Psalms 55 KJV
A Prayer Against Betrayal
About This Psalm
Betrayed by a close friend. David wishes he could fly away like a bird. The pain of broken trust from someone you loved.
1ive ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.
2 Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise;
3 Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.
4 My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
5 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.
6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.
7 Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah.
8 I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.
9 Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it.
11 Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets.
12 For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:
13 But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.
14 We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.
15 Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.
16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
18 He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.
19 God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
20 He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant.
21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.
22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
23 But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.
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Did You Know?
Psalm 55's portrayal of betrayal by a 'familiar friend' who shared intimate counsel at the temple aligns precisely with Ahithophel's role in Absalom's revolt, offering a rare window into how David processed political treachery as covenantal violation rather than mere personal injury.
The psalm's central pivot from anguished flight imagery ('Oh that I had wings like a dove') to imprecatory judgment on the wicked reveals a theological movement from escapist desire to covenantal accountability, underscoring that true refuge involves divine justice rather than evasion.
Its structure incorporates a rare double inclusio framing the city as both a site of communal violence and divine scrutiny, reflecting historical realities of Jerusalem's internal divisions during the united monarchy and foreshadowing prophetic oracles against urban corruption.
Verse 22's directive to 'cast thy burden upon the Lord' employs the Hebrew verb 'yahab' in a way that echoes priestly offerings, transforming the psalm into a liturgical model where personal betrayal is ritually transferred to God, influencing later Jewish and Christian understandings of intercession.
The closing assertion that the righteous 'shall never be moved' contrasts sharply with the earlier descriptions of constant 'trembling' and 'horror,' creating a literary arc that models the transformation of fear into eschatological stability through sustained prayer rather than immediate deliverance.
Commentary & Study Notes
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871) ยท Public Domain
Classic verse-by-verse commentary on Psalms 55 from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871). Covers: In Great Terror On Account Of Enemies, And Grieved By The Treachery Of A Friend, The Psalmist Offers An Earnest Prayer For Relief. He Mingles Confident Assurances Of Divine Favor To Himself With Invocations And Predictions Of God's Avenging Judgments On The Wicked. The Tone Suits David's Experience, Both In The Times Of Saul And Absalom, Though Perhaps Neither Was Exclusively Before His Mind.
In Great Terror On Account Of Enemies, And Grieved By The Treachery Of A Friend, The Psalmist Offers An Earnest Prayer For Relief. He Mingles Confident Assurances Of Divine Favor To Himself With Invocations And Predictions Of God's Avenging Judgments On The Wicked. The Tone Suits David's Experience, Both In The Times Of Saul And Absalom, Though Perhaps Neither Was Exclusively Before His Mind v1-23
1. hide not thyself, &c.--(compare Ps 13:1; 27:9), withhold not help. 2. The terms of the last clause express full indulgence of grief. 3. oppression--literally, "persecution." they . . . iniquity--literally, "they make evil doings slide upon me." 4, 5. express great alarm. 5. come upon--or literally, "into." 6. be at rest--literally, "dwell," that is, permanently. 7, 8. Even a wilderness is a safer place than exposure to such evils, terrible as storm and tempest. 9. Destroy--literally, "swallow" (Ps 21:9). divide their tongues--or, "confound their speech," and hence their counsels (Ge 11:7). the city--perhaps Jerusalem, the scene of anarchy. 10, 11. which is described in detail (compare Ps 7:14-16). 11. Wickedness--literally, "Mischief," evils resulting from others (Ps 5:9; 52:2, 7). streets--or literally, "wide places," markets, courts of justice, and any public place. 12-14. This description of treachery does not deny, but aggravates, the injury from enemies. 13. guide--literally, "friend" (Pr 16:28; 17:9). acquaintance--in Hebrew, a yet more intimate associate. 14. in company--literally, "with a crowd," in a festal procession. 15. Let death, &c.--or, "Desolations are on them." let them go--literally, "they will go." quick--or, living in the midst of life, death will come (compare Nu 16:33). among them--or, "within them," in their hearts (Ps 5:9; 49:11). 16-18. God answers his constant and repeated prayers. 18. many with me--that is, by the context, fighting with me. 19. God hears the wicked in wrath. abideth--or, "sitteth." of old--enthroned as a sovereign. Because . . . no changes--Prosperity hardens them (Ps 73:5). 20, 21. The treachery is aggravated by hypocrisy. The changes of number, Ps 55:15, 23, and here, enliven the picture, and imply that the chief traitor and his accomplices are in view together. 22. thy burden--literally, "gift," what is assigned you. he shall sustain--literally, "supply food," and so all need (Ps 37:25; Mt 6:11). to be moved--from the secure position of His favor (compare Ps 10:6). 23. bloody . . . days--(compare Ps 5:6; 51:14), deceit and murderous dispositions often united. The threat is directed specially (not as a general truth) against the wicked, then in the writer's view.