Psalm 3

Psalm 3 is the third Psalm of the Bible. It is a personal thanksgiving to God, who answered the prayer of an afflicted soul. Psalm 3 is attributed to David, in particular, when he fled from Absalom his son. David, deserted by his subjects, derided by Shimei, pursued for his crown and life by his ungracious son, turns to his God, makes his supplications, and confesses his faith. The story of Absalom is found in the 2 Samuel, Chapters 13-18.

Psalm 3
Psalm 3 is a prayer by David. David in Prayer by Rembrandt van Rijn (1652)
Textby David
LanguageHebrew (original)

Commentary

Commentary by Matthew Henry

According to Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary written in 1706, verses 1-3 represent David complaining to God of his enemies, and confiding in God. Verses 4-8 represent his triumphs over his fears, and "give God the glory", while "taking to himself the comfort".[1]

Martin Luther

Writers like Martin Luther [2]felt that, overall, the goal in this Psalm is to impart the confidence of those who consider themselves followers of YHWH to call on him. "But you, Yahweh, are a shield around me, my glory, and uplifts my head." (Verse 4): This is the emphatic prayer of the oppressed who turn aside to YHWH. Although written in the mouth of David (verse 1)[3] The reader is encouraged to consider how God rescues someone like David, who was at that time very in distress, saved and later raised to be king over all Israel.

Commentary by St. Augustine of Hippo

New Advent: St. Augustine, Exposition on Psalm 3

Musical settings

Psalm 3 has been scored in music by many artists, including "Thou Art A Shield For Me",[4] by Byron Cage, "Christian Karaoke Praise Song Psalm 3 worship",[5] by Andrew Bain. In 1691, Marc-Antoine Charpentier composed around 1676 one "Domine quid multiplicati sunt", for 3 voices, 2 treble instruments and continuo, H.172. Michel-Richard Delalande composed his grand motet Domine quid sunt Multiplicati (S.37) for the offices of the Chapel of Versailles, and Henry Purcell set a variant version of the Latin text, "Jehova, quam multi sunt hostes mei," for five voices and continuo.

Context

This is the first Psalm with a title in the original and it concerns a specific time of crisis in David's life. David fled Absalom because of a series of events as a result of David being under discipline for his own sins regarding Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite from 2 Sam 11.[6] In that light, the prayer is a model of looking to God for help even in the midst of God's chastisement. Even so, David prays "Thy blessings by upon your people". [7]

An evening and a morning is seen as David lays down to sleep and wakes up protected and sustained by providence. Absalom 's advisor Ahitophel is personified as the mouth who David asks God to 'break the teeth of" and in the account Ahitophel's councel is frustrated and Ahitophel faces his demise.[8] David fleeing his son at the start of Psalm 3 is in direct contrast with taking refuge in 'the Son' at the end of Psalm 2.

This is also the first Psalm with 'selah"'s and even ends with a 'selah', possibly indicating that Psalm 3 and Psalm 4 are tied together somehow. [9]

David spent more years fleeing Saul as a young man than he spent fleeing his son Absalom. David will even write many psalms later through the book of psalms on situations where he was being chased by Saul. Here is one of the opening psalms in the book of psalms and it is about the painful experience of fleeing from his own son.

Uses
Psalm3:6 in Jegłownik cemetery.

Judaism

Eastern Orthodox Church
  • Psalm 3 is the first Psalm, of "The Six Psalms", which are read as part of every Orthros (Matins) service. During the reading of the Six Psalms, movement and noise are strongly discouraged, as it is regarded as one of the most holy moments of the Orthros service.[13]

Catholic Church

About 530 in the Rule of St. Benedict, Benedict of Nursia chose this Psalm for the beginning of the office of matins, namely as the first psalm in the liturgy of the Benedictine during the year.[14] In the abbeys that preserve the tradition, it is currently the first Psalm Sunday for the office of vigils.[15]

In the current Liturgy of the Hours, Psalm 3 is sung or recited the first Office of Readings on Sunday of the week, after the first two psalms.[16]

Book of Common Prayer

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, Psalm 3 is appointed to be read on the morning of the first day of the month.[17]

Book of Jonah

In the Old Testament, the prayer of Jonah in the "fish" starts his prayer with Psalm 3 and ends his prayer drawing on Psalm 3.[18] And in between also draws on other psalms, namely Pslam 16, 18, 31, 42, 50, 88, 116, 118, 119 and 120[19][20]

References
  1. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on Psalm 3
  2. Martin Luther: Dr. Martin Luthers Sämmtliche Schriften, (St. Louis 1880), p 1375.
  3. Siehe: Howard N. Wallace, Psalms. Readings. A New Biblical Commentary, (Sheffield 2009).
  4. Thou Art A Shield For Me Psalm 3 lyrics Archived 2009-02-26 at the Wayback Machine, by Byron Cage.
  5. Christian Karaoke Praise Song Psalm 3 worship, by Andrew Bain.
  6. https://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/life_of_david/davids-great-repentance/
  7. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/spe/psalms-3.html
  8. https://www.biblicaltraining.org/library/psalm3/psalms/bruce-waltke
  9. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+3&version=ESV
  10. The Complete Artscroll Siddur page 291
  11. The Complete Artscroll Siddur page 63
  12. The Complete Artscroll Siddur page 619
  13. Dykstra, Tyler. "The Six Psalms". Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Church. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  14. Prosper Guéranger, La règle de Saint Benopit, p. 37 & 38.
  15. D’après le Complete Artscroll Siddur, compilation des prières juives.
  16. The main cycle of liturgical prayers takes place over four weeks.
  17. Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762
  18. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/jonah-art-of-being-broken/
  19. https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/jamieson-fausset-brown/jonah/jonah-2.html
  20. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/books/a-plus/OT-excerpt-book-of-jonah.pdf
  • Psalm 3 in Hebrew and English - Mechon-mamre
  • Psalm 3 King James Bible - Wikisource
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