Psalms 59:11

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Psalms 59:11 in Multiple Translations

Berean Standard Bible BSB

Do not kill them, or my people will forget. Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.

King James Version KJV

Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield.

American Standard Version ASV

Slay them not, lest my people forget: Scatter them by thy power, and bring them down, O Lord our shield.

Bible in Basic English BBE

Put them not to death, for so my people will keep the memory of them: let them be sent in all directions by your power; make them low, O Lord our saviour.

Free Bible Version FBV

Don't kill them right away, otherwise my people will quickly forget what you have done. By your power make them stagger around and then fall down, Lord our protection.

Geneva Bible 1599 GNV

Slay them not, least my people forget it: but scatter them abroad by thy power, and put them downe, O Lord our shield,

Young's Literal Translation YLT

Slay them not, lest my people forget, Shake them by Thy strength, And bring them down, O Lord our shield.

World English Bible WEB

Don’t kill them, or my people may forget. Scatter them by your power, and bring them down, Lord our shield.

Noah Webster Bible WBS

Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O LORD our shield.

Douay-Rheims 1899 DRV

Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?

Translation for Translators T4T

But do not kill them immediately in order that my people will not forget how you punished them! Instead, Lord, you who are like a shield that protects us [MET], scatter them by your power, and then defeat them.

Study Highlights

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Berean Amplified Bible — Psalms 59:11

BAB

Word Study

Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.

Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.

Psalms 59:11 Interlinear (Deep Study)

BIB

HEB אֱלֹהֵ֣י חסד/ו חַסְדִּ֣/י יְקַדְּמֵ֑/נִי אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים יַרְאֵ֥/נִי בְ/שֹׁרְרָֽ/י

אֱלֹהֵ֣י ʼĕlôhîym H430 God N-mp

חסד/ו chêçêd H2617 kindness N-ms | Suff

חַסְדִּ֣/י chêçêd H2617 kindness N-ms | Suff

יְקַדְּמֵ֑/נִי qâdam H6923 to meet V-Piel-Imperf-3ms | Suff

אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים ʼĕlôhîym H430 God N-mp

יַרְאֵ֥/נִי râʼâh H7200 Provider V-Hiphil-Imperf-3ms | Suff

בְ/שֹׁרְרָֽ/י shârar H8324 enemy Prep | N-mp | Suff

Hebrew Word Study

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Hebrew Word Reference — Psalms 59:11

אֱלֹהֵ֣י ʼĕlôhîym H430 "God" N-mp

The Hebrew word for God, elohim, refers to the one supreme God, and is sometimes used to show respect to judges or magistrates. It is also used to describe angels or mighty beings. This word is closely related to the name of the Lord, Yahweh, and is often translated as God or gods in the Bible.

Definition: This name means "gods" (plural intensive-singular meaning), "God" Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

Usage: Occurs in 2246 OT verses. KJV: angels, [idiom] exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), [idiom] (very) great, judges, [idiom] mighty. See also: Genesis 1:1; Genesis 22:12; Exodus 3:11.

חסד/ו chêçêd H2617 "kindness" N-ms | Suff

This word refers to kindness, mercy, or pity, often used to describe God's loving actions towards humanity. It is translated as 'favour', 'kindness', or 'mercy' in the KJV. It emphasizes God's loving character.

Definition: goodness, kindness, faithfulness

Usage: Occurs in 241 OT verses. KJV: favour, good deed(-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-) kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy, pity, reproach, wicked thing. See also: Genesis 19:19; Psalms 51:3; Psalms 5:8.

חַסְדִּ֣/י chêçêd H2617 "kindness" N-ms | Suff

Definition: goodness, kindness, faithfulness

יְקַדְּמֵ֑/נִי qâdam H6923 "to meet" V-Piel-Imperf-3ms | Suff

To meet or go before someone, often for help, as seen in the Bible when God meets his people in Exodus. This word can also mean to anticipate or hasten something. In the book of Psalms, it is used to describe God coming to the aid of his people.

