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Joseph Benson’s Bible Commentary

Psalms 59:3

They lie in wait for my soul For my life, to take it away. The mighty are gathered against me They are all mighty, men of honour and estates, and interest in the court and country. They are in a confederacy, united by a league; and actually gathered together against me; combined both in consultation and action. Not for my transgression, nor for my sin Without any provocation or cause given by me. I am a sinner before thee, O Lord, but I have done them no injury. It was a noble vindication of David's innocence, in that he could, in the most private retirement, and upon the most serious and deliberate reflection, thus solemnly appeal to God, that he was not chargeable with the least perfidy, wickedness, or crime, which could excite the hatred of his enemies, and give occasion to Saul to pursue him with such eagerness and malice, to his destruction.

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See also Psalms 59:3 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Psalms 59:3. _FOR, LO, THEY LIE IN WAIT FOR MY SOUL_] For my _life_. See the passages referred to above....

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    FOR, LO, THEY LIE IN WAIT FOR MY SOUL - They lie in wait as wild beasts do for their prey, ready to spring upon it. The word used here is often employed to denote the act of lying in ambush; of watchi...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    Psalms 59 Gentile Enmity Against Israel _ 1. Surrounded by nations (Psalms 59:1)_ 2. Their judgment anticipated (Psalms 59:9) Another Michtam of David when he was persecuted by Saul. While in prev...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    LIX. The Ps. seems to be directed against Jewish and not foreign enemies. It might well be a prayer for the downfall of the aristocratic Sadducees. On the other hand in Psalms 59:5 and Psalms 59:8 the...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    SOUL. Hebrew. _nephesh._ App-13. TRANSGRESSION. rebellion. Hebrew. _pasha'._ SIN. Hebrew. _chata'._ LORD. Hebrew. _Jehovah._ App-4....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    The Psalmist prays for deliverance from the enemies who are bent on taking his life, pleading his innocence, and appealing to God to punish all injustice....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    For, lo, strong ones have laid wait for my life, They gather themselves together against me, For no transgression or sin of mine, Jehovah. For no iniquity (of mine) they run and station themselves:...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    THE MIGHTY ARE GATHERED AGAINST ME— _The mighty are turned aside to lay snares against me._ See Psalms 56:6. Chandler....

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    PSALMS 59 DESCRIPTIVE TITLE The Beleaguered Psalmist Prays for Rescue and Avenging. ANALYSIS Stanza I., Psalms 59:1-5, In Praying for Rescue, the Psalmist Describes the Character and Conduct of his...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _FOR, LO, THEY LIE IN WAIT FOR MY SOUL: THE MIGHTY ARE GATHERED AGAINST ME; NOT FOR MY TRANSGRESSION, NOR FOR MY SIN, O LORD._ For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul - (1 Samuel 19:11.) THE MIGHTY -...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    NOT _for_ MY TRANSGRESSION] This might express the Psalmist's conscious innocence before God, but more probably it means that he had done nothing to provoke the hostility of his enemies....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    Title.—(RV) 'For the Chief Musician; _set_ to Al-tashheth. _A Psalm_ of David: Michtam: when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.' For the first part of the title see on Psalms 57. The s...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    PSALMS 42:72 _GORDON CHURCHYARD_ Words in boxes are from the Bible. Words marked with a *star are described in the word list at the end. The translated Bible text has yet to go through Advanced Che...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    FOR, LO, THEY LIE IN WAIT ... — Better, _for look, they have laid an ambush._ MIGHTY. — Perhaps with the idea of insolence in their strength. NOT FOR MY TRANSGRESSION ... — Better, _Without transgre...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    _[Psalms 59:4]_ כִּ֤י הִנֵּ֪ה אָֽרְב֡וּ לְ נַפְשִׁ֗י...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    Psalms 59:1 THE superscription makes this the earliest of David's psalms, dating from the Sauline persecution. It has many points of connection with the others of that group, but its closest affinitie...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    “GOD IS MY HIGH TOWER” Psalms 59:1 This is the fifth of the _Michtams,_ or “Golden Psalms.” Compare Psalms 16:1; Psalms 56:1; Psalms

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Again we have a song from the midst of peril. The singer is the object of determined, stealthy, and malignant opposition. It is divided into two parts, both ending with the same declaration, "God is m...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not [for] my (c) transgression, nor [for] my sin, O LORD. (c) For I am innocent toward them, and have not offended them....

