To the chief Musician upon Jonathelemrechokim, Michtam of David when the Philistines took him in Gath. The words “jonathelemrechokim” are by our translators left untranslated.

Be merciful unto me, O God For David could expect no mercy at the hands of men, among whom he was, whose tender mercies were cruel; he being at Gath, the city of Goliath, whom he had slain, and whose sword he had now with him; and among his brethren and friends, who he might justly fear would…

Mine enemies would daily swallow me up For not one man only, but many, were his enemies; who observed and watched him, and were eagerly desirous of his ruin.

What time I am afraid It was a time of fear with him now; he was afraid of Achish king of Gath, ; so believers have their times of fear; about their interest in the love, and grace, and covenant of God; about their sins and corruptions, and the prevalence of them, fearing they shall perish by them;…

In God I will praise his word Or praise him for his words for the whole Scripture that was then in being; for those testimonies which were David’s counsellors in times of difficulty and distress; and particularly for some word of promise made unto him, he was persuaded would be fulfilled, and in…

Every day they wrest my words Form, fashion, and shape them at their pleasure; construe them, and put what sense upon them they think fit. The word [[19]] is used of the formation of the human body, in ; They put his words upon the rack, and made them speak what he never intended; as some men wrest…

They gather themselves together And meet in some one place, to contrive ways and means to do hurt, and then assemble together again to put them in execution; as did the Jews with respect to Christ, (Matt. 26:3, Matt. 26:4) (Acts 4:27, Acts 4:28) .

Shall they escape by iniquity? &c.] Shall such iniquity as this, or persons guilty of it, go unpunished, or escape righteous judgment, and the vengeance of God? No; and much less shall they escape by means of their iniquity; by their wicked subtlety, or by any evil arts and methods made use of, by…

Thou tellest my wanderings Not his sins; though these are aberrations or wanderings from the ways of God’s commandments; yet these are not told by the Lord: he takes no account of them; the number of them is not kept by him; they are blotted out, cast behind his back, and into the depths of the…

When I cry unto thee In prayer; then shall mine enemies turn back; great is the strength of prayer; the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much against their enemies: when Moses lifted up his hands, Israel prevailed: the cases of Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah, prove it; this David…

In God will I praise his word These words are repeated from ; and for the greater certainty of the thing, and to show his fixed resolution to do it, and his strong affection for the Lord and his word, they are doubled; in the Lord will I praise his word: in the former clause the word “Elohim” is…

In God have I put my trust (See Gill on Ps. 56:4); I will not be afraid what man can do unto me; the same with flesh in , and is opposed to God, in whom he trusted; and it suggests that he was not, and would not, be afraid of the greatest of men, as well as of the meanest; (See Gill on Ps.

Thy vows are upon me, O God Which he had made to him in the time of his distress and trouble, and which he looked upon himself under obligation to perform; they were debts upon him he ought to pay off; they were with him; they were fresh in his mind and memory; he had not forgot them, which is…

For thou hast delivered my soul from death From imminent danger of death, when in the hands of the Philistines; not that the soul can die; that is immortal; but he means his person, on which account he determines to render praise to God: moreover, this may include the deliverance of his soul from a…