PSALM 3 COMME�TARYWritten and edited by Glenn Pease

PREFACE

I have collected quotes from many old sources, and some new ones. The old are all in publicdomain, but the new ones are not. Therefore, if any of the contemporary authors I quote do notwish their wisdom to be included in this commentary they can let me know, and I will remove it.My e-mail is glenn_p86@yahoo.com

I�TRODUCTIO�

1. David Guzik, “This is the first Psalm with a title: A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalomhis son. James Montgomery Boice points out that since the titles for Psalms are in the canonicaltext of the Hebrew Bible, “They are to be taken with absolute seriousness throughout.” Theevents are recorded in 2 Samuel 15-18, but the heart is recorded in this Psalm.”

2. Spurgeon's Treasury of David, “Title. "A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom hisSon." You will remember the sad story of David's flight from his own palace, when in the dead ofthe night, he forded the brook Kedron, and went with a few faithful followers to hide himself forawhile from the fury of his rebellious son. Remember that David in this was a type of the LordJesus Christ. He, too, fled; he, too, passed over the brook Kedron when his own people were inrebellion against him, and with a feeble band of followers he went to the garden of Gethsemane.He, too, drank of the brook by the way, and therefore doth he lift up the head. By very manyexpositors this is entitled THE MOR�I�G HYM�. May we ever wake with holy confidence inour hearts, and a song upon our lips!

Division. This Psalm may be divided into four parts of two verses each. Indeed, many of thePsalms cannot be well understood unless we attentively regard the parts into which they shouldbe divided. They are not continuous descriptions of one scene, but a set of pictures of manykindred subjects. As in our modern sermons, we divide our discourse into different heads, so is itin these Psalms. There is always unity, but it is the unity of a bundle of arrows, and not of a singlesolitary shaft. Let us now look at the Psalm before us. In the first two verses (Psalms 3:1-2) youhave David making a complaint to God concerning his enemies; he then declares his confidencein the Lord (Psalms 3:3-4), sings of his safety in sleep (Psalms 3:5-6), and strengthens himself forfuture conflict (Psalms 3:7-8).”

3. Steven Cole gives us a picture of just how great a crisis David was dealing with in this prayer. “It was David’s most traumatic, humiliating experience in his entire life. Everything that he hadspent his life working for had suddenly unraveled. Many whom he had thought were allies and

friends had abandoned him and sided with his rebellious son. And the most painful wound of allwas the treachery and betrayal of Absalom. It brought home to David his own failure as a father.One son was murdered, a daughter was raped, and the murderer was now after his own father’slife in addition to his kingdom. Life was falling apart for David.”

4. Dr. Richard J. Krejcir, “This is a Psalm of David that he composed when his son Absalomstarted a “coup” to overthrow his father and take over the kingdom. Like most of the Psalms,there is a contrast. Here, it is one of lament, meaning despair, anguish, and struggle as well asconfident praise and peace. A hope in the mist of fear and hopelessness can be had for us if ourfocus is in the right place. David is fleeing for his life, as his son Absalom, a young man ofcontempt and malevolence, seeks what is not his and seeks to take his own father's life. Yet, allDavid could do is pray that his son's life be saved anyway, and modeled for us trust in the Lord,even in times of dire stress and chaos. The people once loyal to David had turned on him andwere mocking God saying even God cannot help you to the point that his antagonists saw his faithin God as a waste. David turned to God anyway and did not listen to the mockers; he sought theOne in whom trust can be placed without hesitation or worry. David was confident in his Lordand knew He could help—and He did help. God took David and rescued Him and restored hiskingdom; when it was time, his son Solomon took over. David's enemies were put to shame and todeath. His son Absalom was killed by his own vanity as his long, luscious hair was caught in atree where he hung helplessly until a soldier, who was loyal to David, speared him. God proved toDavid, to his enemies, and to us today that He is the One who saves and blesses His people (2Sam. 15-18).”

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

1 O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!

1. If your own son is running you out of town, and most all of your so-called friends are on hisside, and you are forced to flee like a criminal from your palace, you are in a mega crisis, and thatis where David is. When life gets this bad, we say it is hell on earth, and that is where David feelshe is. His foes are in the majority, and the masses are rising up against him. It looks hopeless, andwhere can you go when all looks so bleak and hopeless? You go to the Lord, of course. Prayer issometimes the only avenue we have to travel when all other ways are blocked. It is our emergencyline to the only Power that can deal with hopeless situations and change them to hopeful ones.God becomes our deliverer in times like these. By his grace it is possible to be saved when there isno earthly resource to achieve it. This is just one of many cases where David has his life savedwhen it was hanging by a thread. David was among the great wise men because he knew where toturn in hopeless situations.

