Psalms 56:1

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

For the Chief Musician; set to Jonath elem rehokim. [A Psalm] of David. Michtam; when the Philistines took him in Gath. Be merciful unto me, O God; For man would swallow me up: All the day long he fighting oppresseth me.

Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

לַמְנַצֵּ֤חַ ׀ עַל־י֬וֹנַת אֵ֣לֶם רְ֭חֹקִים לְדָוִ֣ד מִכְתָּ֑ם בֶּֽאֱחֹ֨ז אֹת֖וֹ פְלִשְׁתִּ֣ים בְּגַֽת׃

Transliteration

To-mənaṣṣēaḥ upon-yônat ʾēlem rəḥōqîm to-Dāwid miktām when-ʾeḥōz him Pəlištîm in-Gat

Grammar Details

*mənaṣṣēaḥ*: Piel participle masculine singular with lamed prefix - to the director/choirmaster
*yônat ʾēlem rəḥōqîm*: construct chain - dove of silence of distant ones/places
*Dāwid*: proper name with lamed prefix - to/for/by David
*miktām*: masculine singular noun - possibly musical term or golden poem
*ʾeḥōz*: infinitive construct with bet prefix - when seized/grasped
*Pəlištîm*: proper name, masculine plural - Philistines
*Gat*: proper name with bet prefix - in Gath

Word Meanings

*mənaṣṣēaḥ*: director/chief musician/choirmaster/overseer
*yônat ʾēlem rəḥōqîm*: dove of silent/mute distant places/silent dove of distant places/dove of the distant terebinths
*miktām*: golden poem/inscription/writing/covering
*ʾeḥōz*: seize/grasp/take hold of/capture

ℹ️

About this Translation

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Formal EquivalenceSource: American Standard VersionBest for: Word studies and original-language research

🎯 Translation Approach

A highly literal, word-for-word translation (ASV, 1901) augmented with Strong's numbering to connect English words to underlying Hebrew and Greek terms for study.

Word-for-word

5/5

Readability

2/5

💎 Distinctive Features

Integrated Strong's numbering: Links English terms to underlying Hebrew and Greek words for deeper lexical study.
Formal equivalence: Prioritizes close alignment with source-language forms and structures.
Divine name rendering: Frequently renders the Tetragrammaton as Jehovah in the Old Testament, following ASV tradition.
Study-focused formatting: Optimized for reference and research rather than casual reading.

✅ Strengths

High fidelity to original languages
Includes Strong's numbers for precise word study
Consistent lexical choices aid exegesis
Stable, longstanding scholarly text

⚠️ Considerations

Archaic language reduces readability
Older textual basis compared to some modern translations
Strong's numbers are a concordance index, not full lexical definitions

👥 Who is this for?

Ideal for

Pastors and teachers
Seminary students
Serious Bible students
Readers conducting word studies
Those referencing Hebrew/Greek tools

Consider alternatives for

Casual readers
Children and early teens
ESL learners seeking simple English
Readers preferring contemporary language

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Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

