Psalms 57:3
in Psalms 57He reaches down from heaven and saves me; He rebukes those who trample me. Selah God sends forth His loving devotion and His truth.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He will send from heaven, and save me, When he that would swallow me up reproacheth; [Selah God will send forth his lovingkindness and his truth.
KJV
He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.
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This verse in Psalms 57
Commentary
10 notes on this verseHe shall send from heaven. If there be no fit instruments on earth, heaven shall yield up its legions of angels for the succour of the saints. We may in times of great straits expect mercies of a remarkable kind; like the Israelites in the wilderness, we shall have our bread hot from heaven, new every morning; and for the overthrow of our enemies God shall open his celestial batteries, and put them to utter confusion. Wherever the battle is more fierce than ordinary, there shall come succours from headquarters, for the Commander in chief sees all.
This site's exposition
He reaches down from heaven and saves me
on Psalms 57:3-5
God reaches down from heaven and sends out His loving devotion and truth, the way light and truth are sent out at Psalm 43:3. Verse 4 names the weapon: teeth that are spears and arrows, tongues that are sharp swords. Verse 5 lifts the prayer over the danger.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"He has sent from heaven and has saved me" [Psalm 57:3]. Now the Man Himself, now the Flesh Itself, now the Son of God after His partaking of ourselves, of Him it is manifest, how He was saved, and has sent from heaven the Father and has saved Him, has sent from heaven, and has raised Him again: but in order that you may know, that also the Lord Himself has raised again Himself; both truths are written in Scripture, both that the Father has raised Him again, and that Himself Himself has raised again. Hear ye how the Father has raised Him again: the Apostle says, "He has been made," he says, "obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross: wherefore God also has exalted Him, and has given Him a name which is above every name." [Philippians 2:8-9] You have heard of the Father raising again and exalting the Son; hear ye how that He too Himself His flesh has raised again. Under the figure of a temple He says to the Jews, "Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up." [John 2:19] But the Evangelist has explained to us what it was that He said: "But this," he says, "He spoke of the Temple of His Body." Now therefore out of the person of one praying, out of the person of a man, out of the person of the flesh, He says, "He has saved me. He has given unto reproach those that trampled on me." Them that have trampled on Him, that over Him dead have insulted, that Him as though man have crucified, because God they perceived not, them He has given unto reproach. See ye whether it has not been so done. The thing we do not believe as yet to come, but fulfilled we acknowledge it. The Jews raged against Christ, they were overbearing against Christ. Where? In the city of Jerusalem. For where they reigned, there they were puffed up, there their necks they lifted up. […]
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
(3.) What he will ascribe his salvation to: God shall send forth his mercy and truth. God is good in himself and faithful to every word that he has spoken, and so he makes it appear when he works deliverance for his people. We need no more to make us happy than to have the benefit of the mercy and truth of God, Ps. xxv.
) is here the matter of his thanksgiving: Thy mercy is great unto the heavens, great beyond conception and expression; and thy truth unto the clouds, great beyond discovery, for what eye can reach that which is wrapped up in the clouds?
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He shall send from heaven, and save me,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
from . . . swallow me up--that pants in rage after me (Ps 56:2). mercy and . . . truth-- (Ps 25:10; 36:5), as messengers (Ps 43:3) sent to deliver him.
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3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
He shall send from heaven. If there be no fit instruments on earth, heaven shall yield up its legions of angels for the succour of the saints. We may in times of great straits expect mercies of a remarkable kind; like the Israelites in the wilderness, we shall have our bread hot from heaven, new every morning; and for the overthrow of our enemies God shall open his celestial batteries, and put them to utter confusion. Wherever the battle is more fierce than ordinary, there shall come succours from headquarters, for the Commander in chief sees all. And save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. He will be in time, not only to rescue his servants from being swallowed up, but even from being reproached. Not only shall they escape the flames, but not even the smell of fire shall pass upon them. O dog of hell, I am not only delivered from thy bite, but even from thy bark. Our foes shall not have the power to sneer at us, their cruel jests and taunting gibes shall be ended by the message from heaven, which shall for ever save us. Selah. Such mercy may well make us pause to meditate and give thanks. Rest, singer, for God has given thee rest! God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. He asked for mercy, and truth came with it. Thus evermore doth God give us more than we ask or think. His attributes, like angels on the wing, are ever ready to come to the rescue of his chosen.