1B. Jamison, “For the historical occasion mentioned, compare 2 Samuel 15:1-17:29. David, in the

midst of great distress, with filial confidence, implores God’s aid, and, anticipating relief, offerspraise. The extent of the rebellion (2Sa_15:13) surprises and grieves him.”

2.Barnes, “A Psalm of David - literally, belonging to David; that is, belonging to him as theauthor. This is marked in the Hebrew as the first verse, and so in the Syriac version, the LatinVulgate, and the Septuagint, making in the Hebrew, and in each of these versions, nine verses inthe psalm instead of eight, as in our translation. This may have been prefixed to the psalm by theauthor himself, for it was not uncommon in ancient times for an author to prefix his name to hisown composition, as is commonly done by the apostle Paul in his epistles. It is not absolutelycertain, however, that this was done in the Psalms by the authors themselves, but it may havebeen done by him who collected and arranged the Psalms, indicating the prevalent belief inregard to the authorship, and under the Spirit of inspiration.

When he fled from Absalom his son - On the occasion of his fleeing. That is, it was composed atthat time, or was subsequently composed in remembrance of it.

Lord, how are they increased - How are they multiplied; or, how numerous they are. Perhaps theidea is, that at first they seemed to be comparatively few in number, but had now so multiplied asto endanger his crown and life. This is an appropriate expression on the supposition that it refersto Absalom. At first the number of those who adhered to Absalom was not so great as to excitemuch alarm; but by the arts of a demagogue, by complaining of the government, by saying that ifhe were made a judge in tim land, every man would have justice done him 2Sa_15:4-5, he wonthe hearts of the people, and gathered so many under his standard as to make it necessary thatthe king should flee from Jerusalem to a place of safety.

That trouble me - literally, my enemies. The allusion is to those who were now enlisted underAbsalom, and who were engaged in endeavoring to overthrow the government.

Many are they that rise up against me - That is, that have become my enemies.”

3. Clarke, “Lord, how are they increased that trouble me? - We are told that the hearts of allIsrael went after Absalom, 2Sa_15:13; and David is astonished to find such a sudden and generalrevolt. �ot only the common people, but his counselors also, and many of his chief captains. Howpublicly does God take vengeance for the sins which David committed so privately! In thehorrible rebellion of Absalom we see the adultery of Bathsheba, and the murder of Uriah. �owthe words of �athan begin to be fulfilled: “The sword shall not depart from thy house.”

4. Gill, “Lord, how are they increased that trouble me?.... David's enemies increased in theconspiracy against him, 2Sa_15:12; the hearts of the men of Israel were after Absalom, andagainst him. Christ's enemies increased when Judas with a multitude came to take him; when thebody of the common people cried out, Crucify him; when the assembly of the wicked enclosedhim, and pierced his hands and his feet. And the enemies of God's people are many; the men ofthis world are against them; legions of devils oppose them; and they have swarms of sins in theirown hearts; and all these give trouble. David's enemies troubled him; he wept as he went up thehill, to think that his own son should seek to destroy him; that his subjects, whom he had ruled solong with clemency, and had hazarded his person in war for their defense, and to protect them intheir civil and religious rights, should rebel against him. Christ's enemies troubled him, whenthey bound and led him away as a malefactor; when they spit upon him, smote and buffeted him;when they scourged and crucified him, and mocked at him. The enemies of the saints aretroublers of them; in the world, and from the men of it, they have tribulation; Satan's

temptations give them much uneasiness and distress; and their indwelling sins cause them to cryout, "Oh wretched men that we are!" This address is made to the Lord, as the Lord Godomniscient, who knew the case to be as it was, and who had a concern in it not being without hiswill, but according to it, he having foretold it, and as he who only could help out of it: and thepsalmist delivers it in a complaining way, and in an expostulatory manner; reasoning the casewhy it should be so, what should be the reason of it, for what end and purpose it was; and aswondering at it, suggesting his own innocence, and how undeserving he was to be treated in sucha way;

many are they that rise up against me; many in quantity, and great in quality, great in the law, inwisdom, in riches, and in stature, as Jarchi interprets it; such as Ahithophel and others, who roseup against David in an hostile manner, to dispossess him of his kingdom, and to destroy his life.And many were they that rose up against Christ; the multitude came against him as a thief, withclubs and staves: the men of this world rise up against the saints with their tongues, andsometimes with open force and violence; Satan, like a roaring lion, seeks to devour them, andtheir own fleshly lusts war against them.