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Off. Chastising thy people frequently under Moses, &c. (Berthier) --- On us. Redeeming mankind, which thou hadst condemned, for the fault of Adam, and giving us a more abundant grace, Romans v. 9. (S...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Observe, Reader, how determined the point is here to the immaculate holiness of the Lord Jesus! None but Christ could thus plead a faultless conduct....

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    Psalms 59 gives more the external enemies. The same wickedness is found there, but the might of human power with it. But they also must be judged, that wickedness may be set aside. Nor was it the sin...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    FOR, LO, THEY LIE IN WAIT FOR MY SOUL,.... As the men did that watched his house, when Saul sent to kill him; so the Jews sought and lay in wait to take away the life of Christ; and very often was it...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not [for] my transgression, nor [for] my sin, O LORD. Ver. 3. _The mighty are gathered aqainst me_] The seven sons of Saul,...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul; the mighty, those possessing power and influence in the world, ARE GATHERED AGAINST ME, banded together for his destruction; NOT FOR MY TRANSGRESSION, NOR FOR MY...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    PRAYER OF AN INNOCENT PERSON AGAINST THOSE WHO SEEK HIS SOUL. To the chief musician, Al-taschith, again according to the melody "Destroy not," Michtam, a poem in epigrammatic form, of David; when Sau...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    1-7 In these words we hear the voice of David when a prisoner in his own house; the voice of Christ when surrounded by his merciless enemies; the voice of the church when under bondage in the world;...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    Without any provocation or cause given them by me. I am a sinner before thee, O Lord, but I have done them no injury....

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Psalms 59:3 wait H693 (H8804) life H5315 mighty H5794 gather H1481 (H8799) transgression H6588 sin H2403 LORD...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    HEADING (PSALMS 59:1 A). ‘For the Chief Musician; set to Al-tashheth. A Psalm of David. Michtam; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.' Like the last two Psalms this is another Psa...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Complaint of the malice of enemies and comfort and confidence in God. CHARACTERS: God, David. CONCLUSION: Those who are for Christ's sake, harmless and innocent may expect to be hated of w...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Psalms 59:6. _They make a noise like a dog._ Mr. Jowett, in his christian researches, states, that many dogs in eastern towns have no owners; that they lie in the shade during the heat of the day, and...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    DELIVER ME FROM MINE ENEMIES, O MY GOD. REVELATIONS OF THE GOOD AND BAD IN HUMAN NATURE I. The enmity of man towards man. 1. From the description that David here gives of his enemies, we learn that...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    PSALM PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 59:1. This is an individual lament, seeking God’s protection from enemies who threaten the faithful person’s life. The title connects the psalm to...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    INTRODUCTION _Superscription.—_“_To the Chief Musician, Al-taschith_.” See Introduction to Psalms 57. “_Michtam of David_.” See Introduction to Psalms 56. “_When Saul sent, and they watched the house...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION LIKE Psalms 56:1 and Psalms 57:1, this is a cry for deliverance out of great peril, with a final expression of confidence (verses 16, 17) that the deliverance will be granted. From the psal...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Psa 59:1-17 is another one of those "destroy not" prayers of David, when Saul sent and they watched the house to kill him. His wife, Michael, let him out of the window in a basket and David escaped. B...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Samuel 19:1; 1 Samuel 24:11; 1 Samuel 24:17; 1 Samuel 26:18; Act

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