Psalm 56 – Place My Tears

TEXT (Hebrew text at end)

1. For the leader. On yonat elem rechokim.1 Of David, a michtam,2 when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

2. Have mercy upon me, O God, for men 3-lie in wait for me-3; all day long my antagonists press me.

3. My watchful foes 3-lie in wait for me-3 all day long; many are my antagonists, O Exalted One.4

4. On a day of fear, I trust in You.

5. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not fear; what can flesh do to me?

6. All day long they drive my words to grief; against5 me their plans for evil.

7. They conspire, they lurk; it is they who stalk my steps, hoping for my soul.

8. 6-Make them refugees because of their evil-6; cast down peoples in Your anger, O God.

9. You have kept count 7-as I dragged on; place my tear into Your flagon,-7 yes, in Your account –

10. then my enemies will retreat on the day I call. This I know, that God is for me.

11. In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise,

12. in God I trust. I shall not fear; what can man do to me?

13. Upon me, O God, the 8-vows pledged You-8; I will present thank offerings to You.

14. For You have delivered my soul from death; yes, my foot from stumbling, to walk before God in the light of life.

Notes

1. Hebrew uncertain. See “Additional Note” in commentary.

2. Hebrew uncertain.

3. Others, “persecute me” or “trample me.”

4. Possibly, “…, from on high”; or “…, in pride.”

5. "Against me" is same Hebrew as "upon me," verse 13.

6. So Saadiah Gaon. Possibly, “Should there be deliverance for them despite their evil?’ (Kimchi)

7. “Drag on” and “flagon” are chosen to reflect an echo in Hebrew. “As I dragged on” is literally either “of my wandering” or “of my sorrow” (English can reflect either) (nod) and “flagon,” represents a flask of animal skin for liquids (no’d). Hebrew also has the same root for “count” and “account” (spr).

8. “Vows pledged You” is one word in Hebrew, “Your vow offerings”

　

COMMENTARY

One cannot but be impressed with two aspects of Psalm 56: the centrality of God’s loving empathy (God collecting the tears of the one who beseeches Him), and the progress from perceived encompassing hostility to free movement in the “light of life.” I return to these central issues toward the end of my observations, but I first comment on the poetry.

The Craft of Words

The poet of Psalm 56 seeks to draw our attention to his use of words: the term “word” is repeated four times. Verse 11, translated here, “In God, whose word I praise,” could technically be rendered, “Through God, I praise a word.” The poet is asking us to focus on his careful and innovative use of language.

In fact, this short poem includes a large number of poetic usages and refinements, as well as originality.

Below I note: two chiasms, a series of repetitions, two sections repeated (each expanded and altered), and reuse of terms to recall earlier sections. I also mark creative turns of phrase and uses of imagery (all of v. 9, by way of example). I here also note briefly, in addition, that an alliteration appears in verse 4 (four words begin with the letter aleph―as seen previously in Ps. 55:17); phrases are used with one word changed (flesh/man, vv. 5 and 12; God, LORD, v. 11); and opposites are set against each other (height and bring down, vv. 3 and 8; life and death in the last verse).

Structure and Progression – The Repetitions and Exceptions in Life

Despite the complex interweave of terms in Psalm 56, it is possible to detect a structure based primarily on repetition. The most probable division by verses is two cycles of request-and-pursuit and trust, these interrupted by other verses, as follows:

A (vv. 2–3) – Request, and the enemies’ pursuit. Three phrases are repeated: “lie in wait,” “all day long,” and “antagonists.”

B (vv. 4–5) – Trust. This section is marked by a chiasm of verbs: “fear, trust, praise, trust, fear.”

A1 (vv. 6–8) – Again, the enemies’ pursuit and request. The section begins by recalling “all day long” of section A and plays off A’s “exalted” (v. 3) with “cast down,” (v. 8). Because both A and A1 include “all day long," the chiasm of section B is thus expanded: all day long, fear, trust, praise, trust, fear, all day long.

Isolated verse – 9 (see below).

B1 (vv. 10–12) – Again, trust. B1 reflects section B: “day” of v. 4, the three terms of the chiasm, and whole phrases that are repeated, altered, and expanded.

Closing verses – 13–14 (see below).