5. Henry, “The title of this psalm and many others is as a key hung ready at the door, to open it,and let us into the entertainments of it; when we know upon what occasion a psalm was pennedwe know the better how to expound it. This was composed, or at least the substance of it wasmeditated and digested in David's thought, and offered up to God, when he fled from Absalomhis son, who formed a conspiracy against him, to take away, not his crown only, but his life; wehave the story, 2 Sa. 15, etc. 1. David was now in great grief; when, in his flight, he went up theMount of Olives, he wept greatly, with his head covered, and marching bare-foot; yet then hecomposed this comfortable psalm. He wept and prayed, wept and sung, wept and believed; thiswas sowing in tears. Is any afflicted? Let him pray; nay, let him sing psalms, let him sing thispsalm. Is any afflicted with undutiful disobedient children? David was; and yet that did nothinder his joy in God, nor put him out of tune for holy songs. 2. He was now in great danger; theplot against him was laid deep, the party that sought his ruin was very formidable, and his ownson at the head of them, so that his affairs seemed to be at the last extremity; yet then he kepthold of his interest in God and improved that. Perils and frights should drive us to God, not driveus from him. 3. He had now a great deal of provocation given him by those from whom he hadreason to expect better things, from his son, whom he had been indulgent of, from his subjects,whom he had been so great a blessing to; this he could not but resent, and it was enough to breakin upon any man's temper; yet he was so far from any indecent expressions of passion andindignation that he had calmness enough for those acts of devotion which require the greatestfixedness and freedom of thought. The sedateness of his mind was evinced by the Spirit's comingupon him; for the Spirit chooses to move upon the still waters. Let no unkindness, no, not of achild or a friend, ever be laid so much to heart as to disfit us for communion with God. 4. He wasnow suffering for his sin in the matter of Uriah; this was the evil which, for that sin, Godthreatened to raise up against him out of his own house (2Sa_12:11), which, no doubt, heobserved, and took occasion thence to renew his repentance for it. Yet he did not therefore castaway his confidence in the divine power and goodness, nor despair of succor. Even our sorrow forsin must not hinder either our joy in God or our hope in God. 5. He seemed cowardly in fleeingfrom Absalom, and quitting his royal city, before he had had one struggle for it; and yet, by thispsalm, it appears he was full of true courage arising from his faith in God. True Christianfortitude consists more in a gracious security and serenity of mind, in patiently bearing andpatiently waiting, than in daring enterprises with sword in hand.

In these three verses he applies to God. Whither else should we go but to him when any thing

grieves us or frightens us? David was now at a distance from his own closet, and from the courtsof God's house, where he used to pray; and yet he could find a way open heaven-ward. Whereverwe are we may have access to God, and may draw nigh to him whither soever we are driven.David, in his flight, attends his God,

I. With a representation of his distress, Psa_3:1, Psa_3:2. He looks round, and as it were takes aview of his enemies' camp, or receives information of their designs against him, which he bringsto God, not to his own council-board. Two things he complains of, concerning his enemies: - 1.That they were very many: Lord, how are they increased! beyond what they were at first, andbeyond whatever he thought they would have been. Absalom's faction, like a snow-ball, strangelygathered in its motion. He speaks of it as one amazed, and well he might, that a people he had somany ways obliged should almost generally revolt from him, rebel against him, and choose fortheir head such a foolish and giddy young man as Absalom was. How slippery and deceitful arethe many! And how little fidelity and constancy are to be found among men! David had had thehearts of his subjects as much as ever any king had, and yet now, of a sudden, he had lost them.As people must not trust too much to princes (Psa_146:3), so princes must not build too muchupon their interest in the people. Christ, the Son of David, had many enemies. When a greatmultitude came to seize him, when the crowd cried, Crucify him, Crucify him, how were thosethen increased that troubled him! Even good people must not think it strange if the stream beagainst them and the powers that threaten them grow more and more formidable.”