Definition: 1) to meet, come or be in front, confront, go before 1a) (Piel) 1a1) to meet, confront, come to meet, receive 1a2) to go before, go in front, be in front 1a3) to lead, be beforehand, anticipate, forestall 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to come in front 1b2) to confront, anticipate

Usage: Occurs in 25 OT verses. KJV: come (go, (flee)) before, [phrase] disappoint, meet, prevent. See also: Deuteronomy 23:5; Psalms 59:11; Psalms 17:13.

אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים ʼĕlôhîym H430 "God" N-mp

Definition: This name means "gods" (plural intensive-singular meaning), "God" Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

Usage: Occurs in 2246 OT verses. KJV: angels, [idiom] exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), [idiom] (very) great, judges, [idiom] mighty. See also: Genesis 1:1; Genesis 22:12; Exodus 3:11.

יַרְאֵ֥/נִי râʼâh H7200 "Provider" V-Hiphil-Imperf-3ms | Suff

The Hebrew word for provider means to see or look after, and is used to describe God's care for his people. It appears in various forms throughout the Bible, including in Genesis and other books.

Definition: (Lord will) Provide, cause to be seen. This name means to see, look at, inspect, look after

Usage: Occurs in 1206 OT verses. KJV: advise self, appear, approve, behold, [idiom] certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), mark, meet, [idiom] be near, perceive, present, provide, regard, (have) respect, (fore-, cause to, let) see(-r, -m, one another), shew (self), [idiom] sight of others, (e-) spy, stare, [idiom] surely, [idiom] think, view, visions. See also: Genesis 1:4; Genesis 41:41; Exodus 33:13.

בְ/שֹׁרְרָֽ/י shârar H8324 "enemy" Prep | N-mp | Suff

This word describes an enemy or opponent, someone who is hostile towards others, like the enemies of Israel in the Old Testament.

Definition: (Qal) to be an enemy

Usage: Occurs in 5 OT verses. KJV: enemy. See also: Psalms 5:9; Psalms 54:7; Psalms 27:11.

Study Notes — Psalms 59:11

Show Verse Quote Highlights

Context
Cross References
Psalms 59:11 Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
Reflection Questions
Gill's Exposition on Psalms 59:11
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 59:11
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 59:11
Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 59:11
Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 59:11
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 59:11
Cambridge Bible on Psalms 59:11
Barnes' Notes on Psalms 59:11
Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 59:11
Sermons on Psalms 59:11

Context — Deliver Me from My Enemies

9I will keep watch for You, O my strength, because You, O God, are my fortress. 10My God of loving devotion will come to meet me; God will let me stare down my foes.

11Do not kill them, or my people will forget. Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.

12By the sins of their mouths and the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride, in the curses and lies they utter. 13Consume them in wrath; consume them till they are no more, so it may be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah

Cross References

	Reference	Text (BSB)
1	Psalms 3:3	But You, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.
2	Revelation 9:6	In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape them.
3	Job 40:12	Look on every proud man and humble him; trample the wicked where they stand.
4	Psalms 52:5	Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
5	Judges 1:6–7	As Adoni-bezek fled, they pursued him, seized him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. Then Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have gathered the scraps under my table. As I have done to them, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, where he died.
6	Luke 21:21	Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city.
7	Luke 1:51–52	He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.
8	Deuteronomy 28:64	Then the LORD will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.
9	Deuteronomy 4:27	Then the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive you.
10	Genesis 4:12–15	When you till the ground, it will no longer yield its produce to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” But Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, this day You have driven me from the face of the earth, and from Your face I will be hidden; I will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” “Not so!” replied the LORD. “If anyone slays Cain, then Cain will be avenged sevenfold.” And the LORD placed a mark on Cain, so that no one who found him would kill him.

Psalms 59:11 Summary

This verse means that the psalmist is asking God to protect him from his enemies, but not to kill them, so that he and his people can remember God's power and protection. The psalmist is trusting in God's power and protection, and is asking Him to scatter his enemies and bring them down, as seen in Psalms 59:11. This reminds us that, as believers, we can trust in God's power and protection, and that He is our shield in times of trouble, as seen in Psalms 3:3 and Psalms 28:7. By trusting in God's power and protection, we can face our challenges and struggles with confidence and faith, knowing that He is with us and will help us through them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the psalmist ask God not to kill his enemies?

