TRV
Translation
King James Version
My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
Complete Jewish Bible
My heart within me is pounding in anguish, the terrors of death press down on me,
American Standard Version
My heart is sore pained within me: And the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
World English Bible Messianic
My heart is severely pained within me. The terrors of death have fallen on me.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Mine heart trembleth within mee, and the terrours of death are fallen vpon me.
Young's Literal Translation
My heart is pained within me, And terrors of death have fallen on me.
In the KJVVerse 14,737 of 31,102
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Commentary on Psalms 55 verses 1–8
1 ¶ To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David. Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.
2 Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise;
3 Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.
4 My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
5 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.
6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.
7 Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah.
8 I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.
In these verses we have,
I. David praying. Prayer is a salve for every sore and a relief to the spirit under every burden: Give ear to my prayer, O God! Psa 55:1, Psa 55:2. He does not set down the petitions he offered up to God in his distress, but begs that God would hear the prayers which, at every period, his heart lifted up to God, and grant an answer of peace to them: Attend to me, hear me. Saul would not hear his petitions; his other enemies regarded not his pleas; but, "Lord, be thou pleased to hearken to me. Hide not thyself from my supplication, either as one unconcerned and not regarding it, nor seeming to take any notice of it, or as one displeased, angry at me, and therefore at my prayer." If we, in our prayers, sincerely lay open ourselves, our case, our hearts, to God, we have reason to hope that he will not hide himself, his favours, his comforts, from us.
II. David weeping; for in this he was a type of Christ that he was a man of sorrows and often in tears (Psa 55:2): "I mourn in my complaint" (or in my meditation, my melancholy musings), "and I make a noise; I cannot forbear such sighs and groans, and other expressions of grief, as discover it to those about me." Great griefs are sometimes noisy and clamorous, and thus are, in some measure, lessened, while those increase that are stifled, and have no vent given them. But what was the matter? Psa 55:3. It is because of the voice of the enemy, the menaces and insults of Absalom's party, that swelled, and hectored, and stirred up the people to cry out against David, and shout him out of his palace and capital city, as afterwards the chief priests stirred up the mob to cry out against the Son of David, Away with him - Crucify him. Yet it was not the voice of the enemy only that fetched tears from David's eyes, but their oppression, and the hardship he was thereby reduced to: They cast iniquity upon me. They could not justly charge David with any mal-administration in his government, could not prove any act of oppression or injustice upon him, but they loaded him with calumnies. Though they found no iniquity in him relating to his trust as a king, yet they cast all manner of iniquity upon him, and represented him to the people as a tyrant fit to be expelled. Innocency itself is no security against violent and lying tongues. They hated him themselves, nay, in wrath they hated him; there was in their enmity both the heat and violence of anger, or sudden passion, and the implacableness of hatred and rooted malice; and therefore they studied to make him odious, that others also might hate him. This made him mourn, and the more because he could remember the time when he was the darling of the people, and answered to his name, David - a beloved one.