6. Calvin, “How bitter David’s sorrow was under the conspiracy of his own household againsthim, which arose from the treachery of his own son, it is easy for every one of us to conjecturefrom the feelings of nature. And when, in addition to this, he knew that this disaster was broughtupon him by God for his own fault in having defiled another man’s wife, and for sheddinginnocent blood, he might have sunk into despair, and been overwhelmed with anguish, if he hadnot been encouraged by the promise of God, and thus hoped for life even in death. From hismaking no allusion here to his sins, we are led to infer, that only one part of his prayers iscomprised in this psalm; for as God punished him expressly on account of his adultery, and hiswicked treachery towards Uriah, there can be no doubt that he was at first distressed withgrievous and dreadful torments of mind. But after he had humbled himself before God, he tookcourage; and being well assured of having obtained forgiveness, he was fully persuaded that Godwas on his side, and knew that he would always preside over his kingdom, and show himself itsprotector. But he, nevertheless, complained of his son, and of the whole faction involved in theconspiracy, because he knew that they wickedly rose up for the purpose of frustrating the decreeof God. In like manner, if at any time God makes use of wicked and mischievous men, as scourgesto chastise us, it becomes us first diligently to consider the cause, namely, that we suffer nothingwhich we have not deserved, in order that this reflection may lead us to repentance. But if ourenemies, In persecuting us, rather fight against God than against us, let the consideration of theirdoing so be immediately followed by the confident persuasion of our safety under the protectionof him, whose grace, which he hath promised to us, they despise and trample under foot.”

7. Spurgeon, “The poor broken hearted father complains of the multitude of his enemies: and ifyou turn to 2 Samuel 15:12 , you will find it written that "the conspiracy was strong; for thepeople increased continually with Absalom," while the troops of David constantly diminished! Lord how are they increased that trouble me! Here is a note of exclamation to express the wonderof woe which amazed and perplexed the fugitive father. Alas! I see no limit to my misery, for mytroubles are enlarged! There was enough at first to sink me very low; but lo! my enemiesmultiply. When Absalom, my darling, is in rebellion against me, it is enough to break my heart;

but lo! Ahithophel hath forsaken me, my faithful counsellors have turned their backs on me; lo!my generals and soldiers have deserted my standard. "How are they increased that trouble me!"Troubles always come in flocks. Sorrow hath a numerous family.”

8. One of the key lessons we learn from reading about David's life, and the crisis he faced timeand time again, is that even if you are a person after God's own heart you are going to haveproblems. Hopefully not as many as David, but you will have them even if you are in the center ofGod's will doing just what he wants you to do. Look at Paul's testimony, “Alexander the

metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. 15 You

too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message. 16 At my firstdefense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.17 But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be

fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. 18

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:14-18). There are endless illustrationslike this from godly people, and so let us not ever be thinking that God is not caring for us whenwe are in a crisis, and feel like the whole world is against us. It is a part of being a follower ofGod, and striving to be loyal to our Lord Jesus Christ. Some few do escape, and many have fewtrials, but if you are living the average life of a believer, you will face one or more of crisissituations in life, and all you can do is turn to God in prayer totally depending on him to deliveryou. David was brokenhearted, and he wept in despair, but he never lost hope because he knewthe power of prayer.

2 Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him." Selah [a]

1. Henry, “They rose up against him; they aimed to trouble him; but that was not all: they said ofhis soul, There is no help for him in God. That is, (1.) They put a spiteful and invidiousconstruction upon his troubles, as Job's friends did upon him, concluding that, because hisservants and subjects forsook him thus and did not help him, God had deserted him andabandoned his cause, and he was therefore to be looked on, or rather to be looked off, as ahypocrite and a wicked man. (2.) They blasphemously reflected upon God as unable to relievehim: “His danger is so great that God himself cannot help him.” It is strange that so greatunbelief should be found in any, especially in many, in Israel, as to think any party of men toostrong for Omnipotence to deal with.

