they shall be no more; And let them know that God ruleth in Jacob. Unto the ends of the earth. (Selah)”

“Let me see my desire upon mine enemies” “The words ’my desire’ are not in the original (as indicated by the italics); and Spurgeon tells us that the Hebrew here means that, “David expected to see his enemies without fear.”Charles Haddon Spurgeon, p. 264. This is only another example of instances in which ’supplied words’ by the translators sometimes unintentionally change the meaning of the text.

“Lest my people forget” David’s request here is that God would not slay his enemies at once, but subdue them, in order that their punishment might serve as an example to “my people.” If God had destroyed his enemies at once, the people would soon have forgotten all about it.

“My people” This line seems to say that David, at the time of writing this psalm was already king, as some commentators suggest. We can hardly think of David, during the time when he was being pursued by enemies intent on killing him as speaking of Israel as ’my people,’ although, of course, it was not impossible.

“Slay them not… scatter them” This plea directed against the sudden and immediate death of his foes indicates that God surely has a use for wicked people. A woman once asked Adam Clarke, “Dr. Clarke, ’Why doesn’t God just destroy all the wicked people and thereby put an end to sin?” Clarke replied, “My dear Lady, if God did a thing like that, there would not be enough righteous people left on earth to keep the lions and tigers from eating up the human race.”

Kidner pointed out the following roles of wicked people on earth. “(1) God uses them as scourges (Isaiah 10:5 f); (2) as tests of loyalty (Judges 2:22); (3) as hardeners (Judges 3:22); and (4), in this passage as object-lessons.”Derek Kidner, Vol. 1, p. 213. And to these we may add a fifth; (5) God uses one wicked nation to destroy another. “The king of Assyria,” for example, was called God’s razor (Isaiah 7:20); but later God used Babylon to destroy Assyria, etc.”

Kidner also believed that this verse, “Inspired the line, ’Scatter her enemies, and make them fall,’ in the British national anthem.”Ibid.

“Sin of their mouth… words of their lips… cursing and lying” This emphasis upon the human tongue as an instrument of sin is amazing. The men charged here were murderers and assassins, also compared by the psalmist to a pack of vicious scavenger dogs; but here the sin singled out for emphasis was that of the tongue. This reminds us of the words of James, “If any man stumbleth not in word, the same is a perfect man” (James 3:2).

“Consume them” God’s use of wicked men and nations to accomplish in some instances the will of God, which we noticed back in Psalms 59:11, does not obscure the ultimate intention of God to destroy the wicked. “Wait awhile” in Psalms 59:11, issues here as “Consume them.”

As Dummelow said, “Zeal for God’s glory is the one motive of the Psalmist’s prayer, however vindictive some of his requests may appear.”J. R. Dummelow, p. 352.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Consume them in wrath - Or, in thy justice. The idea in the word “consume” here is to finish; to complete; to bring to an end. It does not mean to “burn” them as our word might seem to imply, nor is there any reference to the “mode” or “manner” in which their power was to be brought to an end. It is merely a prayer that all their plans might be frustrated; that there might be an entire completion of their attempts; or that they might be in no sense successful.

Consume them - The expression is repeated for the sake of emphasis, implying a desire that the work might be “complete.”

That they may not be - That things might be as if they were not in the land of the living.

And let them know - Those who are now plotting my death.

That God ruleth in Jacob - That God rules among his people, protecting them and guarding them from the attacks of their enemies; that he is their friend, and that he is the enemy of all those who seek to injure and destroy them.

Unto the ends of the earth - Everywhere. All over the world. Let it be shown that the same principles of government prevail wherever man abides or wanders - that God manifests himself everywhere as the friend of right, and the enemy of wrong. The phrase “the ends of the earth,” is in accordance with the prevailing conception that the earth was an extended plane, and that it had limits or boundaries. Compare the notes at Isaiah 40:22, notes at Isaiah 40:28.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