III. David trembling, and in great consternation. We may well suppose him to be so upon the breaking out of Absalom's conspiracy and the general defection of the people, even those that he had little reason to suspect. 1. See what fear seized him. David was a man of great boldness, and in some very eminent instances had signalized his courage, and yet, when the danger was surprising and imminent, his heart failed him. Let not the stout man therefore glory in his courage any more than the strong man in his strength. Now David's heart is sorely pained within him; the terrors of death have fallen upon him, Psa 55:4. Fearfulness of mind and trembling of body came upon him, and horror covered and overwhelmed him, Psa 55:5. When without are fightings no marvel that within are fears; and, if it was upon the occasion of Absalom's rebellion, we may suppose that the remembrance of his sin in the matter of Uriah, which God was now reckoning with him for, added as much more to the fright. Sometimes David's faith made him, in a manner, fearless, and he could boldly say, when surrounded with enemies, I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. But at other times his fears prevail and tyrannise; for the best men are not always alike strong in faith. 2. See how desirous he was, in this fright, to retire into a desert, any where to be far enough from hearing the voice of the enemy and seeing their oppressions. He said (Psa 55:6), said it to God in prayer, said it to himself in meditation, said it to his friends in complaint, O that I had wings like a dove! Much as he had been sometimes in love with Jerusalem, now that it had become a rebellious city he longed to get clear of it, and, like the prophet, wished he had in the wilderness a lodging place of way-faring men, that he might leave his people and go from them; for they were an assembly of treacherous men, Jer 9:2. This agrees very well with David's resolution upon the breaking out of that plot, Arise, let us flee, and make speed to depart, Sa2 15:14. Observe, (1.) How he would make his escape. He was so surrounded with enemies that he saw not how he could escape but upon the wing, and therefore he wishes, O that I had wings! not like a hawk that flies swiftly; he wishes for wings, not to fly upon the prey, but to fly from the birds of prey, for such his enemies were. The wings of a dove were most agreeable to him who was of a dove-like spirit, and therefore the wings of an eagle would not become him. The dove flies low, and takes shelter as soon as she can, and thus would David fly. (2.) What he would make his escape from - from the wind, storm, and tempest, the tumult and ferment that the city was now in, and the danger to which he was exposed. Herein he was like a dove, that cannot endure noise. (3.) What he aimed at in making this escape, not victory but rest: "I would fly away and be at rest, Psa 55:6. I would fly any where, if it were to a barren frightful wilderness, ever so far off, so I might be quiet," Psa 55:7. Note, Peace and quietness in silence and solitude are what the wisest and best of men have most earnestly coveted, and the more when they have been vexed and wearied with the noise and clamour of those about them. Gracious souls wish to retire from the hurry and bustle of this world, that they may sweetly enjoy God and themselves; and, if there be any true peace on this side heaven, it is they that enjoy it in those retirements. This makes death desirable to a child of God, that it is a final escape from all the storms and tempests of this world to perfect and everlasting rest.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–8. Public domain.
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Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 55
But this man being troubled and made sad was praying, his eye being disturbed as it were on account of anger. But the anger of a brother if it shall have been inveterate is then hatred. Anger does trouble the eye, hatred does quench it: anger is a straw, hatred is a beam. Sometimes you hate and chidest an angry man: in you is hatred, in him whom you chide anger: with reason to you is said, "Cast out first the beam from your own eye, and so you shall see to cast out the straw from your brother's eye." [Matthew 7:5] For that you may know how much difference there is between anger and hatred: day by day men are angry with their sons, show me them that hate their sons! This man being troubled was praying even when made sad, wrestling against all revilings of all revilers; not in order that he might conquer any one of them by giving back reviling, but that he might not hate any one of them. Hence he prays, hence asks: "From the voice of the enemy and from the tribulation of the sinner." "My heart has been troubled in me" [Psalm 55:4]. This is the same as elsewhere has been said, "My eye because of anger has been troubled." And if eye has been troubled, what follows? "And fear of death has fallen upon me." Our life is love: if life is love, death is hatred. When a man has begun to fear lest he should hate him that he was loving, it is death he is fearing; and a sharper death, and a more inward death, whereby soul is killed, not body. You minded a man raging against you; what was he to do, against whom your own Lord had given you security, saying, "Fear not them that kill the body"? [Matthew 10:28] He by raging kills body, thou by keeping hatred hast killed soul; and he the body of another, thou your own soul. "Fear," therefore, "of death has fallen upon me."
