Psalm 3 Explication

1 A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.
O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God.

3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill.

5 I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

7 Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.

8 Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people!

David fleeing Absalom

As explained in verse one, David wrote Psalm 3 when fleeing his son Absalom, who sought to usurp the throne of Israel. In 2 Samuel 15-16, David's journey unfolds as he leaves Jerusalem and encounters several characters, some loyal and some traitorous, and he feels his enemies encircling him.

1 A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.
O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God.

Bad news for Lego David

Verses one and two initiate the Psalm with an invocation to God, telling God of his need as many
enemies are rising up against him. The repetition of the idea of many foes demonstrates the parallelism of Hebrew poetry. It extends synthetically into from the first verse into the second, completing the idea that David is helpless against so many, and God has abandoned him.

3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill.

The poem continues with David's supplication to God. In verse three, he creates a metaphor, comparing his LORD to a shield which protects him from his enemies, and credits God with his glory as the one who helps him to keep his head lifted even in his most dire circumstances. Verse four includes the supplication in earnest: as David cried out, God has answered him. The alliteration of "he," "his," "holy," and "hill" connects the terms. David elevates God as both holy and above all else on his metaphorical hill.

5 I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

 David then confesses his faith in his God. He begins with the antithetical parallelism of sleeping and waking and credits God for sustaining him through the night, for his enemies would otherwise surely destroy him as he slept if he didn't have God's protection. Because of his faith in God, David is unafraid of those who make themselves his enemy.

7 Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.

8 Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people!

I guess he was right.

Verse seven gives us a complete parallelism as David again invokes God's name to praise his deeds. The idea of striking on the cheek is completed by the idea of the teeth of the wicked breaking at the act. In verse eight, David declares all salvation belongs to God, and his blessing will be on his people, which contrasts with verse two. David effectively declares that God will save his people, despite the mutterings of his enemies. The various aspects found in each stanza of this poem indicate a lament: David invokes God's name, supplicates himself before God, confesses his faith, and utters praise for his Lord.