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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.comKeil and Delitzsch Commentary - Psalms 55:1 - 55:1
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In this first group sorrow prevails. David spreads forth his deep grief before God, and desires for himself some lonely spot in the wilderness far away from the home or lurking-place of the confederate band of those who are compassing his overthrow. “Veil not Thyself” here, where what is spoken of is something audible, not visible, is equivalent to “veil not Thine ear,” Lam 3:56, which He designedly does, when the right state of heart leaves the praying one, and consequently that which makes it acceptable and capable of being answered is wanting to the prayer (cf. Isa 1:15). שִׂיחַ signifies a shrub (Syriac shucho, Arabic šı̂ḥ), and also reflection and care (Arabic, carefulness, attention; Aramaic, סח, to babble, talk, discourse). The Hiph. חֵרִיד, which in Gen 27:40 signifies to lead a roving life, has in this instance the signification to move one's self backwards and forwards, to be inwardly uneasy; root רד, Arab. rd, to totter, whence râda, jarûda, to run up and down (IV to desire, will); raida, to shake (said of a soft bloated body); radda, to turn (whence taraddud, a moving to and fro, doubting); therefore: I wander hither and thither in my reflecting or meditating, turning restlessly from one thought to another. It is not necessary to read וְאֶֽחֱמָיָה after Psa 77:4 instead of וְעָהִימָה, since the verb הוּם = הָמָה, Psa 42:6, 12, is secured by the derivatives. Since these only exhibit הוּם, and not הִים (in Arabic used more particularly of the raving of love), וְאָהִימָה, as also אָרִיד, is Hiph., and in fact like this latter used with an inward object: I am obliged to raise a tumult or groan, break out into the dull murmuring sounds of pain. The cohortative not unfrequently signifies “I have to” or “I must” of incitements within one's self which are under the control of outward circumstances. In this restless state of mind he finds himself, and he is obliged to break forth into this cry of pain on account of the voice of the foe which he cannot but hear; by reason of the pressure or constraint (עָקַת) of the evil-doer which he is compelled to feel. The conjecture צַֽעֲקַת (Olshausen and Hupfeld) is superfluous. עָקָה is a more elegant Aramaizing word instead of צָרָה.
The second strophe begins with a more precise statement of that which justifies his pain. The Hiph. חֵמִיט signifies here, as in Psa 140:11 (Chethîb), declinare: they cast or roll down evil (calamity) upon him and maliciously lay snares for him בְּאַף, breathing anger against him who is conscious of having manifested only love towards them. His heart turns about in his body, it writhes (יָהִיל); cf. on this, Psa 38:11. Fear and trembling take possession of his inward parts; יָבֹא in the expression יָבֹא בִי, as is always the case when followed by a tone syllable, is a so-called נסוג אחור, i.e., it has the tone that has retreated to the penult. (Deu 1:38; Isa 7:24; Isa 60:20), although this is only with difficulty discernible in our printed copies, and is therefore (vid., Accentsystem, vi. §2) noted with Mercha. The fut. consec. which follows introduces the heightened state of terror which proceeds from this crowding on of fear and trembling. Moreover, the wish that is thereby urged from him, which David uttered to himself, is introduced in the third strophe by a fut. consec.
(Note: That beautiful old song of the church concerning Jesus has grown out of this strophe: -
Ecquis binas columbinas
Alas dabit animae?
Et in almam crucis palmam
Evolat citissime, etc.)
“Who will give me?” is equivalent to “Oh that I had!” Ges. §136, 1. In וְאֶשְׁכֹּנָה is involved the self-satisfying signification of settling down (Eze 31:13), of coming to rest and remaining in a place (2Sa 7:10). Without going out of our way, a sense perfectly in accordance with the matter in hand may be obtained for אָחִישָׁה מִפְלָט לִי, if אחישׁה is taken not as Kal (Psa 71:12), but after Isa 5:19; Isa 60:12, as Hiph.: I would hasten, i.e., quickly find for myself a place which might serve me as a shelter from the raging wind, from the storm. רוּחַ סֹעָה is equivalent to the Arabic rihin sâijat-in, inasmuch as Arab. s‛â, “to move one's self quickly, to go or run swiftly,” can be said both of light (Koran, 66:8) and of water-brooks (vid., Jones, Comm. Poes. Asiat., ed. Lipsiae, p. 358), and also of strong currents of air, of winds, and such like. The correction סְעָרָה, proposed by Hupfeld, produces a disfiguring tautology. Among those about David there is a wild movement going on which is specially aimed at his overthrow. From this he would gladly flee and hide himself, like a dove taking refuge in a cleft of the rock from the approaching storm, or from the talons of the bird of prey, fleeing with its noiseless but persevering flight.
(Note: Kimchi observes that the dove, when she becomes tired, draws in one wing and flies with the other, and thus the more surely escapes. Aben-Ezra finds an allusion here to the carrier-pigeon.)