Psalm 3

Psalm 3 belongs to Book One of the Psalms (Psalms 1–41) and is the first psalm in the Psalter to carry a superscription, a short heading placed before the psalm. The preceding Psalm 2 portrays the nations rising up against the LORD's anointed king. Psalm 3 continues with a prayer offered by that king, David, as a lone individual surrounded by enemies.

Structure

• Superscription States the occasion of the psalm: "A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son."
• Verses 1–2 The psalmist laments that his foes are many and that many rise up against him. Many say, "There is no help for him in God." (Selah)
• Verses 3–4 He confesses the LORD as his shield, his glory, and the one who lifts up his head. He cries aloud, and the LORD answers him from His holy hill. (Selah)
• Verses 5–6 He attributes his lying down, sleeping, and waking to the LORD's sustaining care. He resolves not to be afraid even if ten thousands surround him.
• Verses 7–8 He calls on the LORD to arise and save him, confessing that God has struck his enemies on the cheek and broken the teeth of the ungodly. He declares that salvation belongs to the LORD and pronounces a blessing on God's people. (Selah)

Key Verses

• Psalm 3:3 "But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head." — A confession of trust set against the enemies' taunt (v. 2), this verse forms the turning point of the psalm.
• Psalm 3:5 "I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me." — Even in crisis, the ordinary acts of sleeping and waking are confessed as evidence of God's protection.
• Psalm 3:8 "Salvation belongeth unto the LORD" — The psalm closes by widening a personal prayer into a blessing for the whole people.

People and Places

• David — According to the superscription, the author of the psalm.
• Absalom — David's son, who rebelled against his father. The account of this rebellion begins in 2 Samuel 15.
• The holy hill — The sacred mountain from which the LORD answers, commonly understood to be Zion.

Points for Reflection

• The superscription links the psalm to Absalom's rebellion, but the name Absalom does not appear in the body of the psalm. Scholars differ on whether the superscription was original or added later. The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as verse 1, giving nine verses in all, whereas Korean Bibles number the psalm as eight verses.
• Selah occurs in verses 2, 4, and 8. Its meaning is uncertain, but many interpreters regard it as a marker of a pause or break in music or worship.
• The latter half of verse 7 is translated in the past tense. Some read it as describing something already accomplished; others read it as an expression of confidence in what God will yet do.
• On the basis of verse 5, the psalm has been read as a morning prayer, and it is sometimes paired with Psalm 4, which depicts lying down at evening. Some of the Church Fathers are known to have interpreted verse 5 in light of Christ's death and resurrection.
• The confession of verse 8 is sometimes read alongside the similar confession in Revelation 7:10: "Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."