Psalm chapter 54
English Standard Version
1O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might. 2O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth. 3 For strangers have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before themselves. Selah 4Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life. 5He will return the evil to my enemies; in your faithfulness put an end to them. 6With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. 7For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.
New International Version
New American Standard Bible
1Save me, God, by Your name, And vindicate me by Your power. 2Hear my prayer, God; Listen 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 4Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul. 5 He will pay back the evil to my enemies; Destroy them in Your faithfulness. 6 Willingly I will sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, Lord, for it is good. 7For He has saved me from all trouble, And my eye has looked with satisfaction upon my enemies.
Christian Standard Bible
1For the choir director: with stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. When the Ziphites went and said to Saul, "Is David not hiding among us?" God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might! 2God, hear my prayer; listen to the words from my mouth.
New Living Translation
1 Come with great power, O God, and rescue me! Defend me with your might. 2Listen to my prayer, O God. Pay attention to my plea.
King James Version
New King James Version
1{To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David when the Ziphites went and said to Saul, “Is David not hiding with us?”} Save me, O God, by Your name, And vindicate me by Your strength. 2Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth.
4Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is with those who uphold my life. 5He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth. 6I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good. 7For He has delivered me out of all trouble; And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.
What does Psalm chapter 54 mean?
This song was inspired by the people of Ziph's betrayal of David. Saul had been rejected by God (1 Samuel 15:26), and jealously wanted to have David killed (1 Samuel 19:2). While David hid in the region of Ziph, where he should have been safe among fellow Judahites, the people instead went to Saul and told him where David was hiding. In fact, they did this twice, forcing David to flee multiple times (1 Samuel 23:19–20, 23–25; 26:1–2).David begins by praying for the Lord's rescue. He describes those who want to kill him as "strangers," which in this context means people who act as enemies. He asks for God's vindication: to be proven in the right (Psalm 54:1–3).
After asking for rescue, David expresses supreme confidence that God will keep him alive. Rather than seeking revenge himself, David puts all retribution in the Lord's hands. During these incidents, David had two opportunities to kill Saul, but in both cases, he chose not to kill the then-appointed king of Israel (1 Samuel 24:4–8; 26:8–17). Because of God's prior protection, David is fully assured he will live to return to the sanctuary and offer voluntary sacrifices to the Lord (Psalm 54:4–7).
