Ps. 59 is similar in background to Ps. 56, 57, 58. It is a cry for deliverance from great danger, closing with a sudden dramatic turn of thanksgiving that deliverance is certain. The psalm has two major sections: vs. 1-10 containing a plea for deliverance from enemies, and vs. 11-17 containing a petition for punishment upon them. The vigorous but formal style of the psalm is marked by the repetition of both a picturesque verse (see vs. 6 and 14) and a refrain (see vs. 9 and 17) at corresponding places in the two sections.
According to the superscription the occasion for the composition of the psalm was the incident in which Saul sent men to watch the house of David, with the purpose of killing him (see 1 Sam. 19:11-18).
On the superscription see pp. 616, 627, 629.
Deliver me.
Or, “snatch me away.” This is the psalmist’s repeated prayer (see Ps. 7:1; 17:13; 22:20; etc.). David desires protection from all his enemies, whether they are in his own household, in the court, in the nation, or among other nations.
Defend me.
Literally, “make me high,” that is, “make me inaccessible” (see Ps. 18:48).