What Does Psalms 56:2 Mean?

(2) **Swallow me up.**—The root idea of the Hebrew word so rendered is by no means clear. In many passages where it is used the meaning given here by the LXX., “trample on,” will suit the context quite as well as, or even better than, the meaning, “pant after,” given in the Lexicons. (See Job 5:5; Isaiah 42:14; Ecclesiastes 1:5; Amos 2:7; Amos 8:4.) And this sense of bruising by trampling also suits the cognate verb, *shûph, *used only three times (Genesis 3:15; Job 9:17; Psalm 139:11). Symmachus also here has “bruise,” or “grind.” On the other hand in Psalm 119:131; Job 7:2, &c, we want the idea of “haste” or “desire.” Possibly the original meaning of “trample” may have passed through the sense of physical haste to that of passion. Or we may even get the sense of “greedily devouring” by the exactly similar process by which we come to talk of devouring the road with speed. The same verb is used in the next verse with an object. **Fighting.**—Better, *devouring. *(Comp. Psalm 35:1.) **O thou most High.**—Heb., *marôm, *which is here not a vocative, but an adverbial accusative, “proudly,” in pride.