Psalm 56 opens as do Psalms 51 and 57 (“Have mercy on me”), here with a strong articulation of encompassing, ominous enemies. Most striking is the failure of the well-structured (and therefore presumably solid) statement of trust (B, vv. 4–5, ending “What can man do to me?”) to solve the problem, which reemerges virulently in A1 (vv. 6–8). Faith and praise seem buried within fear and threat. (Weiser comments: “that the worshipper… relapses into lament proves that the knowledge of faith must continually be achieved afresh in an ardent struggle with oneself.…”)

Verse 9 is striking not only in its new terminology and subject, but also in its creative use of words and imagery. I devote a specific section to this verse below. Here, as I trace the psalm’s progress, I note only that it sets God’s affect and attention in opposition to all that came before.

That articulation of empathy influences the speaker. Now an expanded, deeper expression of faith appears (B1, vv. 10–12), and the speaker allows himself to use God’s proper (and therefore intimate) name, LORD. With these reassertions, progression peaks with a promise of sacrifice and a statement of self-assuredness, which is a reversal of what preceded. 

“They”

Before turning to the exceptional verses on which the psalm rests, I pause to consider the identity of the menace.

These antagonists are not well defined by their acts. They seem to lurk and, by that criterion, could be anything from an envisioned fear to an army ready to attack. However, in verse 3 the term “lie in wait” is seen by some as “trample” (note 3) and the term “antagonists” is from the root “attack” or “battle,” which might imply an armed conflict. My milder translation above is based in part on the later description of verses 6 and 7, which would seem to dictate a more lurking kind of evil.

The antagonists do seem foreign. Note the request for punishment of the “peoples” in verse 8 and the use of LORD in verse 11 for the name of the Deity in whom the speaker (i.e., the Israelite, as opposed to the others) trusts.

Based partially on these considerations, Dahood considers this the prayer of a king. While this might be so, the sense of being overwhelmed that dominates sections A and A1 certainly would be very discouraging for anyone hearing it!

Verse 9

Verse 9 is both a turning point and a powerful use of imagery. In my translation I tried to reproduce the word plays (see notes). In order to more easily discuss the verse, I now I cite the more literal translation (from NJPS, though marked “uncertain”): “You keep count of my wanderings; put my tear into Your flask, into Your record.”

The first image is the collection of tears. Recall how put-upon the speaker is in verses 6–8. The image of God collecting the tears of the unfortunate supplicant and gathering them, presumably one by one (“tear” here is a singular, possibly a collective, but still emphasizing every single one), is both moving and powerful. Care, concern, affect, attention, memory, and delayed justice, are all suggested in this very effective image.

No less tantalizing is the image of God recording deeds in a book. Various heavenly recordings of deeds appear in the Bible, from God’s record from which Moses conditionally asks that his name be removed (Exod. 32:32), to a “Book of Life” including only the righteous (Ps. 69:29), to a life record (from before birth! – Ps. 139:16), to a list of those who revere the LORD (Mal. 3:16). There is a sense of both permanence and hope in all of these, but no one clear picture emerges. As the tears in the flask, the book endures as an enticing metaphor.

The poet of Psalm 56 seems aware of the power of verse 9, for here the tone of the psalm changes. Verse 9 effectively verifies that the first expression of trust (vv. 4–5) was insufficient, for the speaker’s tears still flowed! It is only after this request for empathy and concern that the speaker can sense the coming of the light he seeks.

Verses 13 and 14 – Death to Life

Ostensibly a pledge to worship, verse 13 is based on the reversal of the enemies’ plans (cf. “upon me” here and in v. 6, see note there). Close reading, however, reveals complexities, for the vows had to have been made before, and therefore not yet carried out! True, since fulfillment may necessitate presence in the Temple, no ill will is implied by noncompliance to date, but certainly a sharp change is articulated, for now the vows can be carried out, and they will be accompanied by thank offerings.

Verse 14 adds to this feeling of transformation. The “soul” was threatened (v. 7), but is now saved; “Yes” confirmed writing in the “account” (v. 9), and now confirms salvation.

As in the case with many psalm endings, these last verses point to a major change, which the reader is challenged to place within the context of the psalm. The weight of verse 14 is even heavier owing to its firm structure, a concluding chiasmus (death-foot-walk-life), which emphasizes the altered circumstances.

