Psalms 55:1 · Bible study
Psalms 55:1 Commentary: When God Seems Silent
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Analysis of Psalm 55:1's urgent appeal: 'Don't hide yourself from my supplication.' Explore the meaning of God's apparent hiddenness in prayer and the biblical response
Research Summary
- Meaning: A desperate plea for God to hear and not ignore the psalmist’s cry in a time of deep trouble and betrayal.
- Key words: 'Listen' (give ear) and 'hide not thyself', terms that express urgency and the fear of divine silence.
- Main debate: Whether the psalm reflects David’s flight from Absalom or another crisis; the occasion affects how we read the betrayal but not the prayer’s central plea.
- Theological theme: God’s hiddenness versus His readiness to hear, and the believer’s right to cry out from raw experience.
- Best use: A model for lament, showing that honest, emotional prayer is both biblical and necessary for resilient faith.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Listen to my prayer, O God, and do not ignore my plea.
WEB World English Bible 2000
For the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A contemplation by David. Listen to my prayer, God. Don’t hide yourself from my supplication.
KJV King James Version 1769
Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Give ear to my prayer, O God; And hide not thyself from my supplication.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
To the Overseer with stringed instruments. --An instruction, by David. Give ear, O God, to my prayer, And hide not from my supplication.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Give ear to my prayer, OGod; and hide not thyself from my supplication.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Unto the end, for a people that is removed at a distance from the sanctuary: for David, for an inscription of a title (or pillar) when the Philistines held him in Geth.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Al Músico principal: en Neginoth: Masquil|strong="H4905, H7919" de David. ESCUCHA, oh Dios, mi oración, y no te escondas de mi súplica.
Deus, inclina os teus ouvidos à minha oração; e não te escondas de minha súplica.
Au chef des chantres. Avec instruments à cordes. Cantique de David.
Eine Unterweisung Davids, vorzusingen, auf Saitenspiel. Gott, erhöre mein Gebet und verbirg dich nicht vor meinem Flehen.
Een onderwijzing van David, voor den opperzangmeester, op de Neginoth.
Per il Capo de’ musici. Per strumenti a corda. Cantico di Davide. Porgi orecchio alla mia preghiera o Dio, e non rifiutar di udir la mia supplicazione.
Przedniejszemu śpiewakowi na Neginot pieśń Dawidowa nauczająca.
Начальнику хора. О голубице, безмолвствующей в удалении. Писание Давида, когда Филистимляне захватили его в Гефе.
（大衛的 訓誨詩，交與伶長。用絲弦的樂器。） 神啊，求你留心聽 我的禱告，不要 隱藏 不聽我的懇求！
Give hearing to my prayer, O God; and let not your ear be shut against my request.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Psalm 55:1 opens a prayer born from severe distress. Matthew Henry notes David 'begs that God would hear the prayers which, at every period, his heart lifted up to God.' The plea is for God not to 'hide himself', a phrase Calvin connects to being 'unconcerned and not regarding' the sufferer. Barnes and Keil & Delitzsch link the psalm to Absalom’s rebellion, when betrayal by a close friend (Ahithophel) compounded David’s anguish. The language is anthropomorphic: as Spurgeon puts it, David asks God not to 'stop thine ear, or restrain thy hand.' The Cambridge Bible compares God hiding himself to a person who 'turns away from misfortune and suffering which he does not want to relieve.' Across traditions, the consensus is that this verse models raw, honest prayer, the Psalmist refuses to pretend his trouble is small, yet directs every bit of it toward the God he trusts to hear.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse is a heartfelt plea for God to hear and respond, rooted in David’s experience of acute distress and the conviction that God alone can help.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Occasion of the psalm | The psalm is a lament by David in severe distress, probably during a rebellion. | Jewish expositors and most Christian commentators (Barnes, Matthew Henry) favor Absalom’s rebellion; others suggest the time of Saul (Keilah) or a general composite. No single event is certain. |
| Meaning of 'hide not thyself' | The phrase is anthropomorphic: God is asked not to act like a person who turns away from a sufferer. | Some (Matthew Henry) stress the sense of displeasure or anger; others (Cambridge Bible) emphasize a refusal to relieve suffering. All agree it expresses fear of divine inattention. |
| Role of the title 'Maschil' | It indicates the psalm is meant to give instruction or contemplation, not just emotional expression. | Gill and others see Maschil as marking a psalm about chastening; Spurgeon quotes Simon de Muis that the end of chastisement is instruction. The exact nuance is open. |
| Relation to Christ | The psalm has been interpreted as typologically pointing to Christ’s suffering and betrayal by Judas. | Spurgeon and John Noble Coleman explicitly apply it to Christ; others (Barnes, Calvin) keep it primarily historical to David, allowing typological reading but not insisting. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 55 is titled 'A Contemplation by David' (Maschil) and set to stringed instruments (Neginoth). The context of composition is not stated in the title, but the Chaldee Paraphrase and Jewish expositors generally link it to Absalom’s rebellion. Barnes argues this is the most probable occasion: David fleeing Jerusalem, crossing the Kidron Valley, learning that his trusted counselor Ahithophel had joined the rebels (2 Samuel 15:31). The psalm’s description of violence and treachery within the city (v.9-11) fits a capital in revolt. The reference to a former friend (v.12-14) aligns with Ahithophel, whose counsel David once treasured.
