Tehillim 52–54 | The Historical Psalms

We are in the midst of a sequence of psalms with historical titles, marking various events in David’s life. A central question that arises when learning these psalms is whether their content is directly connected to the historical event in the title, or whether they are general prayers like many others in Sefer Tehillim.

Psalm 52 – And Its Connection to Psalm 51: The opening verses of Psalms 52 and 54 refer to David’s flight from Sha’ul. Dr. Beni Gesundheit asks why psalms from the period of David’s flight from Sha’ul appear after the psalm about the sin with Batsheva — shouldn’t the chronological order be the opposite? It seems this cannot be dismissed as coincidence, because the headings of Psalms 51 and 52 deliberately mirror each other: Psalm 51 opens with the words “When the prophet Natan came to him after he came (בָּא) to Batsheva” (51:2), while Psalm 52 begins with “When Doeg the Edomite came and informed Sha'ul, telling him, David went (בָּא) to the house of Avimelekh’” (52:2).

Gesundheit suggests a deep meaning behind this order. In Natan’s rebuke to David following the sin, God says: “I anointed you as king over Israel, and I saved you from the hand of Sha’ul… Why, then, have you scorned the word of the Lord?” (Shmuel II 12:7–9). God reminds David of His kindnesses — including rescuing him from Sha’ul — and from there, rebukes him for his sin. This may explain why, following the psalm about the sin, we read psalms about David’s flight from Sha’ul: David is reflecting on those years to internalize God’s rebuke. Perhaps in revisiting the atmosphere of those hard times, David undergoes a process of lowering his sense of kingship — remembering that his past was not always so great. This humility can also be seen in other episodes following his sin, such as the rebellion of Avshalom. That same humility may echo in the psalms David chose to place here in the Sefer Tehillim.