Ps 16:1 : 1 Michtam of David. Preserve me, O God; For in thee do I take refuge.
Ps 57:1-3 : 1 For the Chief Musician; [set to] Al-tashheth. [A Psalm] of David. Michtam; when he fled from Saul, in the cave. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me; For my soul taketh refuge in thee: Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge, Until [these] calamities be overpast. 2 I will cry unto God Most High, Unto God that performeth [all things] for me. 3 He will send from heaven, and save me, [When] he that would swallow me up reproacheth; {H5542} God will send forth his lovingkindness and his truth.
Ps 69:13-16 : 13 But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Jehovah, in an acceptable time: O God, in the abundance of thy lovingkindness, Answer me in the truth of thy salvation. 14 Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: Let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters. 15 Let not the waterflood overwhelm me, Neither let the deep shallow me up; And let not the pit shut its mouth upon me. 16 Answer me, O Jehovah; for thy lovingkindness is good: According to the multitude of thy tender mercies turn thou unto me.
Ps 27:2 : 2 When evil-doers came upon me to eat up my flesh, [Even] mine adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.
Ps 31:9 : 9 Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah, for I am in distress: Mine eye wasteth away with grief, [yea], my soul and my body.
Ps 35:25 : 25 Let them not say in their heart, Aha, so would we have it: Let them not say, We have swallowed him up.
Ps 106:17 : 17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, And covered the company of Abiram.
Ps 124:3 : 3 Then they had swallowed us up alive, When their wrath was kindled against us;
Ps 136:10 : 10 To him that smote Egypt in their first-born; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever;
Ps 136:15 : 15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever:
Ps 136:17-20 : 17 To him that smote great kings; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever; 18 And slew famous kings; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever: 19 Sihon king of the Amorites; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever; 20 And Og king of Bashan; For his lovingkindness [endureth] for ever;
Ps 143:12 : 12 And in thy lovingkindness cut off mine enemies, And destroy all them that afflict my soul; For I am thy servant.
Prov 1:12 : 12 Let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, And whole, as those that go down into the pit;
Lam 2:2 : 2 The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: He hath thrown down in his wrath the strongholds of the daughter of Judah; He hath brought them down to the ground; he hath profaned the kingdom and the princes thereof.
Lam 2:5 : 5 The Lord is become as an enemy, he hath swallowed up Israel; He hath swallowed up all her palaces, he hath destroyed his strongholds; And he hath multiplied in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.
Lam 2:16 : 16 All thine enemies have opened their mouth wide against thee; They hiss and gnash the teeth; they say, We have swallowed her up; Certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.
Hos 8:8 : 8 Israel is swallowed up: now are they among the nations as a vessel wherein none delighteth.
1 Cor 15:54 : 54 But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
Ps 58:1 : 1 For the Chief Musician; [set to] Al-tashheth. [A Psalm] of David. Michtam. Do ye indeed in silence speak righteousness? Do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
Ps 59:1 : 1 For the Chief Musician; [set to] Al-tashheth. [A Psalm] of David. Michtam; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him. Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: Set me on high from them that rise up against me.
Ps 59:10 : 10 My God with his lovingkindness will meet me: God will let me see [my desire] upon mine enemies.
Ps 60:1 : 1 For the Chief Musician; set to Shushan Eduth. Michtam of David, to teach; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the Valley of Salt twelve thousand. O God thou hast cast us off, thou hast broken us down; Thou hast been angry; oh restore us again.
Ps 21:9 : 9 Thou wilt make them as a fiery furnace in the time of thine anger: Jehovah will swallow them up in his wrath, And the fire shall devour them.
1 Sam 21:11-15 : 11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands? 12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. 14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad; wherefore then have ye brought him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen, that ye have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?
1 Sam 29:4 : 4 But he princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make the man return, that he may go back to his place where thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us: for wherewith should this [fellow] reconcile himself unto his lord? should it not be with the heads of these men?

