When I Am Afraid
Psalm 56 summary: what it means
Psalm 56 is a prayer from someone surrounded. The enemies want to swallow the speaker up, attack all day long, twist the speaker's words and watch their steps. The heading places it when the Philistines seized David in Gath. Against this pressure the psalm sets a short sentence, repeated with small changes: when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. Fear is admitted, not denied, and trust is the answer to it.
At verse 8 the psalm turns tender. God counts the speaker's wanderings and keeps their tears in a container and in his book. From there the speaker says plainly, God is for me. The refrain returns in verses 10 and 11, and the psalm closes with vows of thanks from someone delivered from death to walk before God in the light of the living.
Listen to Psalm 56 (audio)
1:34 · AI voice · All psalms audio
Psalm 56: When I Am Afraid
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-56
Psalm 56 commentary: explained verse by verse
Be merciful to me, God, for man wants to swallow me up.All day long, he attacks and oppresses me.
Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.
The psalm opens with a plea for mercy and the reason for it. Man wants to swallow the speaker up, and the attack is constant, all day long.
Also read Psalm 106:17, 1 Samuel 21:11-15, 1 Samuel 29:4, Psalm 136:10
My enemies want to swallow me up all day long,for they are many who fight proudly against me.
Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.
Also read Psalm 118:10-12, Psalm 3:1, Psalm 91:1, Psalm 93:4
When I am afraid,I will put my trust in you.
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
This short verse is the heart of the psalm. It does not claim the speaker is never afraid. It says what they do when they are: put their trust in God.
Also read 2 Corinthians 7:5-6, Psalm 55:4-5, Psalm 11:1, 2 Chronicles 20:3
In God, I praise his word.In God, I put my trust.I will not be afraid.What can flesh do to me?
In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
The line from verse 3 grows. Trust in God leads to praise of his word and a refusal to be afraid, ending in a question: what can flesh do to me. Flesh here stands for merely human power.
Also read Isaiah 31:3, Hebrews 13:6, Romans 8:31-39, Psalm 138:2
All day long they twist my words.All their thoughts are against me for evil.
Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.
The enemies' methods are listed. They twist the speaker's words all day long, and every thought they have is aimed at harm.
Also read 1 Samuel 18:21, 1 Samuel 18:29, 1 Samuel 20:7, Matthew 26:61
They conspire and lurk,watching my steps.They are eager to take my life.
They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.
The picture is of people lying in wait. They conspire, lurk and watch the speaker's steps, eager to take their life.
Also read Matthew 26:57, Acts 4:5-6, Daniel 6:4, Jeremiah 20:10
Shall they escape by iniquity?In anger cast down the peoples, God.
Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God.
The speaker asks whether the enemies will get away with their wrongdoing, and calls on God to cast down the peoples in anger. The demand for justice is left in God's hands.
Also read Psalm 36:12, Jeremiah 7:10, Jeremiah 10:25, Psalm 94:20-21
You count my wanderings.You put my tears into your container.Aren’t they in your book?
Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
This is the tenderest verse in the psalm. God counts the speaker's wanderings, keeps their tears in a container and has them in his book, so none of the suffering goes unnoticed. The KJV reads: put thou my tears into thy bottle.
Also read Psalm 105:13-14, Isaiah 63:9, Job 16:20, 1 Samuel 27:1
Then my enemies shall turn back in the day that I call.I know this: that God is for me.
When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.
The speaker is certain that when they call, the enemies will turn back. The ground for that is stated plainly: I know this, that God is for me.
Also read Jeremiah 33:3, Psalm 46:11, Psalm 27:2, Romans 8:31
In God, I will praise his word.In the LORD, I will praise his word.
In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.
The refrain of verse 4 returns and is doubled. Praise is given twice for God's word, once naming God and once naming the LORD.
Also read Psalm 56:4, Genesis 32:11, Hebrews 6:18, Matthew 24:35
I have put my trust in God.I will not be afraid.What can man do to me?
In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
The refrain is completed. The speaker has put their trust in God, will not be afraid, and asks what man can do to them. Verse 4 said flesh, this verse says man, and the answer is the same.
Also read Isaiah 51:7-8, Isaiah 51:12-13, Psalm 112:7-8, Psalm 27:1
Your vows are on me, God.I will give thank offerings to you.
Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.
Also read 1 Samuel 1:24-28, Ecclesiastes 5:4-6, Psalm 119:106, Psalm 59:16-17
For you have delivered my soul from death,and prevented my feet from falling,that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?
