Psalm 57 (56):3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

If He is the Almighty, how can He listen to your pleas? Assurance comes from experience: to God, he states, who has blessed me. If He has granted me goodness even before I sought Him, surely He hears my cry. For the Lord our God has favored us by sending our Savior Jesus Christ to atone for our transgressions and to resurrect for our justification. (Rom. 4:25) For whom did He intend for His Son to perish? For those who are without righteousness. Yet, those devoid of righteousness did not pursue God; instead, they were pursued by Him. He is the Most High, in that our suffering and our cries are close to Him, for the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. God who has shown me kindness.

With the benefit of a deep understanding of divine assistance, I pray that the reliance on God's support becomes a regular aspect of my life. The Prophet refers to the earnestness of the spirit as an encouragement.

David refers to God as the Most High, as divine and the one who elevates, for He has bestowed upon him abundant blessings both in the past and in the present.

From this, it is said, the confidence I place in the shelter of Thy clarity prompts me to call out to You, O God Most High, the ultimate Arbiter who reigns over all earthly judges. The source of my lament is Your benevolence, which I have come to know through personal experience. The nature of this grace is recounted in the first book of Kings. When Saul had encircled the mountain where David sought refuge and was losing hope for his life, as previously mentioned; divine Providence sent a messenger to Saul to alert him that a foreign army was invading the land of Israel. Upon receiving this tidings, Saul was compelled to cease his pursuit of David, a fact he briefly recounts in the subsequent verses.

After skillfully escaping the grasp of the Philistines, David sought refuge in the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1) to evade Saul's pursuit. The psalm reflects the emotions and thoughts that occupied David's heart during this period. Some interpretations link it to the time spent in the cave of Engedi (1 Samuel 24ff.), though this correlation seems somewhat tenuous. The phrase "May ye not molest—destroy not (al tashkhet)" likely conveys the psalm's central theme—a plea for the safeguarding of life or could also be understood as "through (the song of) al tashkhet." In the Hebrew text, this psalm poses several interpretative challenges; the structure of its verses appears to align better with the LXX than with the Hebrew version.

The idea that one should refrain from causing harm resonates with an ancient song that begins with the exhortation not to disturb others. This sentiment mirrors the psalms of David, which are titled accordingly, calling for their recitation. A more compelling illustration comes from the account of David, who, while concealed in a cave from Saul and facing great peril, beseeches God not to allow him to harm or take Saul's life. Despite having the opportunity to do so multiple times, David's conscience deters him from such wrongdoing, as he strives to prevent others from committing similar acts. This noble decision is deserving of a lasting tribute.