13Consume, consume them in wrath, that they may not be David may seem to contradict himself in praying for the utter destruction of his enemies, when immediately before he had expressed his desire that they might not be exterminated at once. ⁽³⁷⁴⁾ What else could he mean when he asks that God would consume them in wrath, but that he would cut them off suddenly, and not by a gradual and slower process of punishment? But he evidently refers in what he says here to a different point of time, and this removes any apparent inconsistency, for he prays that when they had been set up for a sufficient period as an example, they might eventually be devoted to destruction. It was customary with the victorious Roman generals, first to lead the captives which had been kept for the day of triumph through the city, and afterwards, upon reaching the capital, to give them over to the lictors for execution. Now David prays that when God had, in a similar manner, reserved his enemies for an interval sufficient to illustrate his triumph, he would upon this consign them to summary punishment. The two things are not at all inconsistent; first, that the divine judgments should be lengthened out through a considerable period, to secure their being remembered better, and that then, upon sufficient evidence being given to the world of the certainty with which the wicked are subjected in the displeasure of God to the slower process of destruction, he should in due time bring them forth to final execution, the better to awake, by such a demonstration of his power, the minds of those who may be more secure than others, or less affected by witnessing moderate inflictions of punishment. He adds, accordingly, that they may know, even to the ends of the earth, that God ruleth in Jacob Some would insert the copulative particle, reading, that they may know that God rules in Jacob, and in all the nations of the world, an interpretation which I do not approve, and which does violence to the sense. The allusion is to the condign nature of the judgment, which would be such that the report of it would reach the remotest regions, and strike salutary terror into the minds even of their benighted and godless inhabitants. He was more especially anxious that God should be recognised as ruling in the Church, it being preposterous that the place where his throne was erected should present such an aspect of confusion as converted his temple into a den of thieves.

(374) Williams observes, that the Hebrew rendered consume “literally means to finish, bring to an end; namely, the (lang. it) banditti . The Psalmist, verse 11, prays, ‘Slay them not;’i. e. , take not away their lives as individuals, but put an end to the conspiracy.”

Smith's Bible Commentary

Psalms 59:1-17

Psalms 59:1-17 is another one of those "destroy not" prayers of David, when Saul sent and they watched the house to kill him. His wife, Michael, let him out of the window in a basket and David escaped. But the men were watching the house of David to kill him. And David wrote this psalm on that occasion.

Deliver me from my enemy, O God: defend me from them that rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from the bloody men. For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgressions, nor for my sin, O LORD ( Psalms 59:1-3 ).

It was just because of Saul's jealousy; it wasn't that David had done anything wrong.

They run and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me, and behold. Thou therefore, [O God,] O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all of the heathen: be not merciful to the wicked transgressors ( Psalms 59:4-5 ).

Just be merciful to me, Lord, in my wickedness. Isn't that the way that it goes?

They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and they go around about the city ( Psalms 59:6 ).

Here are these guys out there and they are barking like dogs, and David knew who they were.

They belch out with their mouth: and swords are in their lips: and who, say they, that does hear? But thou, O LORD, shall laugh at them; and thou shalt have all of the heathen in derision. Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defense. The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desires upon my enemies. Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield. For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying of which they speak. Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city. Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied. But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my troubles. Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defense, and the God of my mercy ( Psalms 59:7-17 ).

So three times over in the psalm, God is spoken of as David's defense. And it's surely neat to have God as our defense. Now, I have discovered that God will be my defense as long as I let Him be my defense. But if I seek to take up my own defense, then God will let me defend myself. And I have found that I really can't defend myself adequately. And so I have learned not to seek to defend myself, but to leave my defense completely in the hands of God. Now, if you want God to defend you, then you have to just commit yourself to the hands of God and not seek to defend yourself. God is my defense. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 59

The occasion for this individual lament psalm was evidently the event the writer of 1 Samuel recorded in Psalms 19:8-14, namely: Saul’s attempt to kill David in his bed at home. David asked God to defend him from the attacks of bloodthirsty men and to humiliate them so everyone might recognize God’s sovereignty.

"The focus of the psalm is on God-the Deliverer (Psalms 59:1-9) and the Judge (Psalms 59:10-17)." [Note: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p. 201.]

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

3. David’s desire for God’s glory 59:11-13

David did not just want God to frustrate the attacks of his enemies. He desired that God would use their aggression as a lesson to many people of how God deals with those who oppose Him and His anointed.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Consume [them] in wrath, consume [them],.... The repetition of the request shows the ardour and vehemency of the mind of the petitioner, and the importunity in which he put up the petition; and suggests that the persons designed were guilty of very great sins, deserving of the wrath of God, and which came upon them to the uttermost, 1 Thessalonians 2:16;

that they [may] not [be]; either any more in the land of the living; be utterly extinct, having no being in this world, Jeremiah 31:15; or that they might not be in the glory and grandeur, in the honour, dignity, and felicity, they once were in; which best suits the present state of the Jews; and this sense better agrees with what follows;

and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob, unto the ends of the earth; this is to be understood of the Messiah, who is God over all, blessed for ever, and is the ruler in Israel, King of saints; reigns over the house of Jacob, in his church, and among his people, wherever they are; even to the ends of the earth, where he has had, or will have, some that are subject to him: for his dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth, Psalms 72:8; and this his government is known to men good and bad, by the judgments which he executeth; and particularly it is apparent that he is made Lord and Christ, and that he is come in his kingdom, and with power, by the vengeance taken on the Jewish nation.