The psalm ends with the reason for thanks. God has delivered the speaker from death and kept their feet from falling, so that they can walk before God in the light of the living.
Also read Genesis 17:1, 1 Samuel 2:9, James 5:20, 1 Thessalonians 1:10
A prayer from Psalm 56
Be merciful to me, God. Some days it feels as if everything is against me, and my words are twisted. When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. You count my wanderings. You put my tears into your container, and they are in your book. So even my tears are something I can bring to you. In you I trust, and I will not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? I know this: that you are for me. You have kept my feet from falling. Help me walk before you in the light of the living. Amen.
Psalm 56 Bible study questions
- In verse 8, what does the speaker say God does with his wanderings and with his tears?
- The words about trust and fear appear in verse 3, verse 4 and verse 11; what changes from one to the next?
- Verse 3 says when I am afraid, not if; what does it mean to you that the psalm expects fear rather than denying it?
- Verse 8 pictures tears kept in a container and written in a book; how does that image affect the way you think about your own grief?
- Compare Psalm 56:11 with Psalm 118:6; what question do both verses ask, and what comes before it?
Questions about Psalm 56
What does Psalm 56 mean?
It is a prayer from someone under constant attack who admits being afraid and chooses to trust God anyway. It ends in thanks for being delivered from death.
Who wrote Psalm 56?
The heading attributes it to David and says it comes from the time the Philistines seized him in Gath. It also names a tune, "Silent Dove in Distant Lands".
What does Psalm 56:3-4 say in the KJV?
"What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me."
What does Psalm 56:8 mean?
It says God keeps track of the speaker's wanderings and keeps their tears, in a container and in his book. The point is that no sorrow is lost or unnoticed by God.
What does Psalm 56:9 mean?
The speaker is confident that the enemies will turn back when they call on God, because "God is for me".
What does Psalm 56:13 mean?
It gives the reason for the speaker's thanks: God has saved them from death and kept them from falling, so they can walk before God in the light of the living.
Psalm 56 KJV: the King James Version
Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.1
Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.2
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.3
In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.4
Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.5
They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.6
Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God.7
Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?8
When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.9
In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.10
In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.11
Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.12
For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?13
Psalm 56 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
Show the text
1 לַמְנַצֵּ֤חַ ׀ עַל־י֬וֹנַת אֵ֣לֶם רְ֭חֹקִים לְדָוִ֣ד מִכְתָּ֑ם בֶּֽאֱחֹ֨ז אֹת֖וֹ פְלִשְׁתִּ֣ים בְּגַֽת׃
2 חָנֵּ֣נִי אֱ֭לֹהִים כִּֽי־שְׁאָפַ֣נִי אֱנ֑וֹשׁ כָּל־הַ֝יּ֗וֹם לֹחֵ֥ם יִלְחָצֵֽנִי׃
3 שָׁאֲפ֣וּ שׁ֭וֹרְרַי כָּל־הַיּ֑וֹם כִּֽי־רַבִּ֨ים לֹחֲמִ֖ים לִ֣י מָרֽוֹם׃
4 י֥וֹם אִירָ֑א אֲ֝נִ֗י אֵלֶ֥יךָ אֶבְטָֽח׃
5 בֵּאלֹהִים֮ אֲהַלֵּ֪ל דְּבָ֫ר֥וֹ בֵּאלֹהִ֣ים בָּ֭טַחְתִּי לֹ֣א אִירָ֑א מַה־יַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה בָשָׂ֣ר לִֽי׃
6 כָּל־הַ֭יּוֹם דְּבָרַ֣י יְעַצֵּ֑בוּ עָלַ֖י כָּל־מַחְשְׁבֹתָ֣ם לָרָֽע׃
7 יָג֤וּרוּ ׀ יצפינו הֵ֭מָּה עֲקֵבַ֣י יִשְׁמֹ֑רוּ כַּ֝אֲשֶׁ֗ר קִוּ֥וּ נַפְשִֽׁי׃
8 עַל־אָ֥וֶן פַּלֶּט־לָ֑מוֹ בְּ֝אַ֗ף עַמִּ֤ים ׀ הוֹרֵ֬ד אֱלֹהִֽים׃
9 נֹדִי֮ סָפַ֪רְתָּ֫ה אָ֥תָּה שִׂ֣ימָה דִמְעָתִ֣י בְנֹאדֶ֑ךָ הֲ֝לֹ֗א בְּסִפְרָתֶֽךָ׃
10 אָ֥֨ז יָ֘שׁ֤וּבוּ אוֹיְבַ֣י אָ֭חוֹר בְּי֣וֹם אֶקְרָ֑א זֶה־יָ֝דַ֗עְתִּי כִּֽי־אֱלֹהִ֥ים לִֽי׃
11 בֵּֽ֭אלֹהִים אֲהַלֵּ֣ל דָּבָ֑ר בַּ֝יהוָ֗ה אֲהַלֵּ֥ל דָּבָֽר׃
12 בֵּֽאלֹהִ֣ים בָּ֭טַחְתִּי לֹ֣א אִירָ֑א מַה־יַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה אָדָ֣ם לִֽי׃
13 עָלַ֣י אֱלֹהִ֣ים נְדָרֶ֑יךָ אֲשַׁלֵּ֖ם תּוֹדֹ֣ת לָֽךְ׃
14 כִּ֤י הִצַּ֪לְתָּ נַפְשִׁ֡י מִמָּוֶת֮ הֲלֹ֥א רַגְלַ֗י מִ֫דֶּ֥חִי לְ֭הִֽתְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵ֣י אֱלֹהִ֑ים בְּ֝א֗וֹר הַֽחַיִּֽים׃
Psalm 56 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 55 there.
