| Psalm 56 | |
|---|---|
| "Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up" | |
 Psalm 56 in a Portuguese Bible | |
| Other name |
|
| Language | Hebrew (original) |
| Psalm 56 | |
|---|---|
← Psalm 55 Psalm 57 → | |
| 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 56 is the 56th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up". In the slightly different numbering system of the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible and the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 55. In Latin, it is known as "Miserere mei Deus quoniam conculcavit me homo".[1][2] The psalm is the first of a series of five psalms in this part of the book which are referred to as Miktams. It is attributed to King David and may be considered representative of him or anyone else hiding from an enemy.[3]
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music.
- ^ Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 55 (56) Archived 7 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine medievalist.net
- ^ "Comparison of Enumeration of the Psalms in the Book of Divine Worship and in the Vulgate". The Daily Office of the Catholic Church According to the Anglican Use. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
- ^ The Artscroll Tehillim, page 110