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

Ps 56:2-3
2 verses
88%
2Mine enemies would swallow me up all the day long; {H4791} For they are many that fight proudly against me.
3What time I am afraid, I will put my trust in thee.
Ps 86:3
78%
3Be merciful unto me, O Lord; For unto thee do I cry all the day long.
Ps 57:1
77%
1For the Chief Musician; [set to] Al-tashheth. [A Psalm] of David. Michtam; when he fled from Saul, in the cave. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me; For my soul taketh refuge in thee: Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge, Until [these] calamities be overpast.
Ps 56:5-6
2 verses
76%
5All the day long they wrest my words: All their thoughts are against me for evil.
6They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, They mark my steps, Even as they have waited for my soul.
Ps 59:1
75%
1For the Chief Musician; [set to] Al-tashheth. [A Psalm] of David. Michtam; when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him. Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: Set me on high from them that rise up against me.
Ps 109:26
75%
26Help me, O Jehovah my God; Oh save me according to thy lovingkindness:
Ps 57:3
75%
3He will send from heaven, and save me, [When] he that would swallow me up reproacheth; {H5542} God will send forth his lovingkindness and his truth.
Ps 54:2-3
2 verses
74%
2Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth.
3For strangers are risen up against me, And violent men have sought after my soul: They have not set God before them. {H5542}
Ps 43:1-2
2 verses
74%
1Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: Oh deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.
2For thou art the God of my strength; Why hast thou cast me off? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
Ps 13:2
74%
2How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?
Ps 31:9
74%
9Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah, for I am in distress: Mine eye wasteth away with grief, [yea], my soul and my body.
Ps 55:3
74%
3Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked; For they cast iniquity upon me, And in anger they persecute me.
Ps 9:13
73%
13Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah; Behold my affliction [which I suffer] of them that hate me, Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death;
Ps 35:24
73%
24Judge me, O Jehovah my God, according to thy righteousness; And let them not rejoice over me.
Ps 17:9
73%
9From the wicked that oppress me, My deadly enemies, that compass me about.
Ps 86:14
73%
14O God, the proud are risen up against me, And a company of violent men have sought after my soul, And have not set thee before them.
Ps 25:16
73%
16Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; For I am desolate and afflicted.
Ps 102:8
73%
8Mine enemies reproach me all the day; They that are mad against me do curse by me.
Ps 3:1
73%
1A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. Jehovah, how are mine adversaries increased! Many are they that rise up against me.
Ps 142:6
72%
6Attend unto my cry; For I am brought very low: Deliver me from my persecutors; For they are stronger than I.
Ps 55:16
72%
16As for me, I will call upon God; And Jehovah will save me.
Ps 59:10
72%
10My God with his lovingkindness will meet me: God will let me see [my desire] upon mine enemies.
Ps 51:1
72%
1For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David; when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bath-sheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Ps 71:10
72%
10For mine enemies speak concerning me; And they that watch for my soul take counsel together,
Job 16:9-10
2 verses
72%
9He hath torn me in his wrath, and persecuted me; He hath gnashed upon me with his teeth: Mine adversary sharpeneth his eyes upon me.
10They have gaped upon me with their mouth; They have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully: They gather themselves together against me.
Ps 109:21
72%
21But deal thou with me, O Jehovah the Lord, for thy name's sake: Because thy lovingkindness is good, deliver thou me;
Ps 41:10
72%
10But thou, O Jehovah, have mercy upon me, and raise me up, That I may requite them.
Ps 42:9-10
2 verses
72%
9I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
10As with a sword in my bones, mine adversaries reproach me, While they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
Ps 30:10
72%
10Hear, O Jehovah, and have mercy upon me: Jehovah, be thou my helper.
Ps 7:1
72%
1Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto Jehovah, concerning the words of Cush a Benjamite. O Jehovah my God, in thee do I take refuge: Save me from all them that pursue me, and deliver me,
Ps 64:1
71%
1For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint: Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
Ps 35:1
71%
1[ A Psalm of David.] Strive thou, O Jehovah, with them that strive with me: Fight thou against them that fight against me.
Ps 16:1
71%
1Michtam of David. Preserve me, O God; For in thee do I take refuge.
Ps 55:18
71%
18He hath redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me; For they were many [that strove] with me.
Ps 61:1
71%
1For the Chief Musician; on a stringed instrument. [A Psalm] of David. Hear my cry, O God; Attend unto my prayer.
Ps 38:21
71%
21Forsake me not, O Jehovah: O my God, be not far from me.
Ps 71:12
71%
12O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me.
Ps 143:9
71%
9Deliver me, O Jehovah, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.
Ps 143:3
71%
3For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; He hath smitten my life down to the ground: He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.
Ps 69:1
71%
1For the Chief Musician; set to Shoshannim, [A Psalm] of David. Save me, O God; For the waters are come in unto my soul.
Lam 3:3
71%
3Surely against me he turneth his hand again and again all the day.
Ps 56:11
71%
11In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid; What can man do unto me?
Ps 59:3
71%
3For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul; The mighty gather themselves together against me: Not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O Jehovah.
Lam 1:20
71%
20Behold, O Jehovah; for I am in distress; my heart is troubled; My heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: Abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death.