They endeavored to shake his confidence in God and drive him to despair of relief from him:“They have said it to my soul;” so it may be read; compare Psa_11:1; Psa_42:10. This grievedhim worst of all, that they had so bad an opinion of him as to think it possible to take him offfrom that foundation. The mere temptation was a buffeting to him, a thorn in his flesh, nay, asword in his bones. �ote, A child of God startles at the very thought of despairing of help in God;you cannot vex him with any thing so much as if you offer to persuade him that there is no help

for him in God. David comes to God, and tells him what his enemies said of him, as Hezekiahspread Rabshakeh's blasphemous letter before the Lord. “They say, There is no help for me inthee; but, Lord, if it be so, I am undone. They say to my soul, There is no salvation” (for so theword is) “for him in God; but, Lord, do thou say unto my soul, I am thy salvation (Psa_35:3) andthat shall satisfy me, and in due time silence them.” To this complaint he adds Selah, whichoccurs about seventy times in the book of Psalms. Some refer it to the music with which, inDavid's time, the psalms were sung; others to the sense, and that it is a note commanding asolemn pause. Selah - Mark that, or, “Stop there, and consider a little.” As here, they say, There isno help for him in God, Selah. “Take time for such a thought as this. Get thee behind me, Satan.The Lord rebuke thee! Away with such a vile suggestion!”

1B. Henry Law, “Affliction has the aspect of desertion. Many reason that God's favor surelywould disperse these clouds—His voice could quickly scatter all the ills. David thus persecutedseems to be cast off. Here is the scoff of Calvary. "He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, ifHe will have Him. The thieves also, who were crucified with Him, cast the same in His teeth."

2. Barnes, “The object of their persecution, as here stated, was not his soul, as such, in the sensein which we now understand the word, but his life; and they now said that they were secure ofthat, and that all things indicated that God would not now interfere to save him. They wereperfectly sure of their prey. Compare 2Sa_17:1-4.

There is no help for him in God - He is entirely forsaken. He has no power of defendinghimself, and no hope of escaping from us now, and all the indications are, that God does notintend to interpose and deliver him. Circumstances, in the rebellion of Absalom (2Sa_16:1 ff),were such as to seem to justify this taunt. David had been driven away from his throne and hiscapital. God had not protected him when he had his armed men and his friends around him, andwhen he was entrenched in a strong city; and now he was a forsaken fugitive, fleeing almostalone, and seeking a place of safety. If God had not defended him on his throne and in his capital;if he had suffered him to be driven away without interposing to save him, much less was therereason to suppose that he would now interpose in his behalf; and hence, they exultingly said thatthere was no hope for his life, even in that God in whom he had trusted. It is no uncommon thingin this world for good men to be in similar circumstances of trial, when they seem to be so utterlyforsaken by God as well as men, that their foes exultingly say they are entirely abandoned.

3. Clarke, “�o help for him in God - These were some of the reproaches of his enemies, Shimeiand others: “He is now down, and he shall never be able to rise. God alone can save him fromthese his enemies; but God has visibly east him off.” These reproaches deeply affected his heart;and he mentions them with that note which so frequently occurs in the Psalms, and which occurshere for the first time, סלה selah. Much has been said on the meaning of this word; and we havenothing but conjecture to guide us. The Septuagint always translate it by ∆ιαψαλµα diapsalma,“a pause in the Psalm.” The Chaldee sometimes translates it by לעלמין lealmin, “for ever.” Therest of the versions leave it unnoticed. It either comes from סל sal, to raise or elevate, and maydenote a particular elevation in the voices of the performers, which is very observable in theJewish singing to the present day; or it may come from סלה salah, to strew or spread out,intimating that the subject to which the word is attached should be spread out, meditated on, andattentively considered by the reader. Fenwick, Parkhurst, and Dodd, contend for this meaning;and think “it confirmed by Psa_9:16, where the word higgaion is put before selah at the end ofthe verse.” �ow higgaion certainly signifies meditation, or a fit subject for meditation; and so

shows selah to be really a nota bene, attend to or mind this.

4. Gill, “Many there be which say of my soul,.... Or "to my soul" (u), the following cutting words,which touched to the quick, reached his very heart, and like a sword pierced through it:

there is no help for him in God; or "no salvation" (w): neither in this world, nor in that which isto come, as Kimchi explains it. David's enemies looked upon his case to be desperate; that it wasimpossible he should ever extricate himself from it; yea, that God himself either could not orwould not save him. And in like manner did the enemies of Christ say, when they had put himupon the cross; see Mat_27:43; and how frequent is it for the men of the world to represent thesaints as in a damnable state! and to call them a damned set and generation of men, as if therewas no salvation for them? and how often does Satan suggest unto them, that there is no hope forthem, and they may as well indulge themselves in all sinful lusts and pleasures? and how often dotheir own unbelieving hearts say to them, that there is no salvation in Christ for them, thoughthere is for others; and that they have no interest in the favour of God, and shall be eternally lostand perish? And this account is concluded with the word

