Psalms 59: The evening dogs and the morning song

Psalm 59 gives the enemy a nightly rhythm. Violent men gather, prowl the city like dogs, and use mouths that carry swords while assuming no one of consequence hears them. The speaker rejects the idea that their attack is punishment for his fault in this conflict and repeatedly asks God to awake, behold, deliver, and defend. God’s laughter answers the boast “who doth hear?” by exposing how badly the attackers have misjudged the audience. The petitions for judgment are not perfectly smooth: one asks that the enemies be scattered rather than immediately slain so the people will remember, while another asks that they be consumed. Both seek a public end to destructive power. The final contrast is musical and temporal. The dogs return at evening, but the speaker intends to sing of divine power and mercy in the morning. The night does not receive the last sound.