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Salmos 56

ARC · Chapter 56/150

1Tem misericordia de mim, ó Deus, porque o homem procura devorar-me; pelejando todo o dia, me opprime.

2Os que me andam espiando procuram devorar-me todo o dia; pois são muitos os que pelejam contra mim, ó Altissimo.

3Em qualquer tempo que eu temer, me confiarei de ti.

4Em Deus louvarei a sua palavra, em Deus puz a minha confiança; não temerei o que me possa fazer a carne.

5Todos os dias torcem as minhas palavras: todos os seus pensamentos são contra mim para o mal.

6Ajuntam-se, escondem-se, marcam os meus passos, como aguardando a minha alma.

7Porventura escaparão elles por meio da sua iniquidade? Ó Deus, derriba os povos na tua ira!

8Tu contas as minhas vagueações; põe as minhas lagrimas no teu odre: não estão ellas no teu livro?

9Quando eu a ti clamar, então voltarão para traz os meus inimigos: isto sei eu, porque Deus é por mim.

10Em Deus louvarei a sua palavra: no Senhor louvarei a sua palavra.

11Em Deus tenho posto a minha confiança; não temerei o que me possa fazer o homem.

12Os teus votos estão sobre mim, ó Deus: eu te renderei acções de graças;

13Pois tu livraste a minha alma da morte; não livrarás os meus pés da queda, para andar diante de Deus na luz dos viventes?

📖 Chapter study

Summary

David, surrounded by enemies who twist his words, declares that he will trust in God and not fear what flesh (mere human beings) can do to him, asking God to record his tears in His book.

Explanation

The title links this psalm to the moment when David was captured by the Philistines in Gath (1 Samuel 21:10-15), a moment of extreme vulnerability on enemy soil. The image of God putting the psalmist's tears 'into thy bottle' (a leather container used to hold liquids) and writing them 'in thy book' expresses the moving idea that no human sorrow goes unnoticed by God — every tear is recorded and remembered. The repeated phrase 'I will not fear what flesh can do unto me' expresses a confidence that puts human power in its proper proportion before the power of God.

Fun facts

  • The image of the 'bottle of tears' (v. 8) reflects an ancient custom in some cultures of the Near East of collecting mourning tears in small vessels as a sign of genuine grief — some of these vessels ('lachrymatories') have been found by archaeologists in ancient tombs.
  • The title 'Jonath-elem-rechokim' (meaning something like 'the silent dove among strangers') likely indicates the melody to which the psalm was to be sung, one of several enigmatic musical titles preserved in the Psalter.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Salmos 56:1The title ties this psalm to the moment when the Philistines captured David at Gath (1 Samuel 21:10-15) — "the man" pursuing him may refer to Achish, the local king, or to the Philistines in general.
  2. Salmos 56:2It repeats and intensifies the image from the previous verse — a common device in Hebrew poetry for conveying the feeling of being surrounded by many enemies at once, with no relief.
  3. Salmos 56:3David doesn't pretend not to feel fear: he admits the fear and answers it with trust in God. It's a realistic faith, one that acknowledges the fright instead of denying it exists.
  4. Salmos 56:4"What flesh can do unto me" uses "flesh" in the sense of a frail, mortal human being — compared to God, even the most threatening enemy shrinks down to size.
  5. Salmos 56:5"They wrest my words" describes enemies who deliberately twist what David says, manipulating his own statements to use against him.
  6. Salmos 56:6"They mark my steps" uses a hunting image: the enemies are compared to hunters who watch and track their prey's trail, waiting for the right moment to strike.
  7. Salmos 56:7The question is rhetorical: David already knows the answer. He is certain that wickedness will not escape unpunished, and so he asks directly for God to cast down these hostile peoples.
  8. Salmos 56:8The bottle was a leather container used to store liquids; picturing God keeping someone's tears in a bottle and in a "book" is an image that none of a person's suffering goes unnoticed or forgotten.
  9. Salmos 56:9David is certain that the simple act of calling on God will already make his enemies retreat — confidence based on God's favor, not on any military advantage he might have.
  10. Salmos 56:10It repeats almost word for word what was already said in verse 4 — a refrain that reinforces the psalm's central idea: trusting God even while surrounded by danger.
  11. Salmos 56:11It returns to verse 4, swapping "flesh" for "man": the same confidence expressed a different way, forming a counterpoint that closes the psalm in nearly the same tone it began with.
  12. Salmos 56:12"Vows" were promises made to God in times of danger, a common practice of the era: pledging a thank offering if the person was rescued. Now David has to keep what he promised.
  13. Salmos 56:13"Walk before God in the light of the living" sets life lived in God's presence against the darkness of death — an image similar to "the land of the living," another common Hebrew expression for "being alive."

Chapters

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