Read Psalm 59 at Bible Gateway.
Because there were several difficult translation issues in this psalm, I relied on the Hebrew Bible in English, which helped me resolve the chiastic structure:
Introduction) Psa 59:1-4, The plea of David for deliverance;
1a) Psa 59:1-2, Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
1b) Psa 59:3a, They gather themselves together to lie in wait for my soul; {n}
1c) Psa 59:3b, Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord;
2c) Psa 59:4a, Through no fault of mine;
2b) Psa 59:4b, They run and prepare themselves;
2a) Psa 59:4c, Awake to help me, and behold!
1a) Psa 59:5-11,
1a) Psa 59:5a, You therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, Arouse Yourself to punish all the nations; {n}
1b) Psa 59:5b, Show no mercy to any iniquitous traitors; Selah
1c) Psa 59:6-7a, The howling of the wicked as they go/ swords are in their lips;
central axis) Psa 59:7b, For they say, “Who hears?”
2c) Psa 59:8, The laughter of the Lord: But You shall laugh at them + have all the nations in derision.
2b) Psa 59:9-10, My God of mercy will show me mercy in the face of my enemies:
1a) Psa 59:9a, Because of his strength;
1b) Psa 59:9b, I will wait for You;
central axis) Psa 59:9c, For God is my high tower;
2b) Psa 59:10a, My God of mercy shall come to meet me;
2a) Psa 59:10b, God shall let me gaze upon my enemies;
2a) Psa 59:11, Do not slay them, lest my people forget; Scatter them by Your power + bring them down, O Lord our shield;
1b) Psa 59:12a, For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips; {n}
central axis) Psa 59:12b, Let them even be taken in their pride;
2b) Psa 59:12c, And for the cursing and lying which they speak;
1a) Psa 59:13-17
1) Psa 59:13, Consume them in wrath that they be no more {n}/ For God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth; Selah
2) Psa 59:14-15, At evening they return howling like a dog around the city, seeking to devour, waiting all night if not satisfied;
3) Psa 59:16-17, Praises to my God of strength + mercy {n}, my High Tower + refuge in the day of trouble. {p}
In this unusual chiastic structure, the 3 elements of the 2A pair are present in the 1A pair, only arranged in a chiasmus instead of in a linear progression. In fact there are several smaller chiastic structures present in this psalm, which overlap each other.
But notice, in this psalm and in the last several psalms, the great wickedness that the evil do, they do with their lips. Their sin, in which they lie in wait for the innocent to slay them, is the sin of evil speaking. We Americans think nothing of evil speaking – let someone express a political or religious opinion and then everyone else attacks them with the figurative long knives. Those who are named with the name of Christ are just as proficient at it as anyone else, to our shame.
We learn from the central axis that pride is at the root of evil speaking. Of course, it makes sense. If someone has an opinion which differs from yours, a humble man will allow him his opinion; only a proud man is not satisfied until everyone agrees with him or he has beaten all his opponents into submission.
If anything, let the Word of God impress upon us how great an evil it is in God’s eyes to open our mouths against another, and repent of it!
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