In the Psalms, 'hiding one's face' was a standard Hebrew idiom for God withdrawing favor or refusing to answer. Cross-references like Psalm 27:9 ('Don’t hide your face from me') and Psalm 28:1 ('don’t be deaf to me') show this was a recurring plea. The urgency of David’s cry matches the typical lament form: his prayer is loud, unrestrained, 'I mourn and make a noise' (v.2). Keil & Delitzsch comment that the verb for 'hide not thyself' (from the root meaning to veil) can apply to hearing as well as sight, so God is asked to uncover His ear to the sufferer’s voice.
Literarily, this verse launches a movement that includes longing for escape (v.6-8), imprecation against enemies (v.9-15), and finally trust in God’s deliverance (v.16-23). The opening plea sets the emotional and theological tone: distress is real, but God is the only recourse.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant manuscript variants for Psalm 55:1. Ancient translations (LXX, Syriac, Targum) generally agree with the Hebrew consonants. The main translational difference is English idiom: 'Give ear' (KJV, ASV, Darby) versus 'Listen' (WEB, BSB), and 'hide not thyself' versus 'do not ignore' (BSB). These reflect style, not textual variation. The Douay (Vulgate-based) adds a longer historical note, but this is a later interpretation, not a textual variant.
Reception History
Christian tradition has read Psalm 55:1 through the lens of Christ’s agony. Spurgeon’s Treasury of David notes that 'in that dread hour when Jesus bore our sins upon the tree, his Father did hide himself, and this was the most dreadful part of all the Son of David’s agony.' Early church liturgies included the psalm in Holy Week readings, seeing David’s cry as prefiguring the Psalm 22 cry of dereliction. In Jewish tradition, the verse is part of the daily prayers (Pesukei deZimra) and is recited in times of personal or national distress. The Geneva Bible (1599) glossed it as a prayer for all believers: 'Heare my prayer, O God, and hide not thy selfe from my supplication.' Across centuries, the verse has been a refuge for those who feel abandoned but still reach out to God.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The audacity of honesty. David does not soften his anguish. He cries for God to 'listen' and not 'hide', words that admit he feels unheard. Preaching can show that true prayer does not need polished language; it needs raw dependence.
- The God who can take our anger. The phrase 'hide not thyself' presupposes that God may seem absent. Yet David speaks to Him, not about Him. The outline invites hearers to bring their frustration into God’s presence rather than turning away.
- From plea to assurance. By the psalm’s end, David says 'I will trust in you' (v.23). This threefold movement, cry, complaint, confidence, models how lament leads back to faith.
Five-point outline
- Our situation. We face enemies, betrayal, or life-crushing circumstances (v.1-3).
- Our honest cry. We tell God exactly how we feel: 'I am restless, I moan' (v.2).
- Our felt absence. We ask God not to hide His face, because sometimes He feels far away.
- Our desire to escape. Like David, we want wings to fly away (v.6), but we cannot.
- Our turn to trust. The same God who heard our cry is the one who 'shall sustain thee' (v.22).
Illustration hooks
- The unanswered text. You send a message to a friend in crisis; hours pass with no reply. The silence feels like rejection. But you keep checking your phone, because you still hope. That is the posture of Psalm 55:1: waiting for an answer while the silence stretches.
- The courtroom door. Imagine standing before a judge who turns away, refusing to see your case. The anguish of being invisible to the one who alone can help. David’s prayer is that God not be that judge.
