Bird's-eye view
Psalm 59 is a prayer of David, a Michtam, set to the tune of "Do Not Destroy." The historical occasion, as the superscription tells us, is when Saul sent men to watch David's house in order to kill him. This is not a psalm prayed from a distance; the threat is immediate, visceral, and right outside the door. David is surrounded by bloodthirsty men, and he describes them in stark, unflattering terms. They are godless, they are liars, and in our text, they are compared to a pack of feral dogs.
The central theme is the stark contrast between the frenetic, godless activity of the wicked and the settled, morning-song confidence of the righteous. David sees his enemies for what they are: ravenous, noisy, and ultimately unsatisfied beasts. But their nocturnal prowling is set against his intention to sing of God's power and mercy in the morning. This passage, then, is a vivid depiction of the impotence and perpetual hunger of those who set themselves against God and His anointed. Their endless, growling search for satisfaction is a picture of Hell on earth, a foretaste of the eternal frustration that awaits all who reject the Bread of Life.
Outline
- 1. The Character of the Wicked (Ps 59:1-7)
- 2. The Confidence of the Righteous (Ps 59:8-10)
- 3. The Prayer for Judgment (Ps 59:11-13)
- 4. The Portrait of Unsatisfied Evil (Ps 59:14-15)
- a. Their Persistent Return (v. 14a)
- b. Their Animalistic Howling (v. 14b)
- c. Their Aimless Wandering (v. 14c)
- d. Their Insatiable Hunger (v. 15)
- 5. The Certainty of Morning Praise (Ps 59:16-17)
Context In Psalms
This psalm is one of the imprecatory psalms, where the psalmist calls down judgment upon his enemies. This is not, as some moderns would have it, a lapse into petty vindictiveness. Rather, it is a Spirit-inspired prayer for God's justice to be publicly displayed. David's enemies are not just his personal foes; they are the enemies of God's anointed king, and therefore enemies of God Himself. Their actions are a direct assault on God's covenant purposes for Israel.
The imagery of dogs is significant in Scripture. They are unclean animals, scavengers, associated with violence and dishonor (1 Kings 21:23, 22:38). To describe men as dogs is to strip them of their dignity and expose their base, animalistic nature. This is not just name-calling; it is a theological diagnosis. The wicked, in their rebellion against the God in whose image they are made, devolve. They become less than human.
Verse by Verse Commentary
Psalm 59:14
"They return at evening, they howl like a dog, And go around the city."
They return at evening... There is a rhythm to their malice. Just as evening comes predictably, so do the wicked return to their wicked work. This is not a random outburst but a settled pattern of life. Night is the time for predators, the time when evil feels emboldened by the darkness. This is when Saul's thugs surround David's house, thinking the cover of night will hide their deeds. But the psalmist sees their pattern, and he knows that the God who never slumbers nor sleeps sees it also. Their return is a mark of their persistence, but it is a persistence in futility.
they howl like a dog... The sound they make is not the articulate speech of men made in God's image, but the guttural, menacing howl of a feral dog. It is a sound of raw, mindless appetite. Think of a pack of street dogs, yelping and snarling. There is no reason, no negotiation, just threat and hunger. This is how David hears the curses and lies of his enemies (cf. v. 12). Their words are not arguments to be refuted but noise to be endured until God silences them. This howling is the sound of rebellion, loud, obnoxious, and ultimately incoherent.
And go around the city... They are prowling, patrolling the city as though they own it. This is the arrogance of the wicked. They lay claim to the city of God, circling it like predators circling a herd. They are looking for a way in, a moment of weakness, a person to devour. This circling is a picture of their strategic evil, but it is also a picture of their bondage. They are trapped in a loop, endlessly circling, never arriving at any place of rest or satisfaction. They are going "around" the city, but the man of God is secure in his house, under God's protection.
Psalm 59:15
"They wander about for food And growl if they are not satisfied."
They wander about for food... Here is the motive for their howling and their prowling: they are hungry. Their entire existence is driven by a gnawing emptiness. They are looking for "food," which in this context means they are hunting for David's life. They are scavengers, looking for something to consume to satisfy their lust for power, for blood, for wealth. This is the great lie of sin. It promises satisfaction, a full belly, but it only ever delivers more hunger. They wander, which implies they have no true home, no center, no place of belonging. They are spiritual vagrants, driven by their appetites.
And growl if they are not satisfied. The Hebrew here can be rendered "and if they are not satisfied, they will stay up all night." The picture is one of perpetual, frustrated hunger. When their hunt is unsuccessful, they don't give up and go home. They can't. Their hunger keeps them awake. They just become more agitated, more menacing. Their dissatisfaction manifests as a low, threatening growl. This is the state of the damned. They are eternally hungry and eternally unsatisfied. Their failure to get what they want does not lead to repentance, but only to a deeper, more bitter resentment. They are a living portrait of the truth that man does not live by bread alone, and because they have rejected the Word of God, no amount of earthly "food" will ever satisfy them.
Application
We must learn to see the enemies of God as God sees them. The world, the flesh, and the devil present themselves as sophisticated, powerful, and alluring. But Scripture pulls the mask off. Behind the ideologies, the political machinations, and the cultural temptations is this same pack of hungry dogs, howling, prowling, and perpetually unsatisfied. They make a lot of noise, and they can be genuinely terrifying, just as Saul's men were to David. But their noise is a sign of their emptiness, not their strength.
Secondly, we must see the contrast with the believer's satisfaction in Christ. The wicked "wander about for food." But Christ says, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). The growl of the unsatisfied sinner is the background against which the morning song of the redeemed sounds so sweet (v. 16). While they are up all night in their frustrated rage, the believer can rest in God's protection, knowing that joy comes in the morning.
Finally, this is a call to stand firm. David was surrounded. The howls were real. But he did not despair. He diagnosed his enemies with theological precision and then turned his eyes to his God, his strength and his fortress. We are in a spiritual war, and the dogs are circling. Do not be intimidated by their howling. Do not be deceived by their apparent control of the city. Their hunger is a sign that they are losing. Our satisfaction in Christ is a sign that He has already won.