He shall send from heaven, and save me - Were there no human agents or earthly means that he could employ, he would send his angels from heaven to rescue me from my enemies. Or, He will give his command from heaven that this may be done on earth. Selah - I think this word should be at the end of the verse. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth - Here mercy and truth are personified. They are the messengers that God will send from heaven to save me. His mercy ever inclines him to help and save the distressed. This he has promised to do; and his truth binds him to fulfll the promises or engagements his mercy has made, both to saints and sinners.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
He shall send from heaven - That is, from himself; or, he will interpose to save me. The psalmist does not say “how” he expected this interposition - whether by an angel, by a miracle, by tempest or storm, but he felt that help was to come from God alone, and he was sure that it would come. And save me from the reproach ... - This would be more correctly rendered, “He shall save me; he shall reproach him that would swallow me up.” So it is rendered in the margin. On the word rendered “would swallow me up,” see the notes at Psa 56:1. The idea here is, that God would “rebuke” or “reproach,” to wit, by overthrowing him that sought to devour or destroy him. God had interposed formerly in his behalf Psa 57:2, and he felt assured that he would do it again. Selah - This seems here to be a mere musical pause. It has no connection with the sense. See the notes at Psa 3:2. God shall send forth his mercy - In saving me. He will “manifest” his mercy. And his truth - His fidelity to his promise; his faithfulness to those who put their trust in him. He will show himself “true” to all the promises which he has made. Compare Psa 40:11.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Be gracious to me, etc., be gracious to me that I should neither kill nor be killed.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יִשְׁלַ֤ח | yishlach | he will send | H7971 → | 845 times |
| מִשָּׁמַ֨יִם׀ | mishamayim | from heaven | H8064 → | 421 times |
| וְֽיוֹשִׁיעֵ֗נִי | veyoshieni | and he will save me | H3467 → | 206 times |
| חֵרֵ֣ף | cheref | he will reproach | H2778 → | 41 times |
| שֹׁאֲפִ֣י | shoafi | [one who] crushes me | H7602 → | 14 times |
| סֶ֑לָה | selah | Selah | H5542 → | 74 times |
| יִשְׁלַ֥ח | yishlach | he will send | H7971 → | 845 times |
| אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים | ʾelohim | God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| חַסְדּ֥וֹ | chasdo | covenant loyalty his | H2617 → | 247 times |
| וַאֲמִתּֽוֹ׃ | vaamito | and faithfulness his | H571 → | 127 times |
יִשְׁלַ֤חhe will send
yishlachH7971 →845 times
מִשָּׁמַ֨יִם׀from heaven
mishamayimH8064 →421 times
וְֽיוֹשִׁיעֵ֗נִיand he will save me
veyoshieniH3467 →206 times
חֵרֵ֣ףhe will reproach
cherefH2778 →41 times
שֹׁאֲפִ֣י[one who] crushes me
shoafiH7602 →14 times
סֶ֑לָהSelah
selahH5542 →74 times
יִשְׁלַ֥חhe will send
yishlachH7971 →845 times
אֱ֝לֹהִ֗יםGod
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
חַסְדּ֥וֹcovenant loyalty his
chasdoH2617 →247 times
וַאֲמִתּֽוֹ׃and faithfulness his
vaamitoH571 →127 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 43:3Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to Your holy mountain, and to the place where You dwell.
it leads to
- Psalms 36:9
For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.
- Proverbs 3:5–6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
- Psalms 97:11
Light shines on the righteous, gladness on the upright in heart.
- John 1:4
In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
- Psalms 143:10
Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
- Psalms 36:9
Through
Acts 12:11Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”
it leads to
- Daniel 6:22
My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O…
- Daniel 6:22
Through
Psalms 40:11O LORD, do not withhold Your mercy from me; Your loving devotion and faithfulness will always guard me.
it leads to
- Psalms 23:6
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
- Psalms 43:3
Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to Your holy mountain, and to the place where You dwell.
- Psalms 23:6
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Psalms
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 57; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 3; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.