Psalm 55:3

Translations

Modern

…at the voice of the enemy, at the pressure of the wicked. For they bring down disaster upon me and resent me in their anger.

Traditional

Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.

Literal

…from the voice of the enemy, from the face of the oppression of the wicked. For they bring down trouble upon me, and in anger they hate me.

Latin

…a voce inimici, et a tribulatione peccatoris. Quoniam declinaverunt in me iniquitates, et in ira molesti erant mihi.

Original

Hebrew

English

…at the voice of the enemy, at the pressure of the wicked. For they bring down disaster upon me and resent me in their anger.

Notes

Psalms 55:1–3

The occasion for this prayer is an attack by an enemy.

Psalms 55:1–23

The psalmist faces enemies led by a former friend (Psalm 55:12–14). This causes him great distress. He prays to the Lord and trusts him for justice (Psalm 55:22–23).

Jesus went through similar pain when Judas, his friend, betrayed him. He also experienced the psalmist’s prayer being answered:

by taking the place of the wicked and receiving their punishment (Isaiah 53:7–9), and
by trusting the Father, who saved (Luke 23:46) and rewarded him (Isaiah 53:10–12).

Psalms 51:1–65:13

These psalms of David share a common theme. They reflect on the experience of evil. In Psalm 51, the psalmist admits his wrongdoing and asks for God's forgiveness. Psalms 52–64 express sorrow over specific evils David faced. A song of praise (Psalm 65) brings David's laments to an end.

Theme notes and profiles

David

Related verses

2 Samuel 16:7–8
And as he yelled curses, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you worthless man of bloodshed!
Psalm 35:11
Hostile witnesses come forward; they make charges I know nothing about.
Psalm 27:12
Do not hand me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.
2 Samuel 15:3
Absalom would say, “Look, your claims are good and right, but the king has no deputy to hear you.”
Lamentations 3:34–36
To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land,
Psalm 54:3
For strangers rise up against me, and ruthless men seek my life—men with no regard for God. Selah
Matthew 26:59
Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death.
Psalm 73:8
They mock and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression.
2 Samuel 19:19
…and said, “My lord, do not hold me guilty, and do not remember your servant’s wrongdoing on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king not take it to heart.
Psalm 71:11
…saying, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for there is no one to rescue him.”
Psalm 17:9
…from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.
Psalm 12:5
“For the cause of the oppressed and for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will bring safety to him who yearns.”

Psalm 55:3

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