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Psalm Ps. 55. Like many other individual laments, this psalm prays for God’s help against dangerous enemies. There is a unique twist here. The danger comes from betrayal by a close friend (vv. 13–14, 20–21).
55:1–3 The prayer is earnest (plea for mercy, restless in my complaint). the enemy, the wicked. These are not simply people who dislike the singer; they are enemies who will take violent measures to ruin the godly and stamp out true faith (vv. 3, 9–11, 21, 23).
Ps. 55:4–8 This section describes more fully the intensity of the singer: in anguish, terrors of death, fear, trembling, and horror. If he could fly, he would take refuge in the wilderness (away from the raging in the city).
Ps. 55:9–11 The singer seems to expect that the enemies will not repent of their evil (see v. 19).
Ps. 55:9 divide their tongues. “Divide” is similar in Hebrew to the name Peleg, “in [whose] days the earth was divided” (Gen. 10:25). This is probably a reference to the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1–9), where God confused the language of the human schemers. The prayer is thus for the enemies to be prevented from working together to carry out their evil.
Ps. 55:12–15 It is not a nameless enemy who is seeking to harm the faithful singer, but my companion, my familiar friend. Compare 41:9.
Ps. 55:16–19 The psalmist describes both desperation (v. 17) and confidence (vv. 18–19).
Ps. 55:20–21 covenant. His treacherous friend had sealed his seeming friendship with a solemn obligation; see 1 Sam. 18:3.
Ps. 55:22–23 The singer addresses each of his fellow singers (your), and then God (you, O God). The reason the faithful can cast their burden on the Lord is that he can be trusted to bring judgment upon the evildoers in his own good timing.
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