Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 55

Give ear to my prayer - See the notes at Psalm 5:1; Psalms 17:6. This is the language of earnestness. The psalmist was in deep affliction, and he pleaded, therefore, that God would not turn away from him in his troubles.

And hide not yourself from my supplication - That is, Do not withdraw yourself, or render yourself inaccessible to my prayer. Do not so conceal yourself that I may not have the privilege of approaching you. Compare the notes at Isaiah 1:15. See also Ezekiel 22:26; Proverbs 28:27; Leviticus 20:4; 1 Samuel 12:3. The same word is used in all these places, and the general meaning is that of “shutting the eyes upon,” as implying neglect. So also in Lamentations 3:56, the phrase “to hide the ear” means to turn away so as not to hear. The earnest prayer of the psalmist here is, that God would not, as it were, withdraw or conceal himself, but would give free access to himself in prayer.

The language is, of course, figurative, but it illustrates what often occurs when God seems to withdraw himself; when our prayers do not appear to be heard; when God is apparently unwilling to attend to us.

Attend to me, and hear me - This also is the language of earnest supplication, as if he was afraid that God would not regard his cry. These varied forms of speech show the intense earnestness of the psalmist, and his deep conviction that he must have help from God.

I mourn - The word used here - רוד rûd - means properly to wander about, to ramble (especially applied to animals that have broken loose), and then, to inquire after, to seek, as one does by running up and down; hence, to desire, to wish. Thus in (Hosea 11:12) - Judah runs wild toward God, - in our translation, Judah yet ruleth with God. The word occurs also in (Jeremiah 2:31), We are lords (margin, have dominion); and in (Genesis 27:40), When thou shalt have the dominion. It is not elsewhere found in the Scriptures.

The idea here seems not to be to mourn, but to inquire earnestly; to seek; to look for, as one does who wanders about or who looks every way for help. David was in deep distress. He looked in every direction. He earnestly desired to find God as a Helper. He was in the condition of one who had lost his way, or who had lost what was most valuable to him, and he directed his eyes most earnestly toward God for help.

In my complaint - The word employed here commonly means speech, discourse, or meditation. It occurs here in the sense of complaint, as in Job 7:13; Job 9:27; Job 21:4; Job 23:2; Psalms 142:2; and 1 Samuel 1:16.

It is not used, however, to denote complaint in the sense of fault-finding, but in the sense of deep distress. As the word is now commonly used, we connect with it the idea of fault-finding, complaining, accusing, or the idea that we have been dealt with unjustly. This is not the meaning in this place, or in the Scriptures generally. It is the language of a troubled, not an injured, spirit.

And make a noise - Namely, by prayer or by groaning. The psalmist did not hesitate to give vent to his feelings by groans, sobs, or prayers. Such expressions are not merely indications of deep feeling, but they are among the appointed means of relief. They are the effort that nature makes to throw off the burden, and if they are without complaining or impatience, they are not wrong. See Isaiah 38:14; Isaiah 59:11; Hebrews 5:7; and Matthew 27:46.

Because of the voice of the enemy - He now states the cause of his troubles. He had been, and was, unjustly treated by others. The particular idea in the word “voice” here is that he was suffering from slanderous reproaches; from assaults that had been made on his character. He was charged with evil conduct, and the charge was made in such a manner that he could not meet it. The result was that a series of calamities had come upon him that was quite overwhelming.

Because of the oppression of the wicked - The word here rendered “oppression” occurs nowhere else. The verb from which it is derived occurs twice (Amos 2:13): Behold, I am “pressed” under you as a cart is “pressed” that is full of sheaves. The idea is that of crushing by a heavy weight; and hence, of crushing by affliction. The “wicked” alluded to here, if the supposition referred to in the Introduction about the occasion of the psalm is correct, were Absalom and those who were associated with him in the rebellion, particularly Ahithophel, who had shown himself false to David and had united with his enemies in their purpose to drive him from his throne.

For they cast iniquity upon me - That is, they charge me with sin; they attempt to justify themselves in their treatment of me by accusing me of wrong-doing, or by endeavoring to satisfy themselves that I deserve to be treated in this manner. If this refers to the time of the rebellion of Absalom, the allusion would be to the charges brought by him against his father of severity and injustice in his administration (2 Samuel 15:2–6).

And in wrath they hate me - In their indignation, in their excitement, they are full of hatred against me. This was manifested by driving him from his throne and his home.

My heart is sore pained within me - Heavy and sad; that is, I am deeply afflicted. The word translated “sore pained” properly means to turn round; to twist; to dance in a circle; to be whirled round; and then to twist or writhe with pain, especially as applied to a woman in labor (Isaiah 13:8; Isaiah 23:4; Isaiah 26:18). Here the idea is that he was in deep distress and anguish. It is easy to see that this would be so if the psalm refers to the revolt of Absalom. The ingratitude and rebellion of a son - the fact of being driven away from his throne - the number of his enemies - the unexpected news that Ahithophel was among them - and the entire uncertainty as to the result, justified the use of this strong language.

And the terrors of death are fallen upon me - The Septuagint, the Vulgate, and Luther translate this as “the fear of death,” as if he were afraid for his life, or afraid that the result of all this would be his death. A more natural construction, however, is to suppose that the reference is to the ordinary pains of death, and that he means to say that the pangs which he endured were like the pangs of death. The words “are fallen” suggest the idea that this had come suddenly upon him, like a “horror of great darkness” , or as if the gloomy shadow of death had suddenly crossed his path. Compare the notes at Psalm 23:4. The calamities had come suddenly upon him; the conspiracy had been suddenly developed; and he had been suddenly driven away.

Fearfulness and trembling - Fear so great as to produce trembling. Compare to the notes on Job 4:14. He did not know when these things would end. He did not know how far the spirit of rebellion had spread, and he had no means of ascertaining. It seemed as if he would be wholly overthrown, as if his power was wholly at an end, and as if even his life was in the greatest peril.

And horror has overwhelmed me - Margin, as in Hebrew, “covered me.” That is, it had come upon him so as to cover or envelop him entirely. The shades of horror and despair spread all around and above him, and all things were filled with gloom. The word rendered “horror” occurs only in three other places: Ezekiel 7:18, rendered (as here) “horror”; Job 21:6, rendered “trembling”; and Isaiah 21:4, rendered “fearfulness.” It refers to that state when we are deeply agitated with fear.