When the Philistines captured David in Gath: be merciful, for man would swallow me up. When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God I trust; I will not fear what flesh can do. My wanderings You have recorded; put my tears into Your bottle. This I know: God is for me. In God I trust; I have vowed praise to You.
Read Psalms Chapter 56 Summary
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Gath
View on MapGath was one of the five major Philistine cities and the home of Goliath, the giant warrior who defied Israel. David fled to Gath to escape Saul and pretended to be insane before King Achish. The city was eventually conquered by David. The phrase "Tell it not in Gath" comes from David's lament over Saul and Jonathan.
Position in Book
Book IChapters 1-41
Book IIChapters 42-72
Psalms of David and the Sons of Korah, including laments, royal psalms, and praise.
Book IIIChapters 73-89
Book IVChapters 90-106
Book VChapters 107-150
Bible Bites
'The apple of my eye' comes from the Bible
The everyday phrase 'the apple of my eye', meaning someone deeply cherished, comes straight from Scripture: 'Keep me as the apple of your eye' (Psalm 17:8). Many common English sayings, from 'a drop in the bucket' to 'the writing on the wall,' were born in the Bible.
Psalm 17:8The Longest Book by Chapter Count
With 150 chapters (psalms), the book of Psalms contains more chapters than any other book in the Bible. These ancient songs range from the shortest chapter in Scripture (Psalm 117 with just 2 verses) to the longest (Psalm 119 with 176 verses).
PsalmsNobody knows what 'Selah' means
The little word 'Selah' appears about 74 times in the Psalms, and its exact meaning has been lost. It may signal a musical pause, a swelling of the instruments, or a moment to stop and reflect. After thousands of years, it remains one of the Bible's small unsolved mysteries.
Psalms