selah, which some take to be a musical note; and so the Septuagint render it διαψαλµα, whichSuidas (x) interprets the change of the song, of the note or tune of it; and the rather it may bethought to be so, since it is only used in this book of Psalms, and in the prayer of Habakkuk,which was set to a tune, and directed to the chief singer. Kimchi derives it from a root whichsignifies "to lift up", and supposes that it denotes and directs to an elevation, or straining of thevoice, at the place where this word stands. Others understand it as a pause, a full stop for a while;and as a note of attention, either to something that is remarkably bad and distressing, as here; orremarkably good, and matter of rejoicing, as in Psa_3:4. Others consider it as an affirmation ofthe truth of anything, good or bad; and render it "verily", "truly", as, answering to "Amen"; sobe it, so it is, or shall be; it is the truth of the thing: to this sense agrees Aben Ezra. But othersrender it "for ever", as the Chaldee paraphrase; and it is a tradition of the Jews (y), thatwherever it is said, "netzach", "selah", and "ed", there is no ceasing, it is for ever and ever; andso then, according to this rule, the sense of David's enemies is, that there was no help for him inGod for ever. A very learned man (z) has wrote a dissertation upon this word; in which heendeavours to prove, that it is a name of God, differently used, either in the vocative, genitive,and dative cases; as, O Selah, O God, or of God, or to God, &c. as the sense requires.

5. Kyle, “God is the ground of help; to have no more help in Him is equivalent to being rooted outof favour with God. Open enemies as well as disconcerted friends look upon him as onehenceforth cast away. David had plunged himself into the deepest abyss of wretchedness by hisadultery with Bathsheba, at the beginning of the very year in which, by the renewal of the Syro-Ammonitish war, he had reached the pinnacle of worldly power. The rebellion of Absolombelonged to the series of dire calamities which began to come upon him from that time. Plausiblereasons were not wanting for such words as these which give up his cause as lost.”

6. Spurgeon, ““If all the trials which come from heaven, all the temptations which ascend fromhell, and all the crosses which arise from the earth, could be mixed and pressed together, theywould not make a trial so terrible as that which is contained in this verse. It is the most bitter ofall afflictions to be led to fear that there is no help for us in God.”

7. Calvin, “Sacred history teaches that David was not only dethroned, but forsaken by almost all

men; so that he had well nigh as many enemies as he had subjects. It is true there accompaniedhim in his flight a few faithful friends; but he escaped in safety, not so much by their aid andprotection as by the hiding-places of the wilderness. It is therefore not wonderful though he wasaffrighted by the great numbers who were opposed to him, for nothing could have taken placemore unlooked for, on his part, than so sudden a rebellion. It was a mark of uncommon faith,when smitten with so great consternation, to venture freely to make his complaint to God, and, asit were, to pour out his soul into his bosom. And certainly the only remedy for allaying our fearsis this, to cast upon him all the cares which trouble us; as, on the other hand, those who have theconviction that they are not the objects of his regard, must be prostrated and overwhelmed by thecalamities which befall them.

In the third verse he expresses more distinctly, and more emphatically, the pride of his enemies inderiding him as a castaway, and as a person whose circumstances were past hope. And he means,that their boldness increased hereupon, because they were confident he had been rejected byGod. Perhaps, in these words also, their ungodliness is indirectly referred to, inasmuch as theymade no account of the help of God in preserving the king whom he had chosen. And this secondview is the more probable, for Absalom did not flatter himself with the hope of the favor of God,but, entirely disregarding him, hoped for victory from his own power. David, therefore, expresslyintroduces both him and the rest as speaking after this manner, to show that it was by amonstrous and outrageous contempt of God that they were driven to such fury against him, as ifthey made no account whatever of the fact of his having been often wonderfully delivered fromthe greatest dangers. The ungodly, when they rise up to destroy us, may not openly break forthinto such daring presumption as to maintain it to be impossible for us to derive any advantagefrom the favor of God; yet, as they either ascribe every thing to fortune, or hold the opinion thata man’s success will be in proportion to his strength, and therefore fearlessly rush forward togain their object, by all means, whether right or wrong, as if it would be equally the same,whether God is angry with or favorable towards them, it is evident that they set no valuewhatever upon the favor of God, and mock at the faithful as if it would avail them nothing to beunder the care and protection of God.

The translation of some, Many say OF my soul, does not give the true meaning of this passage.

