Introduction
To the chief Musician, Al-taschith, Michtam of David; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him.
David is herein represented as surrounded by personal enemies, who, without cause, watch and wait for his life. Innocent, he is as a lamb in the midst of wolves. He is in a city; his enemies keep a strong night watch, patrolling the streets to prevent his escape, while they seek to arrest him privately. Their cruelty is terrible. The psalm is set to the melody of Al-taschith the sign of great peril and hairbreadth escape. (See note on title.) There is no occasion for doubting the historic correctness of the title; and we must assign the psalm to the perilous days and nights at Gibeah, when Saul sought to kill David, especially the memorable night mentioned in 1 Samuel 19:11. Topically, the psalm may be thus divided: Psalms 59:1-2, an earnest cry to God for help; Psalms 59:3-7, a description of the character and methods of his enemies; Psalms 59:8-10, an expression of trust in God for timely interference and rescue. A double refrain occurs, Psalms 59:6, answering to Psalms 59:14, and both following the “selah;” Psalms 59:9 answering to Psalms 59:17.
TITLE: Al-taschith Destroy not. Chronologically, this is the first appearance of these words in the titles of the Davidic psalms, though it occurs in the two preceding, and in Psalms 75:0. Their meaning as a musical designation is not clear, further than that they occur only in the titles of psalms which describe great perils and wonderful deliverances. Hengstenberg’s suggestion, that they were a watchword of David’s, based on Deuteronomy 9:26, “I said, O Lord God, destroy not thy people,” is plausible, and it is also not improbable that they were a constant reminder to David not to take vengeance into his own hands. See on Psalms 57:0, title.
Michtam Commonly rendered golden psalm.
When Saul sent See 1 Samuel 19:11, and introduction.
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