TRV
Translation
Complete Jewish Bible
They roam about, looking for food, prowling all night if they don't get their fill.
American Standard Version
They shall wander up and down for food, And tarry all night if they be not satisfied.
World English Bible Messianic
They shall wander up and down for food, and wait all night if they aren’t satisfied.
Geneva Bible (1599)
They shall runne here and there for meate: and surely they shall not be satisfied, though they tary all night.
Young's Literal Translation
They--they wander for food, If they are not satisfied--then they murmur.
In the KJVVerse 14,806 of 31,102
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Commentary on Psalms 59 verses 8–17
8 ¶ But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.
9 Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.
10 The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.
11 Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.
13 Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.
14 And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.
15 Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied.
16 But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.
17 Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.
I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points
David here encourages himself, in reference to the threatening power of his enemies, with a pious resolution to wait upon God and a believing expectation that he should yet praise him.
I. He resolves to wait upon God (Psa 59:9): "Because of his strength" (either the strength of his enemies, the fear of which drove him to God, or because of God's strength, the hope of which drew him to God) "Will I wait upon thee, with a believing dependence upon thee and confidence in thee." It is our wisdom and duty, in times of danger and difficulty, to wait upon God; for he is our defence, our high place, in whom we shall be safe. He hopes, 1. That God will be to him a God of mercy (Psa 59:10): "The God of my mercy shall prevent me with the blessings of his goodness and the gifts of his mercy, prevent my fears, prevent my prayers, and be better to me than my own expectations." It is very comfortable to us, in prayer, to eye God, not only as the God of mercy, but as the God of our mercy, the author of all good in us and the giver of all good to us. Whatever mercy there is in God, it is laid up for us, and is ready to be laid out upon us. Justly does the psalmist call God's mercy his mercy, for all the blessings of the new covenant are called the sure mercies of David (Isa 55:3); and they are sure to all the seed. 2. That he will be to his persecutors a God of vengeance. His expectation of this he expresses partly by way of prediction and partly by way of petition, which come all to one; for his prayer that it might be so amounts to a prophecy that it shall be so. Here are several things which he foretels concerning his enemies, or observers, that sought occasions against him and opportunity to do him a mischief, in all which he should see his desire, not a passionate or revengeful desire, but a believing desire upon them, Psa 59:10. (1.) He foresees that God would expose them to scorn, as they had indeed made themselves ridiculous, Psa 59:8. "They think God does not hear them, does not heed them; but thou, O Lord! shalt laugh at them for their folly, to think that he who planted the ear shall not hear, and thou shalt have not them only, but all such other heathenish people that live without God in the world, in derision." Note, Atheists and persecutors are worthy to be laughed at and had in derision. See Psa 2:4; Pro 1:26; Isa 37:22. (2.) That God would make them standing monuments of his justice (Psa 59:11): Slay them not; let them not be killed outright, lest my people forget. If the execution be soon done, the impressions of it will not be keep, and therefore will not be durable, but will quickly wear off. Swift destructions startle men for the present, but they are soon forgotten, for which reason he prays that this might be gradual: "Scatter them by thy power, and let them carry about with them, in their wanderings, such tokens of God's displeasure as may spread the notice of their punishment to all parts of the country." Thus Cain himself, though a murderer, was not slain, lest the vengeance should be forgotten, but was sentenced to be a fugitive and a vagabond. Note, When we think God's judgments come slowly upon sinners we must conclude that God has wise and holy ends in the gradual proceedings of his wrath. "So scatter them as that they may never again unite to do mischief, bring them down, O Lord, our shield!" If God has undertaken the protection of his people as their shield, he will doubtless humble and abase all those that fight against them. (3.) That they might be dealt with according to their deserts (Psa 59:12): For the sin of their mouth, even for the words of their lips (for every word they speak has sin in it), let them for this be taken in their pride, even for their cursing others and themselves (a sin Saul was subject to, Sa1 14:28, Sa1 14:44), and lying. Note, There is a great deal of malignity in tongue-sins, more than is commonly thought of. Note, further, Cursing, and lying, and speaking proudly, are some of the worst of the sins of the tongue; and that man