The letter ל lamed is indeed sometimes used as meaning of in Hebrew, but David here intendedto express something more, namely, that his heart was in a manner pierced with the mockery ofhis enemies. The word soul, therefore, in my opinion, here signifies the seat of the affections. Andit has a corresponding meaning in a passage which we shall meet with in another Psalm, (Psalm35:3,) “Say to my soul, I am thy salvation.” David thus teaches us by his own example, thatalthough the whole world, with one voice, should attempt to drive us to despair, instead oflistening to it, we ought rather to give ear to God alone, and always cherish within us the hope ofthe salvation which he hath promised; and as the ungodly use their endeavors to destroy oursouls, we ought to defend them by our prayers. With respect to the word Selah, interpreters arenot agreed. Some maintain it is a mark of affirmations and has the same signification as truly or

amen. Others understand it as meaning for ever. But as סלל Selal, from which it is derived,signifies to lift up, we incline to the opinion of those who think it denotes the lifting up of the voicein harmony in the exercise of singing. At the same time, it must be observed, that the music wasadapted to the sentiment, and so the harmony was in unison with the character or subject-matterof the song; just as David here, after having complained of his enemies for shamefully laughing toscorn his hope, as if the protection of God would be of no avail to him, fixes the attention on thisblasphemy, which severely wounded his heart, by the use of the word Selah; and as a little after,when he has added a new ground of confidence with regard to the safety of his person, he repeats

the same word.” 8. “Verse 2,4,8. Selah, (hlv) is found seventy three times in the Psalms, generally at the end of asentence or paragraph; but in Psalms 55:19 57:3, it stands in the middle of the verse. While mostauthors have agreed in considering this word as somehow relating to the music, their conjecturesabout its precise meaning have varied greatly. But at present these two opinions chiefly obtain.Some, including Herder, De Wette, Ewald (Poet. Bucher, i. 179), and Delitzsch, derive it from(hlv), or (llv), to raise, and understand an elevation of the voice or music; others, after Gesenius,in Thesaurus, derive it from (hlv), to be still or silent, and understand a pause in the singing. SoRosenmüller, Hengstenberg, and Tholuck. Probably selah was used to direct the singer to besilent, or to pause a little, while the instruments played an interlude (so Sept., diayalma orsymphony.) In 9:16, it occurs in the expression higgaion selah, which Gesenius, with muchprobability, renders instrumental music, pause; i.e., let the instruments strike up a symphony,and let the singer pause. By Tholuck and Hengstenberg, however, the two words are renderedmeditation, pause; i.e., let the singer meditate while the music stops. Benjamin Davies, Ph.D.,L.L.D., article Psalms, in Kitto's Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature.”

3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift [b] up my head.

1. Henry, “With a profession of his dependence upon God, Psa_3:3. An active believer, the morehe is beaten off from God, either by the rebukes of Providence or the reproaches of enemies, thefaster hold he will take of him and the closer will he cleave to him; so David here, when hisenemies said, There is no help for him in God, cries out with so much the more assurance, “Butthou, O Lord! art a shield for me; let them say what they will, I am sure thou wilt never desert me,and I am resolved I will never distrust thee.” See what God is to his people, what he will be, whatthey have found him, what David found in him. 1. Safety: “Thou art a shield for me, a shieldabout me” (so some), “to secure me on all sides, since my enemies surrounded me.” �ot only myshield (Gen_15:1), which denotes an interest in the divine protection, but a shield for me, whichdenotes the present benefit and advantage of that protection. 2. Honor: Thou art my glory. Thosewhom God owns for his are not safe and easy, but really look great, and have true honor putupon them, far above that which the great ones of the earth are proud of. David was now indisgrace; the crown had fallen from his head; but he will not think the worse of himself while hehas God for his glory, Isa_60:19. “Thou art my glory; thy glory I reckon mine” (so some); “this iswhat I aim at, and am ambitious of, whatever my lot is, and whatever becomes of my honor - thatI may be to my God for a name and a praise.” 3. Joy and deliverance: “Thou art the lifter up ofmy head; thou wilt lift up my head out of my troubles, and restore me to my dignity again, in duetime; or, at least, thou wilt lift up my head under my troubles, so that I shall not droop nor bediscouraged, nor shall my spirits fail.” If, in the worst of times, God's people can lift up theirheads with joy, knowing that all shall work for good to them, they will own it is God that is thelifter up of their head, that gives them both cause to rejoice and hearts to rejoice.