What happened? Is this the “new” speaker, overcoming the fearful speaker of verses 2–3 and 6–7? Were the events recounted in verse 9 sufficient to provide a new outlook on life? Was there a positive event external to the text (and if there was, would future sorrows throw the speaker back into the kind of desperation reflected in the earlier part of the psalm)?

Even if the end is more easily read as new assurance achieved, the beginning is nevertheless not easily read as only a report of former woes. Thus God’s concern seems less a matter of elimination of problems than of gaining the strength to live through (or perhaps “above”) them. In this complexity and with its striking poetry, Psalm 56 invites constant reconsideration.

* * * * * * *

Additional Notes –Two Phrases

As I have noted, many titles accorded psalms are of uncertain meaning, and exploration of possibilities so often borders on speculation that I usually choose not to pursue the subject. I would note, however, that poets have found occasional inspiration in this psalm’s title. I cite Robert Alter’s comment on the title: “The literal sense of the three Hebrew words is haunting; the mute dove of distant places. The great medieval poet Judah Halevi responded to the evocativeness of the phrase… by turning it into a concrete image of Israel’s exile.” (In fact, the Septuagint understands the verse to reflect the people being far from the Temple.)

Another evocative phrase that deserves attention is “light of life” (v.14) which recalls the association of darkness with the netherworld (She’ol) and light with living. (See Job 33:30.)

The historical reference in the title verse is to I Samuel 21:11–14. In the case of this psalm, there is little to dictate that David could not have written it.

　

　

　

The author of these essays is Rabbi Benjamin Segal, former president of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem　and author of The Song of Songs: A Woman in Love (Jerusalem: Gefen, 2009). This material is copyright by the author, and may not be reproduced. If you are interested in using the texts for study groups, please be in direct contact with the author, at psalmblog@gmail.com.

HEBREW TEXT

(א) לַמְנַצֵּחַ עַל יוֹנַת אֵלֶם רְחֹקִים לְדָוִד מִכְתָּם בֶּאֱחֹז אוֹתוֹ פְלִשְׁתִּים בְּגַת:

(ב) חָנֵּנִי אֱלֹהִים כִּי שְׁאָפַנִי אֱנוֹשׁ כָּל הַיּוֹם לֹחֵם יִלְחָצֵנִי:

(ג) שָׁאֲפוּ שׁוֹרְרַי כָּל הַיּוֹם כִּי רַבִּים לֹחֲמִים לִי מָרוֹם:

(ד) יוֹם אִירָא אֲנִי אֵלֶיךָ אֶבְטָח:

(ה) בֵּאלֹהִים אֲהַלֵּל דְּבָרוֹ בֵּאלֹהִים בָּטַחְתִּי לֹא אִירָא מַה יַּעֲשֶׂה בָשָׂר לִי:

(ו) כָּל הַיּוֹם דְּבָרַי יְעַצֵּבוּ עָלַי כָּל מַחְשְׁבֹתָם לָרָע:

(ז) יָגוּרוּ יצפינו {יִצְפּוֹנוּ} הֵמָּה עֲקֵבַי יִשְׁמֹרוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר קִוּוּ נַפְשִׁי:

(ח) עַל אָוֶן פַּלֶּט לָמוֹ בְּאַף עַמִּים הוֹרֵד אֱלֹהִים:

(ט) נֹדִי סָפַרְתָּה אָתָּה שִׂימָה דִמְעָתִי בְנֹאדֶךָ הֲלֹא בְּסִפְרָתֶךָ:

(י) אָז יָשׁוּבוּ אוֹיְבַי אָחוֹר בְּיוֹם אֶקְרָא זֶה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי אֱלֹהִים לִי:

(יא) בֵּאלֹהִים אֲהַלֵּל דָּבָר בַּיהֹוָה אֲהַלֵּל דָּבָר:

(יב) בֵּאלֹהִים בָּטַחְתִּי לֹא אִירָא מַה יַּעֲשֶׂה אָדָם לִי:

(יג) עָלַי אֱלֹהִים נְדָרֶיךָ אֲשַׁלֵּם תּוֹדֹת לָךְ:

(יד) כִּי הִצַּלְתָּ נַפְשִׁי מִמָּוֶת הֲלֹא רַגְלַי מִדֶּחִי לְהִתְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵי אֱלֹהִים בְּאוֹר הַחַיִּים: