What is the historical context of Psalm 59:15? Superscription and Immediate Setting Psalm 59 begins, “For the choirmaster. To the tune of ‘Do Not Destroy.’ A Miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.” The heading situates the psalm at a precise historical moment recorded in 1 Samuel 19:11–17. Saul’s soldiers encircled David’s residence in Gibeah during the night, intending to assassinate him at dawn. David’s wife Michal—Saul’s own daughter—warned him and lowered him through a window so he could flee to Ramah. Psalm 59 is David’s prayer‐song from that crisis. Verse 15 (“They wander about for food and growl if they are not satisfied,”) describes the behavior of Saul’s henchmen patrolling the streets, likened to scavenging street dogs common in tenth-century BC towns. David’s Flight from Saul (c. 1029 BC) • Chronology: Ussher’s timeline places the episode about six years after David’s anointing by Samuel and shortly after the slaying of Goliath (1 Samuel 17). Saul, already rejected by Yahweh for his disobedience (1 Samuel 15:26), watched his popular support shift to David (“Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands,” 1 Samuel 18:7). • Political tension: The royal compound at Gibeah (archaeologically identified with Tell el-Ful, excavated by W. F. Albright 1922–1923) shows fortification walls suitable for night watches. David, now son-in-law to the king, lived in close proximity to Saul, making him vulnerable to surveillance. • Spiritual background: David knew the covenant promises that the Lord would “cut off” wicked pursuers (Psalm 59:13) yet preserve the anointed line culminating in Messiah (2 Samuel 7). His prayer merges personal danger with national covenant hope. Cultural Imagery: City Dogs and Nighttime Raiders In the ancient Near East, dogs were semi-wild scavengers, prowling refuse heaps after sunset. Cuneiform legal texts from Nuzi (fifteenth century BC) use the phrase “like a dog of the city gate” for night stalkers. David’s comparison (vv. 6, 14–15) evokes men skulking, sniffing for weakness, and uttering guttural sounds (“growl,” Heb. yēhămûn) when hungry. The metaphor intensifies the moral contrast between feral hostility and Yahweh’s steadfast love (v. 16). Literary Structure of Psalm 59 1. Invocation for deliverance (vv. 1–2) 2. Description of the attackers (vv. 3–4) 3. Appeal to the Lord of hosts (vv. 5–7) 4. Divine laughter and protection (vv. 8–10) 5. Imprecation against the wicked (vv. 11–13) 6. Refrain describing the prowling foes (vv. 14–15) 7. Concluding praise (vv. 16–17) Verse 15 forms the crescendo of the second refrain, emphasizing the perpetual but ultimately futile nature of evil pursuit. Archaeological and Historical Corroboration • Tell el-Ful fortifications reveal casemate walls and internal rooms where royal guards could bivouac, paralleling the account of “men sent to watch.” • Late Bronze and Iron Age canine burials at Ashkelon demonstrate the cultural prevalence of urban dogs, supporting David’s metaphor. • Ostraca from Khirbet Qeiyafa (c. 1010 BC) attest to centralized authority and scribal activity in Judah’s early monarchy, lending plausibility to Davidic authorship of contemporaneous psalms. Theological and Christological Themes Psalm 59 foreshadows the Messiah’s experience: unjust surveillance (Mark 14:1), nocturnal plotting (Luke 22:52), and ultimate vindication by God (Acts 2:24). The prowling enemies typify humanity’s rebellion; David’s deliverance typifies Christ’s resurrection power, which the apostolic proclamation sets forth as the ground of salvation (Romans 4:25). Summary The historical context of Psalm 59:15 is David’s narrow escape from Saul’s assassins circa 1029 BC at Gibeah. Archaeology, ancient Near-Eastern texts, and consistent manuscript evidence corroborate the superscription’s accuracy. The verse uses vivid canine imagery to depict relentless yet ultimately frustrated hostility, pointing forward to Christ’s triumph and providing enduring instruction on trusting God amid persecution. |
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