Show the text
1 Unto the end, for a people that is removed at a distance from the sanctuary for David, for an inscription of a title (or pillar) when the Philistines held him in Geth.
2 Have mercy on me, O God, for man hath trodden me under foot; all the day long he hath afflicted me fighting against me.
3 My enemies have trodden on me all the day long; for they are many that make war against me.
4 From the height of the day I shall fear: but I will trust in thee.
5 In God I will praise my words, in God I have put my trust: I will not fear what flesh can do against me.
6 All the day long they detested my words: all their thoughts were against me unto evil.
7 They will dwell and hide themselves: they will watch my heel. As they have waited for my soul,
8 For nothing shalt thou save them: in thy anger thou shalt break the people in pieces, O God,
9 I have declared to thee my life: thou hast set my tears in thy sight, As also in thy promise.
10 Then shall my enemies be turned back. In what day soever I shall call upon thee, behold I know thou art my God.
11 In God will I praise the word, in the Lord will I praise his speech. In God have I hoped, I will not fear what man can do to me.
12 In me, O God, are vows to thee, which I will pay, praises to thee:
13 Because thou hast delivered my soul from death, my feet from falling: that I may please in the sight of God, in the light of the living.
Psalm 56 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 55.
Show the text
1 In finem, pro populo qui a sanctis longe factus est. David in tituli inscriptionem, cum tenuerunt eum Allophyli in Geth.
2 Miserere mei, Deus, quoniam conculcavit me homo; tota die impugnans, tribulavit me.
3 Conculcaverunt me inimici mei tota die, quoniam multi bellantes adversum me.
4 Ab altitudine diei timebo: ego vero in te sperabo.
5 In Deo laudabo sermones meos; in Deo speravi: non timebo quid faciat mihi caro.
6 Tota die verba mea execrabantur; adversum me omnes cogitationes eorum in malum.
7 Inhabitabunt, et abscondent; ipsi calcaneum meum observabunt. Sicut sustinuerunt animam meam,
8 pro nihilo salvos facies illos; in ira populos confringes.
9 Deus, vitam meam annuntiavi tibi; posuisti lacrimas meas in conspectu tuo, sicut et in promissione tua:
10 tunc convertentur inimici mei retrorsum. In quacumque die invocavero te, ecce cognovi quoniam Deus meus es.
11 In Deo laudabo verbum; in Domino laudabo sermonem. In Deo speravi: non timebo quid faciat mihi homo.
12 In me sunt, Deus, vota tua, quæ reddam, laudationes tibi:
13 quoniam eripuisti animam meam de morte, et pedes meos de lapsu, ut placeam coram Deo in lumine viventium.
Printable Psalm 56: free, large print and PDF
Print Psalm 56 for free: the whole psalm or only the verses you tick. Choose regular, large or extra large print, and a plain page, a framed sheet to hang on the wall or a verse card, in the World English Bible or the King James Version. To keep a PDF, choose Save as PDF in the print window. Nothing to sign up for.
Psalm 56 at a glance
| Verses | 13 |
| Heading in the text | For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Silent Dove in Distant Lands.” A poem by David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. |
| Attributed to | The heading attributes it to David and sets it at the time the Philistines seized him in Gath. |
| Type | Lament and Trust |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 55 |
Read Psalm 56 when you are facing
fearanxietyenemiestrusting god
Psalm 56 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 56 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 56 belongs
Psalms of DavidBook 2 of the Psalms
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source