Text of prayer Psalm 59
In Church Slavonic with accents
1 Finally, for those who want to change, for the sake of the pillars of David, for a teaching:
2 At one time he burned the heartland of Syria, and Syria of Sobal, and Joab returned and smote Edom into the wilds of Soleum twelve thousand,
3 O God, you have rejected us and cast us down; you have been angry and have spared us.
4 You have shaken the earth and troubled it, heal its contrition by moving.
5 You showed your people how cruel you are, you gave us to drink the wine of tenderness.
6 Thou hast given a sign to those who fear Thee, even to flee from the presence of the bow.
7 For Thy loved ones may be delivered; save with Thy right hand and hear me.
8 God said in His holy things: I will rejoice and divide Sikimah, and make a vale of habitations.
9 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine, and Ephraim is the fortress of my head, Judah is my king.
10 Moab is the heap of my hope; on Idumea I put my boot; the foreign women have submitted to me.
11 Who will bring me into the city of enclosure? or who will guide me to Edom?
12 Is it not you, O God, who has rejected us? And will you not go out, O God, in our strength?
13 Give us help from tribulation, and human salvation is in vain.
14 In God we will create strength, and He will subdue the cold that afflicts us.
In Russian
1 For execution. For those who have yet to change, for the inscription on the pillar. David, to learning,
2 When he burned the Syrian Mesopotamia and Syria of Sobal, and Joab returned and smote Edom in the Solyan gorge - twelve thousand.
3 God! You rejected us, You crushed us, You were angry: turn to us.
4 You have shaken the earth, you have broken it: heal its damage, for it is shaking.
5 You have made your people experience cruel things; you have given us to drink the wine of amazement.
6 Give a banner to those who fear You, so that they may lift it up for the sake of the truth,
7 that Thy beloved may be delivered; save with Your right hand and hear me.
8 God said in His sanctuary: “I will triumph, I will divide Shechem and measure the valley of Succoth:
9 Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine, Ephraim is the strength of my head, Judah is my scepter,
10 Moab is my washbowl; I will stretch my boot on Edom. Shout to Me, land of the Philistines!
11 Who will bring me into the fortified city? Who will bring me to Edom?
12 Is it not you, O God, who has cast us away, and come not forth, O God, with our armies?
13 Give us help in distress, for human defense is vanity.
14 With God we will show strength; He will overthrow our enemies.
Commentaries from the Geneva Bible: Psalm 59 Psalm
Ps. 59 This psalm laments Israel's military defeat and asks the Lord why He turned away from His people.
59:1-2 Psalm 59 is also notable for the fact that it has the most extensive title in the entire Psalter. The events named in the title are set out in 2 Kings, ch. 8 and 1 Chron., ch. 18, which, however, speak of David's Syrian campaign as exclusively victorious, while Art. 2 suggests that, in addition to victories, the Israeli army also experienced defeat. But this is not the only discrepancy between the text of the psalm and historical books. So, another number of Edomites killed in the Salt Valley is called. However, this discrepancy can easily be explained by an error of the ancient copyist. It is also interesting to note that different biblical texts attribute the honor of victory over the Edomites to different people: Psalm to Joab, 2 Sam. 8:13 – David, 1 Chron. 18.12 – Abishai. But this contradiction is not so significant, since all three named were commanders of the same army; in such a situation, it was almost impossible to unambiguously decide which of the three was considered the winner.
59:3 You have rejected us. Having rejected His people, the Lord left them alone with the enemy. The Israelites did not survive the battle because they were deprived of God's presence, and therefore of God's help.
59:5 gave us to drink the wine of amazement. To drink something in the language of Scripture means to experience, to feel on oneself.
We advise you to study the Prayers of the Pochaev Mother of God
59:6 Give a banner to those who fear You. The meaning of this expression is not entirely clear. Obviously, we are talking about a sign of hope given by God to the Israelites; perhaps the “banner” here is a symbol of God’s presence.
59:8 God spoke in His sanctuary. Apparently, this refers to a prophecy transmitted by the Lord through one of the temple servants. For how this prophecy was fulfilled, see 2 Kings, ch. 8.
59:8-9 These two verses list different areas of the promised land.
Shechem... Succoth. According to Gen. 33:17-20, Jacob and Esau settled in these places, located respectively on the eastern and western banks of the Jordan River, after mutual reconciliation.
Gilead... Manasseh. These areas lie on different banks of the Jordan.
Ephraim... Judah. Ephraim and Judah are the two strongest tribes of Israel. They often fought with each other, but invariably united under the banner of the Lord.
My scepter. See Gen. 49.10.
59:10 Moab... Edom... the land of the Philistines. We are talking about small states neighboring Israel. Their peoples annoyed the Israelites for centuries, but they, with God's help, always prevailed over them.
I will stretch my boot. Or rather: “I will stretch out My sandals.” By trampling the vanquished underfoot, the winner demonstrated his superiority and contempt.
59:11 Who will bring me in..? Apparently, these words are spoken by the king on behalf of the entire people.
59:14 With God we will show strength. Only with God's help can Israel achieve victory over the enemy. The idea that victory is assured for Israel when God is on its side lies at the heart of the Old Testament concept of holy war.
← Psalm 58 • Psalm 60 →
History of writing
The story of the Jews' conquest of the Promised Land is a story of constant skirmishes and hostilities. The Lord made it clear to the Jews, like no other race on earth, that as long as they are faithful to His law and Covenant, He helps, but when they retreat through wickedness, He punishes.
Psalm 59 was written on the occasion of the victory of the commander of Joab's army over the Edomites. Earlier, during the first Syrian war in the north, the Edomites had devastated the southern territories of Judea. David was upset by this, and against the background of these thoughts the psalm was written.
When Psalm 59 is read. General rules
It is not entirely correct to divide everything conditionally and firmly differentiate. However, Psalm 59 is most applicable when:
It is necessary to read Psalm 59 for God to reveal the truth when many people are slandered. Much does not mean critical, no matter how much is stigmatized, you have a chance to fix everything. The main thing is not to forget the truths set forth in divine revelation.
These two lines show all the beauty of the psalm and make you feel the right mood:
