Psalm 56 is a prayer of fear turned to trust: “Have mercy on me, O God, for man hath trodden me under foot… In God I have put my trust, I will not fear what flesh can do against me.” It contains one of the tenderest lines in Scripture: “thou hast set my tears in thy sight.” In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 55. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 56 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
Unto the end, for a people that is removed at a distance from the sanctuary for David, for an inscription of a title (or pillar) when the Philistines held him in Geth.
Have mercy on me, O God, for man hath trodden me under foot; all the day long he hath afflicted me fighting against me.
My enemies have trodden on me all the day long; for they are many that make war against me.
From the height of the day I shall fear: but I will trust in thee.
In God I will praise my words, in God I have put my trust: I will not fear what flesh can do against me.
All the day long they detested my words: all their thoughts were against me unto evil.
They will dwell and hide themselves: they will watch my heel. As they have waited for my soul,
For nothing shalt thou save them: in thy anger thou shalt break the people in pieces, O God,
I have declared to thee my life: thou hast set my tears in thy sight, As also in thy promise.
Then shall my enemies be turned back. In what day soever I shall call upon thee, behold I know thou art my God.
In God will I praise the word, in the Lord will I praise his speech. In God have I hoped, I will not fear what man can do to me.
In me, O God, are vows to thee, which I will pay, praises to thee:
Because thou hast delivered my soul from death, my feet from falling: that I may please in the sight of God, in the light of the living.
Psalm 56 or Psalm 55?
The Douay-Rheims Bible follows the numbering of the Latin Vulgate and the Greek Septuagint, while most modern Bibles follow the Hebrew. So the Douay’s Psalm 55 is Psalm 56 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Miserere mei, Deus, quoniam conculcavit me homo. See how many psalms are there?
What the psalm means
- Fear acknowledged: “From the height of the day I shall fear: but I will trust in thee.”
- Trust over fear: “In God I have put my trust, I will not fear what flesh can do against me.”
- God keeps our tears: none of our sorrows is forgotten. See psalms for comfort.
- Walking in the light of the living: “thou hast delivered my soul from death… that I may please in the sight of God, in the light of the living.”
How the Church uses Psalm 56
- In the Liturgy of the Hours.
- In fear and grief, as a prayer of trust. See psalms for anxiety.
A prayer with Psalm 56
Written for this page:
Have mercy on me, O God, for many are against me.
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
You have counted my wanderings and kept my tears in your sight.
In God I trust; I will not fear. Let me walk before you in the light of the living. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Where is “You have kept count of my tears”?
Psalm 56:9 in modern Bibles (55:9 in the Douay-Rheims: “thou hast set my tears in thy sight”).
Where is “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you”?
Psalm 56:4 in modern Bibles. The Douay-Rheims (55:4), from the Latin, reads “From the height of the day I shall fear: but I will trust in thee.”
More psalms and prayers
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 55 (56), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.