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 55:4 powerfully articulates the psalmist's profound internal agony and existential dread, traditionally attributed to David amidst intense personal betrayal and perceived mortal danger. This verse plunges into the depths of his emotional and psychological torment, revealing a heart deeply wounded and a spirit overwhelmed by the terrifying specter of death, setting the stage for his desperate plea for divine intervention and deliverance.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 55:4 employs several powerful literary devices to convey the psalmist's intense suffering. Hyperbole is evident in the description of the heart being "sore pained" and the "terrors of death" having "fallen upon me," exaggerating the emotional and psychological impact to emphasize the overwhelming nature of his distress. This is not a mild discomfort but a profound, almost incapacitating agony. Personification is used when "terrors of death" are depicted as an active entity that "fall" upon the psalmist, giving an abstract concept a tangible, oppressive presence. This makes the dread feel like an external assailant, crushing him. Furthermore, the phrase "my heart is sore pained" functions as a metaphor, likening the emotional anguish to a physical wound or piercing of the heart, effectively communicating the depth of his internal injury and the visceral nature of his suffering.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 55:4 offers a profound theological insight into the reality of human suffering and the biblical permission to express deep anguish before God. It affirms that even devout individuals, like David, can experience overwhelming internal pain and existential dread, including the "terrors of death." This verse validates the human experience of profound distress, demonstrating that such feelings are not a sign of weak faith but a natural, albeit agonizing, response to extreme circumstances. The psalmist's raw honesty serves as a model for bringing our deepest fears and most painful emotions directly into prayer and communion with God, trusting in His understanding and compassion for our fragile humanity. It connects to the broader biblical theme of lament, which is a divinely sanctioned form of prayer that acknowledges pain while simultaneously appealing to God's character and power for deliverance.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 55:4 provides a powerful validation for the human experience of deep emotional and spiritual pain. In a world that often encourages stoicism or superficial optimism, this verse gives us permission to acknowledge and voice our profound inner anguish, anxiety, and even the "terrors of death." David, a mighty king and a man after God's own heart, openly expresses a level of suffering that many might consider a sign of weakness. His vulnerability reminds us that it is not only acceptable but necessary to bring our whole selves—our fears, our sorrows, our dread—before God. This verse encourages us to be honest about our struggles, knowing that God understands our frame and remembers that we are dust (Psalms 103:14). It prompts us to seek solace and strength in Him, even when our hearts are "sore pained" and overwhelmed by life's terrors, trusting that He is present even in our darkest valleys and that His grace is sufficient to sustain us through every trial.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does "terrors of death" only refer to physical death, or does it have a broader meaning?
Answer: While the immediate context of Psalms 55:4 likely refers to the psalmist's fear of imminent physical death due to his enemies and betrayal, the phrase "terrors of death" (אֵימוֹת מָוֶת, ʼêymôt mâveth) carries a broader, more existential weight. It encompasses not just the physical cessation of life but also the overwhelming dread, panic, and horror associated with mortality, the unknown, and the ultimate loss of control. In a spiritual sense, it can also refer to the profound psychological and spiritual anguish that feels like a foretaste of death, a sense of being utterly overwhelmed and consumed by despair. This broader interpretation allows for the application of the verse to various forms of existential dread, overwhelming anxiety, or profound spiritual darkness that can feel like a "death" to one's spirit or hope, even when physical death is not immediately present, such as the "shadow of death" described in Psalm 23:4.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 55:4, with its raw depiction of a heart "sore pained" and overwhelmed by the "terrors of death," finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. While David's anguish stemmed from personal betrayal and mortal threat, Christ's suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane was of an infinitely greater magnitude, a unique and unparalleled agony. In Matthew 26:38, Jesus declares, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death," echoing the very language and depth of pain expressed in Psalms 55:4. This was not merely the fear of physical crucifixion, but the crushing weight of bearing the sins of the world, the terrifying prospect of divine abandonment as He became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). The "terrors of death" that fell upon David foreshadowed the ultimate confrontation with death and sin that Christ endured, not as a victim, but as the conquering Lamb of God. Through His agonizing death and glorious resurrection, Jesus has triumphed over the "terrors of death," disarming the power of Satan (Hebrews 2:14-15), and offering eternal life and peace to all who believe, transforming our dread into hope and our pain into purpose through His redemptive work on the cross (Romans 8:1-2). He is the one who tasted death for everyone (Hebrews 2:9), so that we might live.