The psalmist asks God not to kill his enemies so that his people will not forget the lessons they have learned from their struggles, as seen in Psalms 59:11, and instead remember God's power and protection, similar to what is written in Deuteronomy 8:2-3, where God humbled the Israelites to teach them to rely on Him.

What does it mean to 'scatter them by Your power'?

To scatter them by God's power means to disperse or defeat the enemies through God's mighty intervention, as seen in Psalms 59:11, similar to how God scattered the enemies of the Israelites in Exodus 23:31 and Deuteronomy 33:27.

Why does the psalmist call God 'our shield'?

The psalmist calls God 'our shield' because He is the protector and defender of His people, as seen in Psalms 59:11, similar to what is written in Psalms 3:3, where God is described as a shield to those who trust in Him.

How does this verse relate to our lives today?

This verse reminds us that, as believers, we can trust in God's power and protection, and that He is our shield in times of trouble, as seen in Psalms 28:7 and Proverbs 30:5, where God is described as a shield and a rock to those who trust in Him.

Reflection Questions

What are some ways that God has protected and defended you in your life, and how can you trust in His power and protection in the future?
How can you, like the psalmist, ask God to use your struggles and challenges to teach you and help you grow in your faith?
What does it mean to you that God is your shield, and how can you apply that truth to your life today?
In what ways can you, like the psalmist, ask God to scatter your enemies and bring them down, and what does that mean for your life and your faith?

Gill's Exposition on Psalms 59:11

Slay thou not,.... Though they deserved to be slain, and the Lord seemed as if he was about to slay them, who was able to do it; he seemed to be whetting his glittering sword, and his hand to take

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 59:11

Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield.

Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 59:11

Slay them not, to wit, suddenly, or at once. My people; my countrymen; or those over whom thou hast appointed me to be governor in due time. Forget their former danger, and thy glorious mercy in delivering them, and their own duty to thee for it. Hereby it most plainly appears that David, in these and the like imprecations against his enemies, was not moved thereunto by his private malice, or desire of revenge, but by the respect which he had to God’ s honour and the general good of his people. Scatter them, Heb. make them to wander. As they wandered about the city and country to do me mischief, , so let their punishment be agreeable to their sin; let them wander from place to place, to wit, for meat, as it is expressed, , that they may carry the tokens of thy justice and their own shame to all places where they come. Bring them down from that power and dignity in which thou hast set them, which they do so wickedly abuse; and from the height of their carnal hopes and confidences of success against me.

Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 59:11

Psalms 59:11 Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield.Ver. 11. Slay them not, lest my people forget] Marcet sine adversario virtus, the natural heat decayeth if it have not wherewith to wrestle. Carthage was not to be destroyed, that Rome might not want an adversary. The saints have the relics of corruption left in them for exercise of their graces. "Slay them not," saith David; and the Chaldee addeth, statim, forthwith, or outright, but by degrees rather; "lest my people," my followers and fellow soldiers, forget their skill in arms or thy judgments on the enemies. Scatter them by thy power] That they may wander, as Cain did, and be restless. Or, shake them to and fro, as meal is shaken in a sieve; let them be dissipated, and by degrees wasted, that they may be as so many standing monuments of the divine justice, ut eo sint illustriora et testatiora tun iudicia, as the dejected people of the Jews are today.

Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 59:11

(11) Slay them not, lest my people forget . . .—The Spartans refused to allow the destruction of a neighbouring city, which had often called forth their armies, saying, “Destroy not the whetstone of our young men.” Timon, in the play, is made to say— “Live loath’d and long You smiling smooth detested parasites,” that the ruin of Athens might be complete, if deferred. National feeling, too, has often insisted on extreme modes of punishment, partly from vindictive feeling, partly for deterrent purposes. Witness the sequel to the Indian mutiny. But where is the parallel to the feeling that seems uppermost in the Psalmist’s mind, viz., a wish for protracted retribution on the nations for the moral benefit of Israel? Scatter them.—Better, make them wander: a word applied to Cain and to the Israelite wanderings in the wilderness.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 59:11

Verse 11. Slay them not, lest my people forget] I believe the Chaldee gives the true sense of this verse: "Do not slay them suddenly, lest my people should forget. Drive them from their habitations by thy power, and reduce them to poverty by the loss of their property." Preserve them long in a state of chastisement, that Israel may see thou hast undertaken for them: that thy hand is on the wicked for evil, and on them for good. The Canaanites were not suddenly destroyed; they were left to be pricks in the eyes and thorns in the sides of the Israelites. It is in a sense somewhat similar that the words are used here.

Cambridge Bible on Psalms 59:11

11. Slay them not] Apparently inconsistent with Psalms 59:13; but burning indignation does not study logical consistency. What he desires is that they may not be destroyed outright by some signal catastrophe, but visibly punished as a living example, until at last their own wickedness proves their destruction. Cp. Exodus 9:15-16 (R.V.). Pharaoh might have been cut off at once, but was suffered to exist, till his obstinate resistance sealed his doom, and enhanced God’s sovereignty. The Fathers applied the words to the Jews in their dispersion, scattered but not consumed, an ever visible memorial of divine judgement. scatter them by thy power] Rather, make them wander to and fro by thine army, as vagabonds and outcasts (Psalms 109:10; Genesis 4:12; Genesis 4:14; Numbers 32:13). The word rendered by thy power in A.V. is never used of God’s might, but may mean (cp. Joe 2:25; Joe 3:11) the heavenly army which God has at His command. Cp. Psalms 35:5-6. bring them down] Cp. Psalms 55:23; Psalms 56:7. our shield] The Psalmist speaks as the representative of the nation, or at least of a class. For the metaphor cp. Psalms 3:3; Genesis 15:1; Deuteronomy 33:29; Psalms 18:2; &c.

Barnes' Notes on Psalms 59:11

Slay them not, lest my people forget - The meaning of this seems to be, Do not destroy them at once, lest, being removed out of the way, the people should forget what was done, or should lose the

Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 59:11

11. Slay them not—Probably an allusion to the punishment of Cain, and of the Israelites in the desert. Genesis 4:12; Genesis 4:14; Numbers 32:13. He would have their punishment exemplary, to deter others from sin.

Sermons on Psalms 59:11

	Sermon	Description
	About Leonard Ravenhill Video by Leonard Ravenhill	This sermon emphasizes the power of God's protection and provision in our lives, highlighting the importance of trusting in God's plan rather than seeking external prayers. It delv
	(The Last Days & the Lord's Coming) Dont Get Drunk With Worldliness by Zac Poonen	In this sermon, the speaker focuses on the importance of being spiritually prepared for the second coming of Jesus. He references Luke 21:26, where Jesus speaks about the fear and
	Experiencing Jesus by Jim Cymbala	In this sermon, the preacher shares a personal experience of receiving a text message from his son with a Bible verse that he had been contemplating preaching on. He emphasizes the
	The Secret War of Every Saint by Carter Conlon	This sermon focuses on the secret war that every saint faces, emphasizing the mental battles and intense spiritual warfare encountered while walking with God, especially in challen
	God Lifts Up Our Head by Zac Poonen	This sermon emphasizes the importance of humility, letting God exalt individuals rather than seeking self-promotion. It touches on the need for genuine ministry, avoiding counterfe
	(Through the Bible) Psalms - Part 1 by Zac Poonen	This sermon delves into the Book of Psalms, highlighting its significance in the New Testament and the various authors behind its composition. It explores the division of Psalms in
	Six Blessed Psalms by Zac Poonen	Zac Poonen explores the profound lessons found in six psalms, emphasizing how David's experiences of pressure and adversity shaped his trust in God. He highlights Psalms 3, where D