Selah; on this word, Psalms 72:8- :.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      8 But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.   9 Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.   10 The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.   11 Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield.   12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.   13 Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.   14 And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.   15 Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied.   16 But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.   17 Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.

      David here encourages himself, in reference to the threatening power of his enemies, with a pious resolution to wait upon God and a believing expectation that he should yet praise him.

      I. He resolves to wait upon God (Psalms 59:9; Psalms 59:9): "Because of his strength" (either the strength of his enemies, the fear of which drove him to God, or because of God's strength, the hope of which drew him to God) "Will I wait upon thee, with a believing dependence upon thee and confidence in thee." It is our wisdom and duty, in times of danger and difficulty, to wait upon God; for he is our defence, our high place, in whom we shall be safe. He hopes, 1. That God will be to him a God of mercy (Psalms 59:10; Psalms 59:10): "The God of my mercy shall prevent me with the blessings of his goodness and the gifts of his mercy, prevent my fears, prevent my prayers, and be better to me than my own expectations." It is very comfortable to us, in prayer, to eye God, not only as the God of mercy, but as the God of our mercy, the author of all good in us and the giver of all good to us. Whatever mercy there is in God, it is laid up for us, and is ready to be laid out upon us. Justly does the psalmist call God's mercy his mercy, for all the blessings of the new covenant are called the sure mercies of David (Isaiah 55:3); and they are sure to all the seed. 2. That he will be to his persecutors a God of vengeance. His expectation of this he expresses partly by way of prediction and partly by way of petition, which come all to one; for his prayer that it might be so amounts to a prophecy that it shall be so. Here are several things which he foretels concerning his enemies, or observers, that sought occasions against him and opportunity to do him a mischief, in all which he should see his desire, not a passionate or revengeful desire, but a believing desire upon them, Psalms 59:10; Psalms 59:10. (1.) He foresees that God would expose them to scorn, as they had indeed made themselves ridiculous, Psalms 59:8; Psalms 59:8. "They think God does not hear them, does not heed them; but thou, O Lord! shalt laugh at them for their folly, to think that he who planted the ear shall not hear, and thou shalt have not them only, but all such other heathenish people that live without God in the world, in derision." Note, Atheists and persecutors are worthy to be laughed at and had in derision. See Psalms 2:4; Proverbs 1:26; Isaiah 37:22. (2.) That God would make them standing monuments of his justice (Psalms 59:11; Psalms 59:11): Slay them not; let them not be killed outright, lest my people forget. If the execution be soon done, the impressions of it will not be keep, and therefore will not be durable, but will quickly wear off. Swift destructions startle men for the present, but they are soon forgotten, for which reason he prays that this might be gradual: "Scatter them by thy power, and let them carry about with them, in their wanderings, such tokens of God's displeasure as may spread the notice of their punishment to all parts of the country." Thus Cain himself, though a murderer, was not slain, lest the vengeance should be forgotten, but was sentenced to be a fugitive and a vagabond. Note, When we think God's judgments come slowly upon sinners we must conclude that God has wise and holy ends in the gradual proceedings of his wrath. "So scatter them as that they may never again unite to do mischief, bring them down, O Lord, our shield!" If God has undertaken the protection of his people as their shield, he will doubtless humble and abase all those that fight against them. (3.) That they might be dealt with according to their deserts (Psalms 59:12; Psalms 59:12): For the sin of their mouth, even for the words of their lips (for every word they speak has sin in it), let them for this be taken in their pride, even for their cursing others and themselves (a sin Saul was subject to, 1 Samuel 14:28), and lying. Note, There is a great deal of malignity in tongue-sins, more than is commonly thought of. Note, further, Cursing, and lying, and speaking proudly, are some of the worst of the sins of the tongue; and that man is truly miserable whom God deals with according to the deserts of these, making his own tongue to fall on him. (4.) That God would glorify himself, as Israel's God and King, in their destruction (Psalms 59:13; Psalms 59:13): "Consume them in wrath, consume them; that is, follow them with one judgment after another, till they be utterly ruined; let them be sensibly, but gradually wasted, that they themselves, while they are in the consuming, may know, and that the standers-by may likewise draw this inference form it, That God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth." Saul and his party think to rule and carry all before them, but they shall be made to know that there is a higher than they, that there is one who does and will overrule them. The design of God's judgments is to convince men that the Lord reigns, that he fulfils his own counsels, gives law to all the creatures, and disposes all things to his own glory, so that the greatest of men are under his check, and he makes what use he pleases of them. He rules in Jacob; for there he keeps his court; there it is known, and his name is great. But he rules to the end of the earth; for all nations are within the territories of his kingdom. He rules to the ends of the earth, even over those that know him not, but he rules for Jacob (so it may be read); he has an eye to the good of his church in the government of the world; the administrations of that government, even to the ends of the earth, are for Jacob his servant's sake and for Israel's his elect,Isaiah 45:4. (5.) That he would make their sin their punishment, Psalms 59:14; Psalms 59:14, compare Psalms 59:6; Psalms 59:6. Their sin was their hunting for David to make a prey of him; their punishment should be that they should be reduced to such extreme poverty that they should hunt about for meat to satisfy their hunger, and should miss of it as they missed of David. Thus they should be, not cut off at once, but scattered (Psalms 59:11; Psalms 59:11), and gradually consumed (Psalms 59:13; Psalms 59:13); those that die by famine die by inches, and feel themselves die, Lamentations 4:9. He foretels that they should be forced to beg their bread from door to door. [1.] That they should do it with the greatest regret and reluctancy imaginable. To beg they are ashamed (which makes it the greater punishment to them), and therefore they do it at evening, when it begins to be dark, that they may not be seen, at the time when other beasts of prey creep forth, Psalms 104:20. [2.] That yet they should be very clamorous and loud in their complaints, which would proceed from a great indignation at their condition, which they cannot in the least degree reconcile themselves to: They shall make a noise like a dog. When they were in quest of David they made a noise like an angry dog snarling and barking; now, when they are in quest of meat, they shall make a noise like a hungry dog howling and wailing. Those that repent of their sins mourn, when in trouble, like doves; those whose hearts are hardened make a noise, when in trouble, like dogs, like a wild bull in a net, full of the fury of the Lord. See Hosea 7:14, They have not cried unto me with their heart when they howled on their beds for corn and wine. [3.] That they should meet with little relief, but the hearts of people should be very much hardened towards them, so that they should go round about the city, and wander up and down for meat (Psalms 59:15; Psalms 59:15), and should get nothing but by dint of importunity (according to our marginal reading, If they be not satisfied, they will tarry all night), so that what people do give them is not with good-will, but only to get rid of them, lest by their continual coming they weary them. [4.] That they should be insatiable, which is the greatest misery of all in a poor condition. They are greedy dogs which can never have enough (Isaiah 56:11), and they grudge if they be not satisfied. A contented man, if he has not what he would have, yet does not grudge, does not quarrel with Providence, nor fret within himself; but those whose God is their belly, if that be not filled and its appetites gratified, fall out both with God and themselves. It is not poverty, but discontent, that makes a man unhappy.

