I. (55:1–3) Hear My Prayer. The prayer is earnest (“plea for mercy,” “restless in my complaint”), and its occasion is the “noise of the enemy” and the “oppression of the wicked”—“they drop trouble upon” the speaker (as if they were dropping stones) because “they bear a grudge against” him. As usual in the Psalms, these are not simply people who dislike the singer; they are enemies of true piety who will even take violent measures to ruin the godly and stamp out true faith (vv. 3, 9–11, 21, 23).

The person praying begs God, “Hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!” The psalm allows the worshiper to be very plain about his fears and distress (see vv. 4–8), and here it enables the faithful to say exactly what they must fear in such circumstances.

II. (55:4–8) I Am Desperate. This section describes more fully the earnestness of the singer: “in anguish,” “terrors of death,” “fear,” “trembling,” and “horror.” If he could fly (the “dove” is probably a symbol of both innocence and swiftness), he would take refuge “in the wilderness” (away from the raging in the city).

These words make it clear that those who come to God for help have no need of pretense; they may frankly lay out their anguish and worry before him. This should foster an atmosphere among the faithful in which they mutually acknowledge their deep dependence on one another and on God.

III. (55:9–11) Destroy Those Who Bring Such Ruin. In such a situation the singer prays for deliverance, which ordinarily means the thwarting of the wicked schemes of the enemies. Some modern readers may find this vindictive, but it cannot be compassionate to remain indifferent to the suffering that these enemies bring to the innocent (as we see in the terms “violence,” “strife,” “iniquity and trouble,” “ruin,” and “oppression and fraud” to describe their activities). In such songs the singer ought perhaps to prefer that the enemies repent of their evil, but this song is geared for occasions in which the singers have no reason to expect that they will (cf. v. 19). For more on such prayers cf. Introduction.

Verse 9 contains the request, “Divide their tongues.”457 “Divide” (Hb. pallag) probably evokes the name Peleg, in whose days the earth was divided (Gen. 10:25), and thus in turn is probably an allusion to the Tower of Babel narrative (Gen. 11:1–9), in which God confused the language of the human schemers.458 The prayer is thus for the enemies to be prevented from working together to carry out their evil.

IV. (55:12–15) I Am Betrayed by My Own Friend! Now the pain sharpens: it is not a nameless “enemy” or “adversary” who is seeking to harm the pious singer but his “companion, [his] familiar friend”! (A similar situation occurs in Psalm 41:9.) The descriptors in 55:13–14 each piles on to the one before it, giving a picture of the deep pain such an occasion of betrayal would yield.

The stanza closes with an imprecation (“Let death steal over them”). We should read this in the same spirit as verses 9–11. “Let them go down to Sheol alive” is a vivid image; here “Sheol” is probably an image based on Numbers 16:30, 33, where “Sheol” is a poetic name for the grave (with associations of divine judgment; cf. comment on 6:1–5).

V. (55:16–19) I Call to God and Trust He Will Hear Me. This section is similar to verses 1–3 except that it is speaking of prayer, with God in the third person (“he”; v. 17) rather than the second person (e.g., “yourself”; v. 1). The psalmist describes desperation, with constant prayer, with moaning and complaint (v. 17). He also describes confidence in God’s disposition to hear prayer (vv. 18–19; cf. “give ear,” vv. 1, 19).

On “redeems” in verse 18 cf. comment on 25:22.

VI. (55:20–21) My Treacherous Friend. This stanza returns to describing a painful betrayal. This is not simply a friend who has let another down; instead, he has planned destruction of those who trusted him, all the while disguising his evil intent. He even sealed his friendship with a “covenant” (cf. David and Jonathan; 1 Sam. 18:3), which he “violated” (Ps. 55:20).

“My companion” in verse 20 is supplied (cf. ESV mg.); the Hebrew is simply “he,” referring to the person described in verses 13–14.

Verse 21 provides a beautiful portrayal of insincerity: the “speech” was “smooth as butter,” contrasted to the “war” in his heart. The “words,” which were “softer than [olive] oil,” were actually weapons to destroy (“drawn swords”). In the Hebrew idiom, when words, lips, or tongues are “smooth,” this generally refers to flattery (5:9; 12:3; 36:2; Prov. 2:16; 5:3; 7:5, 21; 26:28; 28:23; 29:5). In addition to portraying vividly the hurt of the situation, this part of the song helps its singers to dislike this kind of behavior—they will value honesty and trustworthiness instead.

VII. (55:22–23) Cast Your Burden on the Lord. Now the singer addresses each of his fellow singers (“your,” singular; Ps. 55:22) and then God (“you, O God”; v. 23). The faithful can “cast” their “burden on the Lord” because he can be trusted to bring judgment upon the evildoers. The psalms do not say when God will “cast them down” (looking back to “Let them go down”; v. 15); the faithful will wait for God’s own good timing. As in verses 9–11, when the case is such that they do not change (v. 19), it is good to hope that they are taken out of the way.

The LXX renders “cast your burden” (v. 22) as “cast your anxiety,” which provides the wording for 1 Peter 5:7, which directs Christians to exercise similar faith in the face of persecution. The “righteous” (i.e., the genuinely faithful) person will not be “moved” (cf. comment on 10:1–11 [at v. 6]).