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Psalms 59:2

in Psalms 59

Deliver me from workers of iniquity, and save me from men of bloodshed.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, And save me from the bloodthirsty men.

KJV

Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.

This verse in Psalms 59

Commentary

10 notes on this verse
Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,.... See Gill on Psa 6:8; and save me from bloody men; such as Saul sent to kill David, as appears from the title of the psalm; and such as were concerned in the death of Christ; and such, are the enemies of God's people, the followers of the man of sin. The heap of words, the various expressions used in a way of petition, in this verse and Psa 59:1, show the distress the psalmist was in, and whom he represents; his importunity, earnestness, and fervency in prayer.

This site's exposition

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God

on Psalms 59:1-3

The enemy is named four times and the names get worse each time, enemies, those who rise up, workers of iniquity, men of bloodshed. Verse 3 gives the ground of the prayer, no transgression or sin of his own. The innocence is what the plea rests on.

This site's exposition

save me from men of bloodshed

The men Saul sent to the house came to kill, which is why they are called men of bloodshed. John Gill read the heap of names in verses 1 and 2 as the measure of David's distress. Charles Spurgeon saw evil men ruling at Saul's court.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Augustine of Hippo

ON THE PSALMS - Psalm 59 · Written before 430.

proposed

"Deliver me from men working iniquity, and from men of bloods, save Thou me" (ver. 2). They indeed were men of bloods, who slew the Just One, in whom no guilt they found: they were men of bloods, because when the foreigner washed his hands, and would have let go Christ, they cried, "Crucify, Crucify:" they were men of bloods, on whom when there was being charged the crime of the blood of Christ, they made answer, giving it to their posterity to drink, "His blood be upon us and upon our sons." But neither against His Body did men of bloods cease to rise up; for even after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, the Church suffered persecutions, and she indeed first that grew out of the Jewish people, of which also our Apostles were. There at first Stephen was stoned, and received that of which he had his name. For Stephanus doth signify a crown. Lowly stoned but highly crowned. Secondly, among the Gentiles rose up kingdoms of Gentiles, before that in them was fulfilled that which had been foretold, "There shall adore Him all the kings of the earth, all nations shall serve Him:" and there roared the fierceness of that kingdom against the witnesses of Christ: there was shed largely and frequently the blood of Martyrs: wherewith when it had been shed, being as it were sown, the field of the Church more productively put forth, and filled the whole world as we now behold. From these therefore, men of bloods, is delivered Christ, not only Head, but also Body. From men of bloods is delivered Christ, both from them that have been, and from them that are, and from them that are to be; there is delivered Christ, both He that hath gone before, and He that is, and He that is to come. […]

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

): " Deliver me from my enemies, O my God! thou art God, and cast deliver me, my God, under whose protection I have put myself; and thou hast promised me to be a God all-sufficient, and therefore, in honour and faithfulness, thou wilt deliver me.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

A commentator

Charles Spurgeon

1834–1892

The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)

Deliver me from the workers of iniquity. Saul was treating him very unjustly, and besides that was pursuing a tyrannical and unrighteous course towards others, therefore David the more vehemently appeals against him. Evil men were in the ascendant at court, and were the ready tools of the tyrant, against these also he prays. Bad men in a bad cause may be pleaded against without question.

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

4, 5. prepare, &c.--literally, "set themselves as in array." awake--(Compare Ps 3:7; 7:6), appeals to God in His covenant relation to His people (Ps 9:18). They are as ravening dogs seeking prey, and as such, belch out--that is, slanders, their impudent barkings.

A commentator

Charles Spurgeon

1834–1892

The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)

proposed

Deliver me from the workers of iniquity. Saul was treating him very unjustly, and besides that was pursuing a tyrannical and unrighteous course towards others, therefore David the more vehemently appeals against him. Evil men were in the ascendant at court, and were the ready tools of the tyrant, against these also he prays. Bad men in a bad cause may be pleaded against without question. When a habitation is beset by thieves, the good man of the house rings the alarm bell; and in these verses we may hear it ring out loudly, "deliver me, ""defend me, ""deliver me, ""save me." Saul had more cause to fear than David had, for the invincible weapon of prayer was being used against him, and heaven was being aroused to give him battle. And save me from bloody men. As David remembers how often Saul had sought to assassinate him, he knows what he has to expect from that quarter and from the king's creatures and minions who were watching for him. David represents his enemy in his true colours before God; the bloodthirstiness of the foe is a fit reason for the interposition of the righteous God, for the Lord abhors all those who delight in blood.
2 more voices on this verse

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

The workers of iniquity - Principally Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian; who were the chief enemies of the poor returned captives. Bloody men - The above, who sought the destruction of the Israelites; and particularly, that of Nehemiah, whom four several times they endeavored to bring into an ambush, that they might take away his life. See Neh 6:1-4.
Deliver me from the workers of iniquity - The workers of iniquity here referred to were Saul and those whom he employed to carry out his murderous purpose - the people that had been sent to slay him. And save me from bloody men - Hebrew, “Men of bloods;” that is, men whose trade is blood; who seek to shed my blood, or who seek my life. See Psa 5:6, note; Psa 26:9, note; Psa 55:23, note.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

On the verses either side of this one

al tashcheth He called the psalm by this name because he was close to dying and to being destroyed, and he begged for mercy in the matter.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Psalms 59:1:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

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. 2 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

6 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • הַ֭צִּילֵנִיdeliver me

    hatzileniH5337 →212 times

  • מִפֹּ֣עֲלֵיfrom [those who] do

    mipoaleiH6466 →57 times

  • אָ֑וֶן<of> wickedness

    ʾavenH205 →77 times

  • וּֽמֵאַנְשֵׁ֥יand from men of

    umeansheiH582 →566 times

  • דָ֝מִ֗יםblood<s>

    damimH1818 →360 times

  • הוֹשִׁיעֵֽנִי׃save me

    hoshieniH3467 →206 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each 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 55:23

    But You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.

    it leads to

    • Psalms 5:6

      You destroy those who tell lies; the LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • Proverbs 10:27

      The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be cut short.

    • Job 15:32

      It will be paid in full before his time, and his branch will not flourish.

  • Through

    Psalms 27:2

    When the wicked came upon me to devour my flesh, my enemies and foes stumbled and fell.

    it leads to

    • Psalms 118:12

      They swarmed around me like bees, but they were extinguished like burning thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off.

    • Psalms 3:7

      Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.

    • Psalms 22:16

      For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.

  • Through

    Psalms 139:19

    O God, that You would slay the wicked— away from me, you bloodthirsty men—

    it leads to

    • Psalms 119:115

      Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may obey the commandments of my God.

    • Isaiah 11:4

      but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the…

Where this verse is studied

About Psalms

Sower with Setting Sun. Vincent van Gogh, mid July 1888. Sotheby's, New York, 18 November 2025, lot 4. Public domain.
Sower with Setting Sun. Vincent van Gogh, mid July 1888. Sotheby's, New York, 18 November 2025, lot 4. Public domain.
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, ON THE PSALMS - Psalm 59; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 3; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.