is truly miserable whom God deals with according to the deserts of these, making his own tongue to fall on him. (4.) That God would glorify himself, as Israel's God and King, in their destruction (Psa 59:13): "Consume them in wrath, consume them; that is, follow them with one judgment after another, till they be utterly ruined; let them be sensibly, but gradually wasted, that they themselves, while they are in the consuming, may know, and that the standers-by may likewise draw this inference form it, That God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth." Saul and his party think to rule and carry all before them, but they shall be made to know that there is a higher than they, that there is one who does and will overrule them. The design of God's judgments is to convince men that the Lord reigns, that he fulfils his own counsels, gives law to all the creatures, and disposes all things to his own glory, so that the greatest of men are under his check, and he makes what use he pleases of them. He rules in Jacob; for there he keeps his court; there it is known, and his name is great. But he rules to the end of the earth; for all nations are within the territories of his kingdom. He rules to the ends of the earth, even over those that know him not, but he rules for Jacob (so it may be read); he has an eye to the good of his church in the government of the world; the administrations of that government, even to the ends of the earth, are for Jacob his servant's sake and for Israel's his elect, Isa 45:4. (5.) That he would make their sin their punishment, Psa 59:14, compare Psa 59:6. Their sin was their hunting for David to make a prey of him; their punishment should be that they should be reduced to such extreme poverty that they should hunt about for meat to satisfy their hunger, and should miss of it as they missed of David. Thus they should be, not cut off at once, but scattered (Psa 59:11), and gradually consumed (Psa 59:13); those that die by famine die by inches, and feel themselves die, Lam 4:9. He foretels that they should be forced to beg their bread from door to door. [1.] That they should do it with the greatest regret and reluctancy imaginable. To beg they are ashamed (which makes it the greater punishment to them), and therefore they do it at evening, when it begins to be dark, that they may not be seen, at the time when other beasts of prey creep forth, Psa 104:20. [2.] That yet they should be very clamorous and loud in their complaints, which would proceed from a great indignation at their condition, which they cannot in the least degree reconcile themselves to: They shall make a noise like a dog. When they were in quest of David they made a noise like an angry dog snarling and barking; now, when they are in quest of meat, they shall make a noise like a hungry dog howling and wailing. Those that repent of their sins mourn, when in trouble, like doves; those whose hearts are hardened make a noise, when in trouble, like dogs, like a wild bull in a net, full of the fury of the Lord. See Hos 7:14, They have not cried unto me with their heart when they howled on their beds for corn and wine. [3.] That they should meet with little relief, but the hearts of people should be very much hardened towards them, so that they should go round about the city, and wander up and down for meat (Psa 59:15), and should get nothing but by dint of importunity (according to our marginal reading, If they be not satisfied, they will tarry all night), so that what people do give them is not with good-will, but only to get rid of them, lest by their continual coming they weary them. [4.] That they should be insatiable, which is the greatest misery of all in a poor condition. They are greedy dogs which can never have enough (Isa 56:11), and they grudge if they be not satisfied. A contented man, if he has not what he would have, yet does not grudge, does not quarrel with Providence, nor fret within himself; but those whose God is their belly, if that be not filled and its appetites gratified, fall out both with God and themselves. It is not poverty, but discontent, that makes a man unhappy.
II. He expects to praise God, that God's providence would find him matter for praise and that God's grace would work in him a heart for praise, Psa 59:16, Psa 59:17. Observe,
1.What he would praise God for. (1.) He would praise his power and his mercy; both should be the subject-matter of his song. Power, without mercy, is to be dreaded; mercy, without power, is not what a man can expect much benefit from; but God's power by which he is able to help us, and his mercy by which he is inclined to help us, will justly be the everlasting praise of all the saints. (2.) He would praise him because he had, many a time, and all along, found him his defence and his refuge in the day of trouble. God brings his people into trouble, that they may experience his power and mercy in protecting and sheltering them, and may have occasion to praise him. (3.) He would praise him because he had still a dependence upon him and a confidence in him, as his strength to support him and carry him on in his duty, his defence to keep him safe from evil, and the God of his mercy to make him happy and easy. He that is all this to us is certainly worthy of our best affections, praises, and services.
