BibleWord.ai› Bible› Psalms› Chapter 59› Verse 15

Psalms 59:15

Old Testament Poetry/Hymns ASV (1901)

What does Psalms 59:15 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “They shall wander up and down for food, And tarry all night if they be not satisfied.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

They shall wander up and down for food, And tarry all night if they be not satisfied.
Psalms 59:15 — American Standard Version

Context — Psalms 59

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
12[For] the sin of their mouth, [and] the words of their lips, Let them even be taken in their pride, And for cursing and lying which they speak.
13Consume them in wrath, consume them, so that they shall be no more: And let them know that God ruleth in Jacob, Unto the ends of the earth. Selah
14And at evening let them return, let them howl like a dog, And go round about the city.
15They shall wander up and down for food, And tarry all night if they be not satisfied.
16But I will sing of thy strength; Yea, I will sing aloud of thy lovingkindness in the morning: For thou hast been my high tower, And a refuge in the day of my distress.
17Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing praises: For God is my high tower, the God of my mercy. Psalm 60 For the Chief Musician; [set to] Shushan Eduth. Michtam of David, to teach; and when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the Valley of Salt twelve thousand.
← Psalms 59:14Psalms 59:16 →
← Full Chapter 59 Psalms Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“grudge if, &c.--literally, "they shall stay all night," that is, obtain nothing.”
Read attributed excerpt →
Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Let them wander up and down for meat - Let them be like dogs that wander about for food, and find none. The idea is, that they would not find him, and would be then as dogs that had sought in vain for food. And grudge if they be not satisfied - Margin, If they be not satisfied, then they will stay all night. The marginal reading is most in accordance with the Hebrew. The sentence is obscure, but the idea seems to be that they would not be satisfied - that is, they would not obtain that which they had sought; and, like hungry and disappointed dogs, they would be compelled to pass the night in this miserable and wretched condition. The word which our translators have rendered “grudge” - from…”
Read attributed excerpt →
Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“wander: Psa 109:10; Job 15:23, Job 30:1-7; Isa 8:21 for meat: Heb. to eat, Deu 28:48, Deu 28:53-58; Kg2 6:25-29; Lam 4:4, Lam 4:5, Lam 4:9, Lam 4:10, Lam 5:9; Mat 24:7, Mat 24:8 grudge: etc. or, if they be not satisfied, then they will stay all night if: Isa 56:11; Mic 3:5 Psalms 59:16”
Read attributed excerpt →

Related study paths

Read Psalms 59 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification