Psalms 57 KJV
Praise Amid Peril
About This Psalm
Hiding in a cave from Saul, David still praises. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Worship from the lowest point.
1e 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.
2 I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.
3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.
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.
5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.
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.
7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.
8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.
9 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.
10 For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.
11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.
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Did You Know?
Psalm 57 reuses its final verses almost verbatim in Psalm 108, creating a composite psalm that deliberately splices this chapter’s praise section with material from Psalm 60 to address both personal deliverance and national victory.
The refrain “Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens” functions as a deliberate theological pivot, shifting attention from David’s cave-bound peril to God’s cosmic rule and thereby modeling how individual lament can be reframed by doxology.
Verse 8’s command to “awake the dawn” employs a rare poetic reversal in which the psalmist, rather than waiting for daylight, summons the morning itself to join his praise. An image paralleled only in a few Ugaritic and Joban dawn-personification texts.
The superscription’s reference to “the cave” subtly evokes both Adullam (1 Sam 22) and En-Gedi (1 Sam 24), allowing the psalm to overlay two distinct Saul episodes and thereby generalize David’s experience of mercy amid opportunity for vengeance.
The phrase “my heart is fixed” (v. 7) uses the Hebrew root כּוּן in the perfect tense to signal a settled resolve that anticipates the later Pauline theme of being “steadfast, unmoveable” even before outward deliverance arrives.
Jonathan sealed his covenant with David by giving him his royal robe, armor, sword, bow, and belt, ritually transferring symbols of kingship despite being Saul's heir.
Solomon's throne, overlaid with gold and ivory, featured six steps flanked by twelve lions symbolizing the tribes of Israel and incorporated a calf-shaped seat back, making it a unique artifact unmatched by any other royal throne of the era.
This location became the focal point of national worship and divine promises, later extending symbolically to encompass the Temple Mount where Solomon built the house of the Lord.
The city has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, and captured 44 times.
Commentary & Study Notes Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871) · Public Domain my soul — or self, or life, which is threatened. shadow of thy wings — (Ps 17:8; 36:7). calamities — literally, "mischiefs" (Ps 52:2; 55:10).
Classic verse-by-verse commentary on Psalms 57 from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871). Covers: Altaschith--or, "destroy not." this is perhaps an enigmatical allusion to the critical circumstances connected with the history, for which compare 1sa 22:1; 26:1-3. In Moses' prayer (de 9:26) it is a prominent petition deprecating God's anger against the people. This explanation suits the fifty-eighth and fifty-ninth also. Asaph uses it for the seventy-fifth, in the scope of which there is allusion to some emergency. Michtam--(see on ps 16:1, title). To an earnest cry for divine aid, the psalmist adds, as often, the language of praise, in the assured hope of a favorable hearing.
- 1
- my soul — or self, or life, which is threatened. shadow of thy wings — (Ps 17:8; 36:7). calamities — literally, "mischiefs" (Ps 52:2; 55:10).
- 2
- performeth — or, completes what He has begun.
Read all 9 notes on Psalms 57 →