Psalm 57 (56):11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The psalter and musical instruments awaken at dawn, offering praise to the Lord; what is proclaimed? "I will give thanks to You among the nations, O Lord, and I will sing Your praises among the peoples; for Your mercy reaches to the heavens, and Your truth to the clouds" (Psalm 56:10). The heavens are situated above the clouds, which themselves rest beneath the sky; the clouds belong to this closest heaven. Yet sometimes they settle upon the mountains while still being ever present in the nearby atmosphere. Above all is Heaven, the dwelling place of Angels, Thrones, Lordships, Dominions, Initiates, and Authorities.

For Your mercy has been elevated to the heavens. And Your truth, evidenced by Your actions, extends to the clouds, confirming the veracity of the matters of the clouds, that is, the words of the prophets. Through Your deeds, You have made evident that the truth of the clouds, representing the prophets, is indeed genuine.

Heaven and the angels residing within it have not only acknowledged your grace, but you have also manifested your truth through the clouds. The Holy Scripture refers to those endowed with divine grace as clouds. The Almighty also conveys this through the Prophet Isaiah. For when He spoke of Israel, saying, "I will leave My grapes, and they shall not be cut off, neither shall they be digged up," He further declared, "And we will command the cloud, lest it rain upon them" (Isaiah 5:6). Just as the cloud draws from other clouds to become rain, so too do the Prophets and Apostles, through God's grace, provide spiritual nourishment to the souls of humanity.

David expresses similar sentiments in Psalm 35:6, illustrating the magnitude of God’s mercy and truth, which reach from the earth to the skies. St. Cyril remarks on the immense and sublime nature of God's mercy and truth, suggesting that they ascend towards the heavens. The truth, represented by Christ, is elevated upon the clouds, being universally visible and recognized by all discerning individuals throughout the world as residing in the glorious essence of the divine. While He shares oneness with the Father as God, He is also eternally present with us through the Holy Spirit. He has not forsaken us as orphans but remains with us until the conclusion of the age. As Athanasius notes, God has validated the proclamations of the prophets, akin to the voices of clouds, through the actual unfolding of events.

He explains his desire to glorify God among all nations, attributing it entirely to God's mercy and righteousness. These attributes are so immense that they reach up to the skies and beyond, both in essence and in actions. The Prophet indicates here that the heavens and the clouds are interconnected, as the Lord stated in Matthew, "From henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven" (Matthew 26:64).

After cleverly evading the Philistines, David took refuge in the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1) to escape from Saul. The psalm expresses the emotions and reflections that occupied David's heart during this time. It appears that some may not reasonably connect it with his earlier time spent in the cave of Engedi (1 Samuel 24ff.). The phrase "May ye not molest—destroy not (al tashkhet)" likely encapsulates the main message of the psalm, serving as a plea for the safeguarding of life; alternatively, it could be interpreted as “by (the song of) al tashkhet.” The Hebrew text of this psalm poses significant challenges for interpretation, and the parallelism is found to be more effective in the LXX than in the Hebrew version. The context seems to suggest it was composed in the evening, prior to rest.

Some interpret the phrase "You shall not harm" in light of an ancient song that begins with this line, suggesting that similar sentiments echo in David's psalms, which bear the title "You shall not harm." However, a more reliable interpretation involves David, who, while concealed in a cave and facing dire circumstances due to Saul, implores God not to allow him to injure or kill Saul. His own conscience prevented David from succumbing to harmful desires, as he recognized the temptation to take Saul's life multiple times. Such an act deserves to be commemorated on a monument for future generations.