Psalm 59:15

Psalm 59:15, in plain English

These enemies scavenge for food like wild animals, and they become aggressive and restless when they're not satisfied.

Why it's here

David develops the animal metaphor further. They're not just dangerous; they're desperate and insatiable. Like dogs prowling for food, they'll never be content, never be satisfied. This shows how futile their pursuit is—they're chasing something that can never truly satisfy them.

Who's speaking

David, continuing his observation of the enemies' desperate nature

Where it sits in the story

This echoes a theme throughout Scripture: the emptiness of pursuing evil. The wicked are never satisfied because they're not pursuing what actually fulfills.

The scholarly reading

The psalmist continues the description of his enemies' degrading behavior: they scavenge for food and growl with discontent if unsatisfied.

Language and setting

The verb גָּרַר (garar, 'scavenge') depicts animals (or humans debased to animal status) rooting through refuse. The Hebrew phrase 'if they are not satisfied' (אִם־לֹא יִשְׂבָּעוּ, im-lo yisba'u) emphasizes perpetual dissatisfaction—the enemies are never content, always driven by insatiable appetite. This portrait of the wicked echoes sapientiel depictions of those enslaved to base appetites (Proverbs 27:20, Ecclesiastes 6:7). The contrast between the rabid, unsatisfied enemies and the psalmist's settled trust in God structures the psalm's anthropological vision: the wicked are enslaved to appetite while the righteous find satisfaction in God. Medieval commentator Rashi observed that this unsatisfied growling is both literal (describing actual prowling antagonists) and metaphorical (depicting the spiritual state of those alienated from God).

Voice

The psalmist, continuing his descriptive portraiture.

Significance

This depiction of insatiable hunger for destruction participates in biblical teaching about sin as enslaving appetite—a theme developed explicitly in Romans 6 and implicit throughout the wisdom tradition.

13Consume them in wrath; consume them till they are no more, so it may be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob.

14They return in the evening, snarling like dogs and prowling around the city.

15They scavenge for food, and growl if they are not satisfied.

16But I will sing of Your strength and proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning. For You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

17To You, O my strength, I sing praises, for You, O God, are my fortress, my God of loving devotion.

Read all of Psalm 59 — Saul's men surround David's house. They prowl like dogs at night. David meets their menace with a song.