2.How he would praise God. (1.) He would sing. As that is a natural expression of joy, so it is an instituted ordinance for the exerting and exciting of holy joy and thankfulness. (2.) He would sing aloud, as one much affected with the glory of God, that was not ashamed to own it, and that desired to affect others with it. He will sing of God's power, but he will sing aloud of his mercy; the consideration of that raises his affections more than any thing else. (3.) He would sing aloud in the morning, when his spirits were most fresh and lively. God's compassions are new every morning, and therefore it is fit to begin the day with his praises. (4.) He would sing unto God (Psa 59:17), to his honour and glory, and with him in his eye. As we must direct our prayers to God, so to him we must direct our praises, and must look up, making melody to the Lord.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 8–17. Public domain.
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Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 59
"They shall be scattered abroad in order that they may eat" [Psalm 59:15]; that is, in order that they may gain others, in order that into their Body they may change believers. "But if they shall not be filled, they shall murmur." Because above also he had spoken of the murmur of them, saying, "For who has heard?" "And You, O Lord," he says, "shall deride them, saying, Who has heard?" Wherefore? Because, as nothing You shall count all nations. Let the Psalm be concluded. See ye the Corner [Ephesians 2:20] exulting, now with both walls rejoicing. The Jews were proud, humbled they have been; Gentiles were despairing, raised up they have been: let them come to the Corner, there let them meet, there run together, there find the kiss of peace; from different parts let them come, but with differing not come, those of Circumcision, these of uncircumcision. Far apart were the walls, but before that to the Corner they came: but in the Corner let them hold themselves.
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 59:15 is a fervent petition from David, crying out for divine justice against his relentless enemies. It vividly depicts their anticipated future state: condemned to a perpetual, restless search for basic sustenance, and plagued by an unappeasable discontent, even if their immediate desires are momentarily met. This verse functions as a powerful imprecation, praying that the wicked's own predatory nature will ultimately recoil upon them, leading to a life characterized by futility, spiritual emptiness, and a stark absence of the true satisfaction found only in God's provision.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 59:15 masterfully employs several powerful literary devices to convey its message of divine justice and the consequences of wickedness. The most prominent is Imprecation, where the psalmist directly calls upon God to bring judgment and severe consequences upon his enemies. This is not merely a personal act of vengeance but a fervent plea for God's righteous justice to be enacted. There is also striking Imagery, particularly that of "wandering up and down for meat," which powerfully evokes the image of scavenging, hungry dogs, restless and desperate. This imagery is a direct echo and intensification of David's earlier description of his enemies in verses 6 and 14, vividly portraying their miserable, unfulfilled, and debased state. The verse also contains a profound element of Irony, as the very ones who relentlessly pursued David with malicious intent are now depicted as being subjected to a relentless and unfulfilled pursuit of their own—a quest for basic sustenance that yields no true satisfaction. Finally, there is an implicit Contrast powerfully drawn between the restless, perpetually unsatisfied state of the wicked and the profound peace, contentment, and abundant provision that the righteous find in God alone.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse powerfully articulates the profound biblical principle of divine justice, where the consequences of persistent wickedness ultimately recoil upon the perpetrator. It serves as a theological declaration that God is not indifferent to evil but actively intervenes in human affairs to ensure that those who live in opposition to His will ultimately experience the inherent futility and emptiness of their choices. While the specific context is David's personal plea for deliverance from murderous enemies, the underlying truth is universal: a life alienated from God's truth and provision inevitably leads to perpetual dissatisfaction and spiritual hunger, regardless of any material gain or worldly success. It highlights the inherent self-defeating nature of sin and the ultimate triumph of God's righteous order over all forms of rebellion. This concept is consistently echoed throughout the entirety of Scripture, affirming God's unwavering commitment to justice and His promise to ultimately vindicate the righteous.