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Psalms

About this book
Psalm 56

1 For the music director, according to the yonath-elem-rekhoqim style; a prayer of David, written when the Philistines captured him in Gath. Have mercy on me, O God, for men are attacking me. All day long hostile enemies are tormenting me. 2 Those who anticipate my defeat attack me all day long. Indeed, many are fighting against me, O Exalted One. 3 When I am afraid, I trust in you. 4 In God—I boast in his promise—in God I trust; I am not afraid. What can mere men do to me? 5 All day long they cause me trouble; they make a habit of plotting my demise. 6 They stalk and lurk; they watch my every step, as they prepare to take my life. 7 Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape. In your anger bring down the nations, O God. 8 You keep track of my misery. Put my tears in your leather container. Are they not recorded in your scroll?⁠ 9 My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help; I know that God is on my side. 10 In God—I boast in his promise—in the Lord—I boast in his promise— 11 in God I trust; I am not afraid. What can mere men do to me? 12 I am obligated to fulfill the vows I made to you, O God; I will give you the thank offerings you deserve, 13 when you deliver my life from death. You keep my feet from stumbling, so that I might serve God as I enjoy life.

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 56:8 and LXX Psalm 55:9

Hebrew Bible · Septuagint

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Summary

Psalm 56 describes tears being stored and recorded with a scroll, emphasizing personal suffering kept with God. The Greek Septuagint changes the scroll to a “promise,” shifting the focus from a negative record of sorrow to positive divine assurance.

Passages

Psalm 56:8

Hebrew Bible
6 They stalk and lurk; they watch my every step, as they prepare to take my life. 7 Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape. In your anger bring down the nations, O God. 8 You keep track of my misery. Put my tears in your leather container. Are they not recorded in your scroll? 9 My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help; I know that God is on my side. 10 In God—I boast in his promise—in the Lord—I boast in his promise—
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

LXX Psalm 55:9

Septuagint
6 All the day long they have abominated my words; all their devices are against me for evil. 7 They will dwell near and hide themselves; they will watch my steps, accordingly as they have waited for my soul. 8 You will on no account save them; you will bring down the people in fierce anger, God. 9 I have declared my life to you; you have set my tears before you, even according to your promise. 10 My enemies shall be turned back, in the day in which I shall call upon you; look, I know that you are my God.
100–1 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in LXX Psalms

References

"... Schaper finds these ‘proto-Rabbinic exegetical methods’, similar to Tov’s ‘midrash-type’ texts and actualizations, in the Greek Psalms. He thus finds the exegetical method of gezerah shavah, whereby one passage is modified to conform to another similar one, in LXX Psalm 55. There a reference in the Hebrew to a ‘book’ appears in the LXX as a ‘promise’. Schaper follows Flashar and suggests the promise is an allusion to Isaiah 25:8 in the context of the eschatological banquet drawing together the nations in Jerusalem. In Isaiah it is announced that God ‘has wiped away the tears from every cheek’, while Psalm 55 speaks of tears being visible before God. The translator of the Psalms, viewing both texts as God’s pity on the tears of his people, chose ‘promise’ to allude to Isaiah 25. Schaper therefore suggests that this technique is the same as the rabbinic principle of Hillel, the gezerah shavah." ..."
James K. Aitken, “Psalms,” in The T&T Clark Companion to the Septuagint, ed. James K. Aitken, Bloomsbury Companions (London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2015), 324–325.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Psalm 56:8 and LXX Psalm 55:9

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