John Calvin Commentary Psalms 59:14

"And at evening let them return, let them howl like a dog, And go round about the city." — Psalms 59:14 (ASV)

And at evening they shall return. It is of no consequence whether we read these words in the future tense or in the subjunctive, understanding it as a continuation of the preceding prayer. But it seems more probable that David, after having brought his requests to a close, anticipates the happy outcome he desired.

And he makes an apt allusion to what he had already said of their insatiable hunger. He repeats the words he had previously used, but with a different application, ironically declaring that they would be ravenous in another sense, and that matters would turn out differently than they had expected.

Previously, he had complained that they made a noise like dogs, referring to the eagerness and fierceness with which they were intent on mischief. Now he derides their malicious efforts, saying that after wearying themselves with their endless pursuit all day, they would be disappointed in their purpose. He no longer uses the language of complaint but congratulates himself on the unsuccessful outcome of their activity.

The Hebrew word that I have translated as if not, at the end of the fifteenth verse, is considered by some to be the form of an oath. However, this is an over-refined interpretation. Others would have the negation repeated, reading it as, if they shall not have been satisfied, neither shall they lodge for the night. But this interpretation is also far-fetched.

The simple and true meaning readily suggests itself: although they might not be satisfied, they would be forced to lie down. The misery of their hunger would be aggravated by the fact that they had passed the whole day in fruitless effort and must lie down for the night empty, weary, and unsatisfied.