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PSALMS 54

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STROPHE DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

NASB NKJV NRSV TEV NJB
Prayer for Defense Against Enemies
MT Intro

For the choir director on stringed instruments. A Maskil
of David, when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Is not David
hiding himself among us?”		 Answered Prayer For Deliverance From Adversaries Prayer For Deliverance From Personal Enemies A Prayer For Protection From Enemies Appeal to God, the Just Judge
54:1-3 54:1-3 54:1-2 54:1-3 54:1-2
    54:3   54:3
54:4-5 54:4-5 54:4-5 54:4-5 54:4-5
54:6-7 54:6-7 54:6-7 54:6-7 54:6-7

READING CYCLE THREE (see
“Bible
Interpretation Seminar”)

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR’S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which
means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the
light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not
relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare
your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is
the key to following the original author’s intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every
paragraph has one and only one subject.

  1. First paragraph
  2. Second paragraph
  3. Third paragraph, etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 54:1-3
 1Save
me, O God, by Your name,
 And
vindicate me by Your power.
 2Hear
my prayer, O God;
 Give ear
to the words of my mouth.
 3For
strangers have risen against me
 And
violent men have sought my life;
 They
have not set God before them.  Selah.

54:1-3 This strophe shows the historical setting as one of personal attack, apparently
by other covennant people. Notice the prayer requests.

  1. save me – BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
  2. vindicate (i.e., judge rightly) me – BDB 192, KB 220, Qal IMPERFECT
    used between three IMPERATIVES and parallel to the first. It is functioning as
    an IMPERATIVE OF REQUEST after examples in Ugaritic poetry (AB, p. 24). It
    denotes a “legal verdict.” The psalmist is asking God for judicial acquittal. He
    has been unfairly accused.
  3. hear my prayer – BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal IMPERATIVE, cf. Ps. 17:6
  4. give ear – BDB 24, KB 27, Hiphil IMPERATIVE in a synonymous
    parallel relationship to #3, cf. Ps. 5:1; 55:1; 86:7

▣ “O God” This is the name for God (Elohim) that refers to Him as
creator, sustainer, and provider of all life on this planet (cf. Genesis 1, see
SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES
FOR DEITY). It appears twice, Ps. 54:1a and 54:2a. It is paralleled by

  1. Your name (cf.
    SPECIAL
    TOPIC: “THE NAME” OF YHWH    )
  2. Your power, cf. 2 Chr. 20:6

54:3 The psalmist’s enemies/adversaries are described in this verse.

  1. strangers (BDB 266 I, cf. Ps. 44:20; 109:11) have arisen against me, Ps. 54:3a. This is
    usually used of other covenant people.
  2. violent men (BDB 792). This is usually used of enemies of other nations (i.e., invaders,
    cf. Isa. 13:11; Ezek. 28:7; 30:11; 31:12; 32:12)
  3. they have not set God before them; this could refer to
    1. godless Israelites, cf. Ps. 14:1; 36:1-4; 53:1
    2. Gentiles (i.e., national enemies)

▣ “Selah” See note at Psalm 3:2 and Intro to Psalms, VII.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 54:4-5
 4Behold,
God is my helper;
 The Lord
is the sustainer of my soul.
 5He
will recompense the evil to my foes;
 Destroy
them in Your faithfulness.

54:4-5 As the psalmist described his enemies in Ps. 54:3, in Ps. 54:4-5 he characterizes God
and asks for Him to act against his foes.

  1. God is my helper – BDB 740, KB 810, Qal PARTICIPLE, cf. Ps. 27:9;
    30:10; 37:40; 118:7
  2. the Lord (Adon, BDB 10) is the sustainer of my soul (BDB 701, KB 759, Qal
    PARTICIPLE, cf. Ps. 37:17,24; 41:12; 51:12; 71:6; 145:14)
  3. He will recompense (lit. return, BDB 996, KB 1427). MT has Qal IMPERFECT
    used in a JUSSIVE sense, but the Masoretic scholars suggested that it be
    read (Qere) as a Hiphil IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense.
  4. The psalmist asked God to destroy (lit. “put to silence,” BDB 856, KB 1035, Hiphil
    IMPERATIVE, cf. Ps. 143:12) his enemies as they were trying to silence him, cf. Ps. 69:4;
    73:27; 94:23; 101:5,8
▣
NASB, NRSV   ”in Your faithfulness”
NKJV, LXX   ”in Your truth”
TEV   ”because he is faithful”
NJB   ”in your constancy”
JPSOA   ”by Your faithfulness”
REB   ”show yourself faithful”

The MT has “faithfulness” (BDB 54, see
SPECIAL
TOPIC: BELIEVE, TRUST, FAITH AND FAITHFULNESS IN THE OT). It seems to link back to the
psalmist’s assertions about God in Ps. 54:4.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 54:6-7
 6Willingly
I will sacrifice to You;
 I
will give thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it
is good.
 7For
He has delivered me from all trouble,
 And
my eye has looked with satisfaction upon my enemies.

54:6 This closing strophe (Ps. 54:6-7) expresses the confidence of the psalmist that God
(YHWH, Ps. 54:6) will act on his behalf. When He does then the psalmist will

  1. sacrifice to You – BDB 256, KB 261, Qal COHORTATIVE
  2. give thanks to Your name – BDB 392, KB 389, Hiphil IMPERFECT used
    in a COHORTATIVE sense; either the “name” is good or giving thanks
    to YHWH is good, cf. Ps. 92:1

Psalm 54:6 has a rare use of the covenant name for Israel’s God, YHWH, in Book 2 of the Psalter.

▣
NASB   ”willingly”
NKJV, REB   ”freely”
NRSV   ”with a freewill offering”
TEV, NJB   ”gladly”
JPSOA   ”a freewill offering”

The MT has a PREPOSITION and a NOUN (BDB 621). It
can refer to

  1. voluntariness
  2. freewill offering

Here #1 fits best.

54:7 “He” The MT has “it,” which would relate to “Your name”
in Ps. 54:6 (cf. JPSOA).

Not only is the psalmist “delivered” (BDB 664, KIB 717, Hiphil
PERFECT) but he “sees” (BDB 906, KB 1157, Qal PERFECT)
the defeat of his enemies (cf. Ps. 59:10; 92:11; 112:8; 118:7; this is culturally similar to “laugh
at him” in Ps. 52:6).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own
interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation.
You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

 

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of
the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

  1. What does the word “vindicate” mean?
  2. Who are the enemies mentioned in Ps. 54:3 and 5?
  3. Explain the significance of “name” (Ps. 54:1,6).

 

Copyright © 2014 Bible
Lessons International

 

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