Chapter Overview
Summary
Psalm 55 (MT) / Psalm 54 (LXX) is a Davidic lament over betrayal by a close friend — traditionally identified with Ahithophel's defection to Absalom (2 Sam 15–17). The psalm contains vivid oscillations between terror of the treacherous-companion and trust in God. Verse 22 (MT 23) — 'cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you' — is cited at 1 Peter 5:7 ('casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you'). The psalmist's 'I would fly away and be at rest' (v. 6) has entered common devotional-vocabulary for weariness-yearning.
Notable Variants
55:22 'cast your burden on the LORD' → 1 Peter 5:7 anxiety-casting; 55:6 'wings of a dove to fly away' as weariness-escape longing; 55:12–14 betraying-companion ('my familiar friend, we took sweet counsel together') anticipating Judas-Ps 41:9 pattern.
Structural Notes
MT Ps 55 = LXX Ps 54. 24 verses (MT/LXX), 23 verses (English).
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David.
Superscription tracks MT.
Give ear to my prayer, God, and do not hide yourself from my plea.
'Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy' tracks MT.
Pay attention to me and answer me! I am restless in my anguish; I groan aloud.
'Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan' tracks MT.
Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the pressure of the wicked — for they heap trouble upon me and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
'Because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked' tracks MT.
My heart writhes within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
'My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me' tracks MT. 'Terrors of death' (eimah maveth / phobos thanatou) is Hebrews 2:15's vocabulary ('lifelong slavery through fear of death').
Fear and trembling come over me, and shuddering covers me.
'Fear and trembling come upon me' tracks MT. The 'fear and trembling' (phobos kai tromos) pair — Paul's Philippians 2:12 ('work out your own salvation with fear and trembling') and 1 Cor 2:3 echo.
And I said, "Who will give me wings like a dove? I would fly away and find rest.
'And I say: Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest' tracks MT. DOVE-WINGS weariness-escape yearning. The image has become proverbial. 'I would fly away' — anapetasthai, the same root as anapausis, rest.
I would flee far away; I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah.
'Yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness' tracks MT. Wilderness-retreat as escape-from-treachery — Elijah's 1 Kings 19 juniper-tree flight.
I would hurry to my shelter from the raging wind and storm."
'I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest' tracks MT.
Confuse their speech, Lord! Divide their tongues! For I have seen violence and conflict in the city.
'Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues' tracks MT. Babel-echo language — 'confuse their tongues' is the Genesis 11 formula (balal).
Day and night they circle its walls; trouble and misery are within it.
'For I see violence and strife in the city' tracks MT.
Destruction is within it; oppression and deceit never leave its public square.
'Day and night they go around it on its walls' tracks MT.
For it is not an enemy who taunts me — that I could bear. It is not a foe who rises against me — from that one I could hide.
'For it is not an enemy who taunts me — then I could bear it' tracks MT. The rhetorical-pivot: this-is-worse-than-enemy-attack. A close-friend's betrayal is the psalm's agonizing heart.
But it was you — a man my equal, my companion, my close friend.
'But it is you, a man my equal, my companion, my familiar friend' tracks MT. The 'man my equal' (enosh ke-erki / isopsychos) language — 'isopsychos' (equal-souled) appears only here and Phil 2:20. Paul's 'I have no one like-souled (isopsychon)' to describe Timothy echoes this psalm's betrayed-equal-souled vocabulary.
Together we shared sweet counsel; we walked in the house of God among the throng.
'We used to take sweet counsel together; within God's house we walked in the throng' tracks MT. Shared-worship remembrance — making the betrayal ecclesial as well as personal. Patristic reading of Pss 41 and 55 sees Judas' betrayal prefigured.
Let death come upon them suddenly; let them go down to Sheol alive, for evil is in their dwelling and within them.
'Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive' tracks MT.
As for me, I call upon God, and the LORD will save me.
'But I call to God, and the LORD will save me' tracks MT.
Evening and morning and noon I cry out in anguish, and he hears my voice.
'Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan' tracks MT. THREE-TIMES-DAILY PRAYER. The evening-morning-noon threefold-prayer pattern became the Jewish Amidah prayer-schedule. Daniel 6:10's thrice-daily prayer and Acts 10:9's noon-prayer by Peter extend the pattern. The Christian Liturgy of the Hours continues this three-time-daily (plus night and others) rhythm.
He redeems my life in peace from the battle waged against me, for many are on my side.
'He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage' tracks MT.
God will hear and humble them — he who sits enthroned from of old. Selah. For they have no fear of change; they do not fear God.
'God will give ear and humble them — he who is enthroned from of old' tracks MT.
He stretched out his hands against those at peace with him; he violated his covenant.
'My companion stretched out his hand against his friends; he violated his covenant' tracks MT.
His speech was smooth as butter, but war was in his heart. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
'His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords' tracks MT. The butter-and-oil-but-really-swords image — treacherous speech as the psalm's signature concern.
Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
Masoretic (WLC)
הַשְׁלֵךְ עַל־יְהוָה יְהָבְךָ וְהוּא יְכַלְכְּלֶךָ לֹא־יִתֵּן לְעוֹלָם מוֹט לַצַּדִּיק
Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved
Septuagint (LXX)
ἐπίρριψον ἐπὶ κύριον τὴν μέριμνάν σου καὶ αὐτός σε διαθρέψει οὐ δώσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα σάλον τῷ δικαίῳ
Cast your care upon the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken
1 PETER 5:7 CITATION. 1 Peter 5:7 adapts this verse into apostolic counsel: 'Casting all your ANXIETIES (pasan tēn merimnan hymōn) on him, because he cares for you' (epirripsantes … hoti autō melei peri hymōn). Peter uses the LXX's verb (epirriptō = cast) and noun (merimna = anxiety), making this psalm the direct source of one of the NT's most-quoted pastoral-consolations.
THE ANXIETY-REFRAMING. The Hebrew yehav (the word translated 'burden' appears only here in the OT) most-likely means 'what-is-given-to-you' — one's lot, allotment, what divine-providence has assigned. The LXX's merimna ('anxiety, care') moves toward psychological-interiority. Peter follows the LXX: anxieties as psychological-burdens to cast on God. The NT's pastoral-anthropology — God-cares-for-your-cares — is in direct continuity with the Davidic psalm.
But you, God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction. Men of blood and deceit will not live out half their days. But I — I will trust in you.
'But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction' tracks MT. 'Men of blood and treachery' — the closing designation of the Ahithophel-type. 'Shall not live out half their days' — the early-death judgment on the treacherous (fulfilled in Ahithophel's suicide, 2 Sam 17:23). 'But I will trust in you' — the psalm's closing note of personal-trust.