Psalm 56:1

King James Version (KJV)

Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.

Translations

Psalm 56:1 - Amplified Bible

Psalm 56:1 - American Standard Version

Psalm 56:1 - Bible in Basic English

Psalm 56:1 - Darby Bible

Psalm 56:1 - English Standard Version

Psalm 56:1 - King James Version

Psalm 56:1 - La Biblia de las Americas

Psalm 56:1 - The Message

Psalm 56:1 - New American Standard Bible

Psalm 56:1 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy

Psalm 56:1 - World English Bible

Psalm 56:1 - Young's Living Translation

Psalm 56:1 - Additional Comments

This Psalm has the prefix - "(For the choir director; according to Jonath elem rehokim. A Mikhtam of David,) (when the Philistines seized him in Gath.)"
Old Testament scholars typically classify Psalm 56 as an individual lament. In individual laments the psalmist talked to God about problems he was facing in life and asked Him for help. These psalms are helpful to us today because they provide firsthand, personal examples of people bringing God into the hardships and difficulties of life. In the process, they gave us a pattern we can use when we face troubles in our lives.
The term Miktam occurs six times in the Bible and only in the introduction to various psalms. Its meaning is uncertain, though its intention is to identify the type of psalm. Some have suggested it means a song of covering or atonement.
Psalm 56 is one of around a dozen psalms written by David that supplied some note related to the poem's historical context in its introduction. Gath is where Goliath was from. In this psalm, it is connected with David's first visit to the Philistine city of Gath (1 Sam 21:10-15). That means this psalm was written while David was young (less than 30), sometime between when he killed Goliath and before he became king over Israel (2 Sam 5:4). During this time of his life, David was hiding from his father-in-law Saul, who had ordered David killed in an attempt to prevent him from becoming Israel's next king.
David at this time was in immediate danger. But, no matter what the circumstances with David, he continued to praise God, even when dangers were greatest and things became desperate.
He asks for God's mercy. One thing we have to keep in mind that God works for us out of His mercy - we don't have to earn his help. David is asking for something totally within His character, which He regularly does - grants us mercy, even when we do not deserve it.

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