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 59:15, as an imprecatory psalm, provides a profound and legitimate space for believers to bring their raw emotions of pain, frustration, and a deep longing for justice directly before God. While the New Testament calls us to a higher standard of love for our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us (as seen in Matthew 5:44), this psalm validates the deep human yearning for wrongs to be righted and for evil to be held accountable. It serves as a powerful reminder that God is indeed a God of perfect justice who sees every injustice and will ultimately act. For the believer, this means trusting God with the burden of vengeance, rather than attempting to take it into our own hands. It encourages us to find our ultimate satisfaction, provision, and contentment in God alone, recognizing that worldly pursuits, ill-gotten gains, or a life lived apart from Him will always leave a spiritual void, inevitably leading to the kind of perpetual restlessness and unappeasable discontent so vividly described in the psalm. Our true nourishment is found in Him.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Is it appropriate for believers to pray imprecatory psalms like this today?
Answer: While the New Testament commands believers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them, imprecatory psalms like Psalm 59:15 serve several vital purposes. They provide an honest and divinely sanctioned outlet for expressing deep pain, frustration, and a righteous desire for justice in the face of severe injustice. They are not licenses for personal vengeance or hatred, but rather prayers that entrust the ultimate judgment to God, who alone is perfectly just and righteous. By praying such psalms, believers acknowledge God's absolute sovereignty over all things, including the consequences of sin, and affirm their trust that He will ultimately bring all things to account according to His perfect timing and will. This aligns profoundly with the New Testament principle articulated in Romans 12:19, where believers are instructed to "leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord."
What does "grudge if they be not satisfied" mean in practical terms?
Answer: This phrase describes a profound and persistent internal discontent that plagues the wicked, regardless of their circumstances. It means that even if they manage to acquire what they seek—whether it be power, wealth, control, or even basic necessities—it will not bring them true peace, fulfillment, or lasting contentment. Their hearts remain ungrateful, resentful, and perpetually grumbling, unable to find rest or satisfaction. This highlights the spiritual emptiness that characterizes a life alienated from God. True satisfaction comes not from external possessions or accomplishments, but from a right relationship with God and His abundant provision, which the wicked, by definition, lack or reject. It is a spiritual malaise, a constant state of dissatisfaction that stems from a rejection of God's ultimate purpose and the source of all true life and joy, leading to a perpetual cycle of unfulfilled desire.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 59:15, with its fervent plea for divine justice against the wicked and their ultimate state of restless dissatisfaction, finds its profound and ultimate fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate Righteous One who suffered unjustly at the hands of those who pursued Him with malice, hatred, and murderous intent, thereby fulfilling the lament and suffering aspects of David's experience. Yet, unlike David's imprecation, Jesus did not call down curses or judgment upon His enemies but, in His supreme act of love, prayed for their forgiveness even from the cross (Luke 23:34). Nevertheless, the principle of divine justice remains absolute and is perfectly upheld in Christ. Through His death and glorious resurrection, Jesus ultimately triumphed over all spiritual forces of wickedness, disarming and leading them captive (Colossians 2:15). He is the true Bread of Life, who offers genuine, eternal, and lasting satisfaction to all who come to Him in faith, contrasting sharply with the perpetual hunger and discontent described in the psalm. Those who reject Him and His offer of salvation will ultimately face a spiritual reality of eternal dissatisfaction and separation from God's life-giving presence, a profound fulfillment of the "grudging" and "unsatisfied" state. In Christ, believers find complete peace, abundant provision, and true spiritual rest, while the unrepentant wicked will experience the ultimate, self-inflicted futility of a life lived apart from the very source of all true life and satisfaction (John 14:6).