The Bible — World English Bible
Psalm 55
In brief
Psalm 55 is David's prayer in deep distress. Enemies oppress him and violence rules the city, but what breaks him is the betrayal of a friend, a close companion with whom he walked to the house of God. He admits his terror and his longing to fly away on the wings of a dove. He cries out to God evening, morning and noon. The psalm reaches its peak in an invitation: cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you.
The chapter in 4 parts
1Listen to my prayer, God. Don’t hide yourself from my supplication.
2Attend to me, and answer me. I am restless in my complaint, and moan
3because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they bring suffering on me. In anger they hold a grudge against me.
4My heart is severely pained within me. The terrors of death have fallen on me.
5Fearfulness and trembling have come on me. Horror has overwhelmed me.
6I said, “Oh that I had wings like a dove! Then I would fly away, and be at rest.
7Behold, then I would wander far off. I would lodge in the wilderness.”
8“I would hurry to a shelter from the stormy wind and storm.”
9Confuse them, Lord, and confound their language, for I have seen violence and strife in the city.
10Day and night they prowl around on its walls. Malice and abuse are also within her.
11Destructive forces are within her. Threats and lies don’t depart from her streets.
12For it was not an enemy who insulted me, then I could have endured it. Neither was it he who hated me who raised himself up against me, then I would have hidden myself from him.
13But it was you, a man like me, my companion, and my familiar friend.
14We took sweet fellowship together. We walked in God’s house with company.
15Let death come suddenly on them. Let them go down alive into Sheol. For wickedness is among them, in their dwelling.
16As for me, I will call on God. Yahweh will save me.
17Evening, morning, and at noon, I will cry out in distress. He will hear my voice.
18He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, although there are many who oppose me.
19God, who is enthroned forever, will hear and answer them. They never change, who don’t fear God.
20He raises his hands against his friends. He has violated his covenant.
21His mouth was smooth as butter, but his heart was war. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
22Cast your burden on Yahweh and he will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be moved.
23But you, God, will bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in you.
Key verses
I said, “Oh that I had wings like a dove! Then I would fly away, and be at rest. Behold, then I would wander far off. I would lodge in the wilderness.”
The wish to run away is human, and the psalm says so without shame. It shows that you can tell God what you would like to do, even disappear.
For it was not an enemy who insulted me, then I could have endured it. Neither was it he who hated me who raised himself up against me, then I would have hidden myself from him. But it was you, a man like me, my companion, and my familiar friend. We took sweet fellowship together. We walked in God’s house with company.
The deepest wound comes from a friend. David says an enemy's attack can be endured, but not a close friend's. God hears this pain too.
Cast your burden on Yahweh and he will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be moved.
Cast your burden on Yahweh and he will sustain you. This is the pastoral heart of the psalm: put down what weighs on you instead of carrying it alone. The verb means entrusting what is heavy, not denying it.
But you, God, will bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in you.
The psalm closes on a personal decision to trust, in the middle of questions that are still open.
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What the sermons say
Frequently asked questions about Psalm 55
What does Psalm 55 mean?
Psalm 55 is the prayer of David crushed by fear, violence and the betrayal of a close friend. He expresses his wish to flee, cries out to God and asks for justice. The psalm ends with an invitation that goes beyond his own story: hand your lot over to the Lord, who sustains the righteous, and trust in him.
Who wrote Psalm 55?
The title of the psalm attributes it to David and calls it a song for stringed instruments. It does not say which episode it refers to. Many readers think of Absalom's revolt, when a close adviser betrayed him, but the text does not say so: that is a reading, not a certainty.
How do you pray Psalm 55 when you are betrayed or exhausted?
Read it aloud, without softening it, as David does: name the pain, the fear and the wish to leave. Then stop at verse 22 and lay before God, one by one, the specific things that weigh on you. You can finish by saying that you trust in him, as David does in verse 23.
Articles quoting Psalm 55
World English Bible translation — public domain.