Psalm 57
Psalm 57 is the 57th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me". In the slightly different numbering system of the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible and the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 56. In Latin, it is known as " Miserere mei Deus". It is attributed to King David, and is described as a Michtam of David, when he fled from the face of Saul, in the cave, recalling either the cave of Adullam, or the cave in the wilderness of En-gedi, on the western shore of the Dead Sea.
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music.
Structure
The psalm consists of two parts. In the first, verses 1–6, David gives expression to the anxiety which he felt, imploring Divine assistance against Saul and his other enemies. In the second part, verses 7–11, he proceeds upon the confident expectation of deliverance, and stirs up his soul to the exercise of praise.Melody
The psalm is addressed to a leader of worship; possibly this psalm was sung to a melody known as "Altaschith or "Do Not Destroy", although there is considerable uncertainty about this. A number of translations have chosen to transliterate the Hebrew expression as "al tashheth" or "Al-tashheth". The same directive, "Do Not Destroy", can be found in the headings of Psalm 58 and Psalm 59.Uses
Judaism
Verse 3 is found in the repetition of the Amidah on Rosh Hashanah.Coptic Orthodox Church
In the Agpeya, the Coptic Church's book of hours, this psalm is prayed in the office of Sext. It is also in the prayer of the Veil, which is generally prayed only by monks.Book of Common Prayer
In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the 11th day of the month, and it is a Proper Psalm for Mattins on Easter Day.Musical settings
set Psalm 57 in a metred version in German, "Sei mir gnädig, o Gott, mein Herr", SWV 154, as part of the Becker Psalter, first published in 1628. Johann Vierdanck set verses 8–12 in German as a sacred concerto, Mein Herz ist bereit, Gott for two voices, two violins and continuo, c. 1640.Text
The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the Koine Greek text in the Septuagint and the English translation from the King James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text come from different textual traditions. In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 56.| # | Hebrew | English | Greek |
| Εἰς τὸ τέλος· μὴ διαφθείρῃς· τῷ Δαυΐδ εἰς στηλογραφίαν ἐν τῷ αὐτὸν ἀποδιδράσκειν ἀπὸ προσώπου Σαοὺλ εἰς τὸ σπήλαιον. - | |||
| 1 | Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. | ΕΛΕΗΣΟΝ με, ὁ Θεός, ἐλέησόν με, ὅτι ἐπὶ σοὶ πέποιθεν ἡ ψυχή μου καὶ ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ τῶν πτερύγων σου ἐλπιῶ, ἕως οὗ παρέλθῃ ἡ ἀνομία. | |
| 2 | I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. | κεκράξομαι πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν τὸν ῞Υψιστον, τὸν Θεὸν τὸν εὐεργετήσαντά με. | |
| 3 | He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. | ἐξαπέστειλεν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἔσωσέ με, ἔδωκεν εἰς ὄνειδος τοὺς καταπατοῦντάς με.. ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν αὐτοῦ | |
| 4 | My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. | καὶ ἐρρύσατο τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐκ μέσου σκύμνων. ἐκοιμήθην τεταραγμένος· υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων, οἱ ὀδόντες αὐτῶν ὅπλα καὶ βέλη, καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτῶν μάχαιρα ὀξεῖα. | |
| 5 | Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. | ὑψώθητι ἐπὶ τοὺς οὐρανούς, ὁ Θεός, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἡ δόξα σου. | |
| 6 | They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah. | παγίδα ἡτοίμασαν τοῖς ποσί μου καὶ κατέκαμψαν τὴν ψυχήν μου· ὤρυξαν πρὸ προσώπου μου βόθρον καὶ ἐνέπεσαν εἰς αὐτόν.. | |
| 7 | My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. | ἑτοίμη ἡ καρδία μου, ὁ Θεός, ἑτοίμη ἡ καρδία μου, ᾄσομαι καὶ ψαλῶ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ μου. | |
| 8 | Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. | ἐξεγέρθητι, ἡ δόξα μου· ἐξεγέρθητι, ψαλτήριον καὶ κιθάρα· ἐξεγερθήσομαι ὄρθρου. | |
| 9 | I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations. | ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι ἐν λαοῖς, Κύριε, ψαλῶ σοι ἐν ἔθνεσι, | |
| 10 | For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. | ὅτι ἐμεγαλύνθη ἕως τῶν οὐρανῶν τὸ ἔλεός σου καὶ ἕως τῶν νεφελῶν ἡ ἀλήθειά σου. | |
| 11 | Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth. | ὑψώθητι ἐπὶ τοὺς οὐρανούς, ὁ Θεός, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἡ δόξα σου. |