Psalms 55:20

18 He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me,
For ^athere were many against me.

19 God will hear, and afflict them,
^aEven He who abides from of old. Selah
Because they do not change,
Therefore they do not fear God.

20 He has ^aput forth his hands against those who ^bwere at peace with him;
He has broken his¹ covenant.

21 ^aThe words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
But war was in his heart;
His words were softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn swords.

22 ^aCast your burden on the Lord,
And ^bHe shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be¹ moved.

23 But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction;
^aBloodthirsty and deceitful men ^bshall not live out half their days;
But I will trust in You.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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What Does Psalms 55:20 Mean?

Psalm 55:17-21

The Hebrew word translated "pray" in verse 17 is rib, indicating a feeling, an emotion. It can be used in a sense as soft as "to complain." David was complaining in this prayer. However, it can also mean "to grapple with, rumble, fight an adversary, strive, or contend as with a judge."

This suggests the context of the prayer. David was overwrought emotionally, angry, in this prayer. He was in despair because one that he considered to be a good friend had stabbed him in the back. He and his trust had been betrayed, causing deep hurt and anger. We, too, may have gone to God deeply hurt and angry, with an intensity in our words that was not there at other times.

The point is that prayer is used in all occasions. It is not always to be formulaic and formal, a rote prayer to God like, "Now I lay me down to sleep" or "Our Father which art in heaven." God intends that our speech with Him arise from the very depths of our present situation and that our prayers' emotional content will vary from time to time. Sometimes we will be downright angry and upset. As we can see from David's example, we do not have to worry about being angry or upset before Him.

John W. Ritenbaugh
What Is Prayer?

Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Psalms 55:20:

Zechariah 7:2
Zechariah 8:21-22

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Psalms 55:21 >>

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What Does Psalms 55:20 Mean?

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