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Psalm 55:1-2
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 55:1-2
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 55[a]
Prayer in Time of Betrayal by a Friend
1 For the director.[b] On stringed instruments. A maskil of David.
2 [c]Give ear to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my supplication.
Footnotes
- Psalm 55:1 The psalmist, a sensitive and pious Levite, interminably repeats his lament. Three times he describes his torment as the victim of calumny, distressed to see the holy city corrupted, and abandoned by his best friend. If only he could escape this misfortune that obsesses him! We are reminded of David in the wake of Absalom’s rebellion against him (see 2 Sam 15–17) as well as of Jeremiah excoriated by his enemies (Jer 4:19; 5:1; 6:6; 9:1, 3, 7) and of Christ, the man of sorrows, betrayed by his friend (see Mt 26:21-23, 48-50).
This psalm is a prayer for days when we feel exhausted by the struggles of life, by the hostility of people and things, when we would like nothing more than to escape, to flee into some deserted spot and encounter nobody. However, the psalmist knows that only God’s presence can free the heart imprisoned by suffering. - Psalm 55:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. Maskil: see note on Ps 32:1a.
- Psalm 55:2 The psalmist begs God to listen to his plight.
