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Psalm 56 Bible study: What can man do to me?
The refrain comes back changed: "What can flesh do to me?" (56:4) becomes "What can man do to me?" (56:11), and the second time a line is added, "In the LORD, I will praise his word" (56:10), the only time the psalm says the LORD. And in "You count my wanderings… Aren’t they in your book?" (56:8), Strong's gives book as from the verb count.
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“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. In God, I praise his word. In God, I put my trust. I will not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“In Psalm 56 the psalmist says, "When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you."”
Is that in Psalm 56, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
A title, and a day in Gath
The WEB prints the title at the start of verse 1: "For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Silent Dove in Distant Lands.” A poem by David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath" (56:1). 1 Samuel tells of David in Gath: he "fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath" (1 Samuel 21:10). Achish's servants asked, "Isn’t this David the king of the land?" (1 Samuel 21:11), and "David laid up these words in his heart, and was very afraid of Achish the king of Gath" (1 Samuel 21:12). In Hebrew was very afraid there has the verb of the psalm's "When I am afraid" (56:3) (tap afraid). The title doesn't name Achish, and 1 Samuel 21 doesn't use the title's word seized or mention the psalm (1 Samuel 21:10-15). These notes don't fit the two together. Then the psalm itself begins, and it names no one: "Be merciful to me, God, for man wants to swallow me up. All day long, he attacks and oppresses me" (56:1) (tap swallow).
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Psalm 56
That was a taste
The rest of Psalm 56 is waiting in Favor
- A refrain that comes back changed
- All day long, and the day I call
- Tears in God's container
- Psalm 116 says it again
- "Those who kill the body"
- 6 questions as you read
- 11 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Psalm 56 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
יָרֵאyare'say ya-RE
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "fear, be afraid". Strong's: "to fear; morally to revere". The psalm has it three times, always in the same form, ira, I fear: "When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you" (56:3), and twice with lo, not, before it: "I will not be afraid" (56:4, 56:11). It is the verb of David in Gath: "David laid up these words in his heart, and was very afraid of Achish the king of Gath" (1 Samuel 21:12).
For your group
Psalm 56 Bible study questions
- 1"When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you" (56:3). What are you afraid of right now, and what would putting your trust in God there look like this week?
- 2"You count my wanderings. You put my tears into your container" (56:8). What does it change for you that God keeps count of what you've been through?
- 3"All day long they twist my words" (56:5), yet "In God, I praise his word" (56:4). When people twist what you say, where does this psalm turn, and where do you?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Psalm 56 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Can I read Psalm 56 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Psalm 56 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home