Psalm 52

Psalm 52
"Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man?"
Beginning of Psalm 52 in Claricia's Psalter
Other name	Psalm 51 "Quid gloriatur in malitia"
Text	Attributed to King David
Language	Hebrew (original)

Psalm 52
← Psalm 51 Psalm 53 →
Book	Book of Psalms
Hebrew Bible part	Ketuvim
Order in the Hebrew part	1
Category	Sifrei Emet
Christian Bible part	Old Testament
Order in the Christian part	19

Psalm 52 is the 52nd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man?". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 51. In Latin, it is known as "Quid gloriatur in malitia", It is described as a maskil, attributed to David, and is said to have been written "when Doeg the Edomite went and told Saul, and said to him, "David has gone to the house of Ahimelech". In this psalm, David criticises those who use their talents for evil.

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant liturgies.

Context

The psalm's sub-heading refers to the occasion reported in 1 Samuel 21–22 when Doeg, the chief herdsman of Saul, the first king of Israel, informed Saul that David had been received by Ahimelech at Nob, a priestly town in the vicinity of Jerusalem, and assisted with the means for his flight. Alexander Kirkpatrick observes that "the character denounced in the Psalm is in some respects such as we may suppose Doeg to have been. He was a man of wealth and importance as the chief of Saul’s herdmen (or, according to the LXX, the keeper of his mules). His tongue was "a deceitful tongue", because although the facts he reported were true, he helped to confirm Saul in a false and cruel suspicion.

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Latin divisions

This psalm opens the second section of the three traditional divisions of the Latin psalter, and for this reason the first words (Quid gloriatur in malitia qui potens est iniquitate...), and above all the initial "Q", were often greatly enlarged in illuminated manuscript psalters, following the pattern of the Beatus initials at the start of Psalm 1, and the "D" of Psalm 102.

Psalm form

According to Hermann Gunkel's system of classification, Psalm 52 was conditionally classified as an Individual Psalm of Trust, one that demonstrates an expression of trust or confidence in YHWH's assistant to the petitioner.

Book of Common Prayer

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the tenth day of the month.

Musical settings

Heinrich Schütz wrote a setting of a paraphrase of Psalm 52 in German, "Was trotzst denn du, Tyrann, so hoch", SWV 149, for the Becker Psalter, published first in 1628.

Text

The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the Koine Greek text in the Septuagint and the English translation from the King James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text come from different textual traditions. In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 51.

#	Hebrew	English	Greek
	לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ מַשְׂכִּ֥יל לְדָוִֽד׃‎	(To the chief Musician, Maschil, A Psalm of David,
	בְּב֤וֹא ׀ דּוֹאֵ֣ג הָאֲדֹמִי֮ וַיַּגֵּ֢ד לְשָׁ֫א֥וּל וַיֹּ֥אמֶר ל֑וֹ בָּ֥א דָ֝וִ֗ד אֶל־בֵּ֥ית אֲחִימֶֽלֶךְ׃‎	when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech.)
1	מַה־תִּתְהַלֵּ֣ל בְּ֭רָעָה הַגִּבּ֑וֹר חֶ֥סֶד אֵ֝֗ל כׇּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃‎	Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.
2	הַ֭וּוֹת תַּחְשֹׁ֣ב לְשׁוֹנֶ֑ךָ כְּתַ֥עַר מְ֝לֻטָּ֗שׁ עֹשֵׂ֥ה רְמִיָּֽה׃‎	Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
3	אָהַ֣בְתָּ רָּ֣ע מִטּ֑וֹב שֶׁ֓קֶר ׀ מִדַּבֵּ֖ר צֶ֣דֶק סֶֽלָה׃‎	Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
4	אָהַ֥בְתָּ כׇֽל־דִּבְרֵי־בָ֗לַע לְשׁ֣וֹן מִרְמָֽה׃‎	Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.
5	גַּם־אֵל֮ יִתׇּצְךָ֢ לָ֫נֶ֥צַח יַחְתְּךָ֣ וְיִסָּחֲךָ֣ מֵאֹ֑הֶל וְשֵׁרֶשְׁךָ֨ מֵאֶ֖רֶץ חַיִּ֣ים סֶֽלָה׃‎	God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
6	וְיִרְא֖וּ צַדִּיקִ֥ים וְיִירָ֗אוּ וְעָלָ֥יו יִשְׂחָֽקוּ׃‎	The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:
7	הִנֵּ֤ה הַגֶּ֗בֶר לֹ֤א יָשִׂ֥ים אֱלֹהִ֗ים מָ֫עוּזּ֥וֹ וַ֭יִּבְטַח בְּרֹ֣ב עׇשְׁר֑וֹ יָ֝עֹ֗ז בְּהַוָּתֽוֹ׃‎	Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
8	וַאֲנִ֤י ׀ כְּזַ֣יִת רַ֭עֲנָן בְּבֵ֣ית אֱלֹהִ֑ים בָּטַ֥חְתִּי בְחֶסֶד־אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים עוֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃‎	But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
9	אוֹדְךָ֣ לְ֭עוֹלָם כִּ֣י עָשִׂ֑יתָ וַאֲקַוֶּ֥ה שִׁמְךָ֥ כִי־ט֝֗וֹב נֶ֣גֶד חֲסִידֶֽיךָ׃‎	I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.

External links

• Pieces with text from Psalm 52: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Psalm 52: Free scores at the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
• Text of Psalm 52 according to the 1928 Psalter
• Psalms Chapter 52 text in Hebrew and English, mechon-mamre.org
• Tehillim — Psalms 52 (Judaica Press) translation with Rashi's commentary at Chabad.org
• For the leader. A maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite entered and reported to Saul, saying to him: “David has entered the house of Ahimelech." / Why do you glory in what is evil, you who are mighty by the mercy of God? text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Psalm 52:1 introduction and text, biblestudytools.com
• Psalm 52 – Praying About the Man Who Loved Evil enduringword.com
• Psalm 52 / Refrain: I trust in the goodness of God for ever and ever. Church of England
• Psalm 52 at biblegateway.com
• Hymns for Psalm 52 hymnary.org