Psa 56:12-13 | KD | STEP | In prospect of his deliverance the poet promises beforehand to fulfil the duty of thankfulness. עלי, incumbent upon me, as in ; 2Sa 18:11. נדריך, with an objective subject, are the vows made to God; and תּודות are distinguished from them, as e.g., in 2Ch 29:31. He will suffer neither the pledged שׁלמי נדר nor the שׁלמי תּודה to be wanting; for - so will he be then able to sing and to declare - Thou hast rescued, etc. The perfect after כּי denotes that which is then past, as in , cf. the dependent passage Psa 116:8. There the expression is ארצות החיּים instead of אור החיּים (here and in Elihu’s speech, ). Light of life (Joh 8:12) or of the living (lxx τῶν ζώντων) is not exclusively the sun-light of this present life. Life is the opposite of death in the deepest and most comprehensive sense; light of life is therefore the opposite of the night of Hades, of this seclusion from God and from His revelation in human history. Before Falling Asleep in the Wilderness The Psalms that are to be sung after the melody אל־תּשׁחת ( , Psa 58:1-11, 59 Davidic, 75 Asaphic) begin here. The direction referring to the musical execution of the Psalm ought properly to be אל־תשׁחת (אל); but this is avoided as being unmelodious, and harsh so far as the syntax is concerned. The Geneva version is correct: pour le chanter sur Al taschchet . There is no actual reference in the words to , or (why not also to ?). The historical inscription runs: when he fled from Saul, in the cave . From the connection in the history from which this statement is extracted, it will have been clear whether the Psalm belongs to the sojourn in the cave of Adullam (1 Sam. 22) or in the labyrinthine cave upon the alpine heights of Engedi, “by the sheep-folds” (1 Sam. 24), described in Van de Velde's Journey, ii. 74-76. How manifold are the points in which these Psalms belonging to the time of Saul run into one another! has not merely the supplicatory “Be gracious unto me, Elohim,” at the beginning, but also שׁאף applied in the same way ( ; Psa 56:2.), in common with ; in common with Ps 7, <, כבודי = נפשׁי ( ; ); the comparison of one’s enemies to lions and lionesses ( ; ); the figure of the sword of the tongue ( ; , cf. ); with the poetical expression הוות ( ; ); with Ps 22 the relation of the deliverance of the anointed one to the redemption of all peoples ( ; Psa 22:28.). Also with it has one or two points of contact, viz., the expression “refuge under the shadow of God’s wings” ( , ), and in the measuring of the mercy and truth of God by the height of the heavens ( , ). Yet, on the other hand, it has a thoroughly characteristic impress. Just as delighted in confirming what was said by means of the interrogatory הלא ( , 14), so revels in the figure epizeuxis, or an emphatic repetition of a word ( , , , ). (which see) is a cento taken out of and -12. The strophe-schema of is the growing one: 4. 5. 6; 4. 5. 6. Here also the Michtam is not wanting in its prominent favourite word. A refrain of a lofty character closes the first and second parts. In the first part cheerful submission rules, in the second a certainty of victory, which by anticipation takes up the song of praise.

‏ Psalms 56:12-13

In prospect of his deliverance the poet promises beforehand to fulfil the duty of thankfulness. עלי, incumbent upon me, as in Pro 7:14; 2Sa 18:11. נדריך, with an objective subject, are the vows made to God; and תּודות are distinguished from them, as e.g., in 2Ch 29:31. He will suffer neither the pledged שׁלמי נדר nor the שׁלמי תּודה to be wanting; for - so will he be then able to sing and to declare - Thou hast rescued, etc. The perfect after כּי denotes that which is then past, as in Psa 59:17, cf. the dependent passage Psa 116:8. There the expression is ארצות החיּים instead of אור החיּים (here and in Elihu’s speech, Job 33:30). Light of life (Joh 8:12) or of the living (lxx τῶν ζώντων) is not exclusively the sun-light of this present life. Life is the opposite of death in the deepest and most comprehensive sense; light of life is therefore the opposite of the night of Hades, of this seclusion from God and from His revelation in human history. Before Falling Asleep in the Wilderness

The Psalms that are to be sung after the melody אל־תּשׁחת (Psa 57:1-11, Psa 58:1-11, 59 Davidic, 75 Asaphic) begin here. The direction referring to the musical execution of the Psalm ought properly to be אל־תשׁחת (אל); but this is avoided as being unmelodious, and harsh so far as the syntax is concerned. The Geneva version is correct: pour le chanter sur Al taschchet. There is no actual reference in the words to Deu 9:26, or 1Sa 26:9 (why not also to Isa 65:8?).

The historical inscription runs: when he fled from Saul, in the cave. From the connection in the history from which this statement is extracted, it will have been clear whether the Psalm belongs to the sojourn in the cave of Adullam (1 Sam. 22) or in the labyrinthine cave upon the alpine heights of Engedi, “by the sheep-folds” (1 Sam. 24), described in Van de Velde's Journey, ii. 74-76.

How manifold are the points in which these Psalms belonging to the time of Saul run into one another! Psa 57:1-11 has not merely the supplicatory “Be gracious unto me, Elohim,” at the beginning, but also שׁאף applied in the same way (Psa 57:4; Psa 56:2.), in common with Psa 56:1-13; in common with Ps 7, <, כבודי = נפשׁי (Psa 57:9; Psa 7:6); the comparison of one’s enemies to lions and lionesses (Psa 57:5; Psa 7:3); the figure of the sword of the tongue (Psa 57:5; Psa 59:8, cf. Psa 52:4); with Psa 52:1-9 the poetical expression הוות (Psa 57:2; Psa 52:4); with Ps 22 the relation of the deliverance of the anointed one to the redemption of all peoples (Psa 57:10; Psa 22:28.). Also with Psa 36:1-12 it has one or two points of contact, viz., the expression “refuge under the shadow of God’s wings” (Psa 57:2, Psa 36:8), and in the measuring of the mercy and truth of God by the height of the heavens (Psa 57:11, Psa 36:6). Yet, on the other hand, it has a thoroughly characteristic impress. Just as Psa 56:1-13 delighted in confirming what was said by means of the interrogatory הלא (Psa 57:9, 14), so Psa 57:1-11 revels in the figure epizeuxis, or an emphatic repetition of a word (Psa 57:2, Psa 57:4, Psa 57:8, Psa 57:9). Psa 108:1-13 (which see) is a cento taken out of Psa 57:1-11 and Psa 60:1-12.

The strophe-schema of Psa 57:1-11 is the growing one: 4. 5. 6; 4. 5. 6. ^{▼▼The Syriac version reckons only 29 στίχοι (fetgome); vid., the Hexaplarian version of this Psalm taken from Cod. 14,434 (Add. MSS) in the British Museum, in Heidenheim’s Vierteljahrsschrift, No. 2 (1861).}

Here also the Michtam is not wanting in its prominent favourite word. A refrain of a lofty character closes the first and second parts. In the first part cheerful submission rules, in the second a certainty of victory, which by anticipation takes up the song of praise.