Psa 59:1 | NETfull | STEP | For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; a prayer of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him. Deliver me from my enemies, my God! Protect me from those who attack me!

Psalms 59:1

For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; ^{▼▼ Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the superscription to Pss 57–58, 75.} a prayer ^{▼▼ The precise meaning of the Hebrew word מִכְתָּם (miktam), which also appears in the heading to Pss 16, 56–58, 60 is uncertain. HALOT 582-83 s.v. defines it as “inscription.”} of David, written when Saul sent men to surround his house and murder him. ^{▼▼ Heb “when Saul sent and they watched his house in order to kill him.”} ^{▼▼ According to the superscription, David wrote this psalm on the occasion when Saul sent assassins to surround David’s house and kill him in the morning (see 1 Sam 19:11). However, the psalm itself mentions foreign enemies (vv. 5, 8). Perhaps these references reflect a later adaptation of an original Davidic psalm.}

1 Deliver me from my enemies, my God!
Protect me ^{▼▼ Or “make me secure”; Heb “set me on high.”} from those who attack me! ^{▼▼ Heb “from those who raise themselves up [against] me.”}