- Betrayal by a confidant. When a close friend or colleague turns against you, the pain cuts deeper than any enemy’s attack. David prays out of that specific wound, showing that God welcomes the shattered heart.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it acceptable to tell God I feel He has abandoned me?
- Does God ignore prayers? What does 'hiding himself' mean theologically?
- How do I pray when I am too hurt to form proper words?
Leading a Discussion
Psalm 55:1 opens a prayer that holds nothing back. David’s words give permission for group members to voice their own experiences of feeling unheard by God. This discussion is not about fixing the problem but about learning to bring real pain into God’s presence.
Discussion questions
- Observation: What does David ask God to do in verse 1? List the two petitions.
- Observation: The verse uses the word 'supplication'. How might that differ from a general 'prayer'? (Think about the context of desperation.)
- Interpretation: Why do you think David frames God’s silence as God 'hiding himself'? What does that reveal about how he understands God’s relationship to him?
- Interpretation: Compare this verse to Psalm 27:9 and Psalm 28:1. How does the language of 'hiding' and 'being deaf' function across these psalms?
- Application: Have you ever felt as if God was hiding from your prayers? How did (or didn’t) that experience shape your faith?
- Application: The psalm moves from pleading to trust (v.22-23). What helps you make that turn when you are in distress?
- Application: How can this passage encourage someone who is hesitant to be honest with God about their pain?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 5:1 | For the Chief Musician, with the flutes. A Psalm by David. Give ear to my words, Yahweh. Consider my meditation. |
| Psalms 6:1 | For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments, upon the eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm by David. Yahweh, don’t rebuke me in your anger, neither discipline me in your wrath. |
| Psalms 17:1 | A Prayer by David. Hear, Yahweh, my righteous plea. Give ear to my prayer that doesn’t go out of deceitful lips. |
| Psalms 27:9 | Don’t hide your face from me. Don’t put your servant away in anger. You have been my help. Don’t abandon me, neither forsake me, God of my salvation. |
| Psalms 28:1 | By David. To you, Yahweh, I call. My rock, don’t be deaf to me, lest, if you are silent to me, I would become like those who go down into the pit. |
| Psalms 54:1 | For the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A contemplation by David, when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Isn’t David hiding himself among us?” Save me, God, by your name. Vindicate me in your might. |
| Psalms 54:2 | Hear my prayer, God. Listen to the words of my mouth. |
| Psalms 61:1 | For the Chief Musician. For a stringed instrument. By David. Hear my cry, God. Listen to my prayer. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke emphasizes the sheer frequency of David's pleas for mercy as evidence of his desperation. David knows that if God does not hear and help, there is no other source of deliverance, so he persists in knocking at the gate of God's mercy.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes identifies the most likely setting for this psalm as David's flight from Absalom's rebellion, specifically when he learned that his trusted advisor Ahithophel had joined the conspiracy. He sees the psalm not as a complaint about ordinary enemies but as the cry of a betrayed king wounded most by treachery from within his own city.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin rejects the interpretation that David boasts of his own courage, arguing instead that the Hebrew word
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator explains the phrase "hide not thyself" by comparing it to two situations: an unmerciful person turning away from suffering they refuse to relieve, or God turning away as if the prayer came from a hypocrite. The psalmist pleads that God not act toward him in either way.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
To him that excelleth on Neginoth. A Psalme of David to give instruction. Heare my prayer, O God, and hide not thy selfe from my supplication.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill draws attention to a distinction in the Hebrew words for prayer. The first term refers to requests for what is just and right, grounded in covenant promises. The second term refers to supplication for mercies that come from God's free grace, not human merit. He notes that both kinds of prayer were offered.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB observes that the psalmist, facing enemies and a treacherous friend, offers an urgent prayer for relief while mingling confident trust in God's favor with predictions of judgment
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlights the Hebrew verbs for restless wandering and groaning, describing an involuntary cry of pain forced out by the foe's pressure. The commentator sees David's wish for dove-like flight as a desire to settle in a distant shelter, escaping the storm of conspirators bent on his overthrow.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sets this psalm squarely in the historical moment of Ahithophel's betrayal, just before Absalom's rebellion. He argues the raw outcry, the desire to escape like a dove, and
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry notes that David does not list his specific requests but simply begs God to hear the unspoken cries his heart lifts up. Prayer itself is the relief, and if we sincerely open ourselves to God, we can trust he will not hide his comfort from us.