      II. He expects to praise God, that God's providence would find him matter for praise and that God's grace would work in him a heart for praise, Psalms 59:16; Psalms 59:17. Observe,

      1. What he would praise God for. (1.) He would praise his power and his mercy; both should be the subject-matter of his song. Power, without mercy, is to be dreaded; mercy, without power, is not what a man can expect much benefit from; but God's power by which he is able to help us, and his mercy by which he is inclined to help us, will justly be the everlasting praise of all the saints. (2.) He would praise him because he had, many a time, and all along, found him his defence and his refuge in the day of trouble. God brings his people into trouble, that they may experience his power and mercy in protecting and sheltering them, and may have occasion to praise him. (3.) He would praise him because he had still a dependence upon him and a confidence in him, as his strength to support him and carry him on in his duty, his defence to keep him safe from evil, and the God of his mercy to make him happy and easy. He that is all this to us is certainly worthy of our best affections, praises, and services.

      2. How he would praise God. (1.) He would sing. As that is a natural expression of joy, so it is an instituted ordinance for the exerting and exciting of holy joy and thankfulness. (2.) He would sing aloud, as one much affected with the glory of God, that was not ashamed to own it, and that desired to affect others with it. He will sing of God's power, but he will sing aloud of his mercy; the consideration of that raises his affections more than any thing else. (3.) He would sing aloud in the morning, when his spirits were most fresh and lively. God's compassions are new every morning, and therefore it is fit to begin the day with his praises. (4.) He would sing unto God (Psalms 59:17; Psalms 59:17), to his honour and glory, and with him in his eye. As we must direct our prayers to God, so to him we must direct our praises, and must look up, making melody to the Lord.