Psalms 59:5

Yea, do Thou, Jehovah, the God of hosts, the God of Israel,

Awake to visit all the nations:

Be not gracious to any treacherous workers of iniquity.

Thou is emphatic, and the address virtually means, -since Thou art God of hosts, and God of Israel." The first title implies that He has the power (Psalms 46:7, note), the second that He is under the obligation, to interpose and -visit," hold inquisition concerning, the nations, to punish them for their offences. But who are meant by the -nations" or -heathen"? Are they the enemies against whom the Psalmist is praying, and identical with the -treacherous workers of iniquity," mentioned in the next line? If so, the Psalmist's enemies are foreigners, for usage does not justify the interpretation of gôyîmas -heathenishly minded men"; and if the Psalm is in its original form, it cannot have been written by David with reference to Saul and his myrmidons. But it is possible that, as in Psalms 7, the prayer for a judgement upon personal enemies is expanded into a prayer for a judgement upon all the enemies of Israel: and in that general judgement the treacherous Israelites who are iniquitously plotting against the Psalmist's life will meet their due reward. Similarly in Psalms 59:8, -them" will refer to the Psalmist's personal enemies, -the heathen" or -nations" to the enemies of Israel. It is also possible, as has been suggested above, that the Psalm has been altered for liturgical use.

The anomalous form of the combination Jehovah the God of hostshere and in Psalms 80:4; Psalms 80:19; Psalms 84:8 (Jehovah Elôhîm Tsebâôthnot Jehovah Elôhç Tsebâôth) makes it probable that the original reading was simply Jehovah of hosts, and that Godis the substitution of the Elohistic editor for Jehovah, which however, has survived or has been restored along with it.

Be not graciousis the opposite to the Psalmist's prayer for himself, Psalms 56:1; Psalms 57:1.