In singing this, and praying it over, we should possess ourselves with an apprehension of thedanger we are in from the multitude and malice of our spiritual enemies, who seek the ruin of our

souls by driving us from our God, and we should concern ourselves in the distresses and dangersof the church of God, which is every where spoken again, every where fought against; but, inreference to both, we should encourage ourselves in our God, who owns and protects and will indue time crown his own interest both in the world and in the hearts of his people.

2. Barnes, “But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me - �ot only in these dangers, but in all dangers.The declaration here has a general form, as if he could trust in him at all times. It shows what hisfeelings were on the occasion here referred to, when dangers stood thick around him, and whathis feelings habitually were in times of peril. The shield was a well-known part of ancient armor,of use, according to the ancient modes of warfare, when swords, and spears, and arrows wereemployed, but of use only then, since they would constitute no defense against a musket orcannonball. They were usually made of tough and thick hides, fastened to a rim, and so attachedto the left arm that they could be readily thrown before the body when attacked, or so that, asthey were usually held, the vital parts of the body would be protected. See the notes at Eph_6:14-16. From this use of the shield it was natural to speak of God as the “shield,” or the “Protector”of his people - an appellation which is often given to him in the Scriptures (Gen_15:1; Deu_33:29;2Sa_22:3; Psa_28:7; Psa_119:114; Psa_144:2; Psa_33:20; Psa_84:11; Pro_30:5.

My glory - My honor, or the source of my honor. That is, he bestows upon me all the honor thatI have, and it is my glory that I may put my trust in him. I regard it as an honor to be permitted,in times of danger and trouble, to rely on him - a sentiment in which every true child of God willunite.

And the lifter up of my head - The head, in time of trouble and sorrow is naturally bowed down,as if overpowered with the weight of affliction. See Psa_35:14 : “I bowed down heavily as one thatmourneth for his mother;” Psa_38:6 : “I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day.”Compare Psa_42:5; Psa_44:25; Psa_57:6; Joh_19:30. To lift up the head, therefore, or to raiseone up, is to relieve his distresses, or to take away his troubles. Such a helper, David says, he hadalways found God to be, and he looks to him as one who is able to help him still. That is, he feelsthat God can so entirely take away his present griefs as to reinstate him in his former happy andhonorable condition.

3. Clarke, “Thou, O Lord art a shield - As a shield covers and defends the body from the strokesof an adversary, so wilt thou cover and defend me from them that rise up against me.The lifter up of mine head - Thou wilt restore me to the state from which my enemies have castme down. This is the meaning of the phrase; and this he speaks prophetically. He was satisfiedthat the deliverance would take place, hence his confidence in prayer; so that we find him, withcomparative unconcern, laying himself down in his bed, expecting the sure protection of theAlmighty.

4. Gill, “But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me,.... Or "about me" (a) protecting and defending me.David was a military man, and often alludes to military affairs; and borrows words from thence,expressive of his great security from the Lord; see Psa_18:2. So Jehovah the Father was a shieldto Christ, in his infancy, from Herod's rage and fury; and afterwards from the insults of thePharisees, and their attempts to take away his life before the time; and in his sufferings anddeath, so as that his faith and confidence in him were kept up, and he got the victory over sin,Satan, and the world; see Psa_22:9. And the Lord is a shield unto all his people, Gen_15:1. Theyare kept by his power, and encompassed about with his favour, as with a shield; his veracity andhis faithfulness in his promises, and his truth, are their shield and buckler: and especially his Son,

the Lord Jesus Christ, is the shield which faith makes use of, particularly his blood andrighteousness, and salvation by him; which it holds up, and defends itself with, against thecharges of the law, the accusations of conscience, and the temptations of Satan; and which are asecurity from the justice of God, and wrath to come;

my glory; who took David from the sheepfold, and made him king over Israel, and raised him toall the glory he had enjoyed; and in whom he gloried as his covenant God, and of whom he madehis boast; and not of his strength, valour, wisdom, riches, and honour. So God the Father is theglory of Christ, the glorifier of him, by supporting him under his sufferings, raising him from thedead, and setting him at his own right hand, where he is crowned with glory and honour: he isthe glory of his people, in whom they glory, and by whom they are called to eternal glory; andwho will give it to them, and reveal it in them, even an eternal weight of it, which the sufferings ofthis life are not worthy to be compared unto;

and the lifter up mine head; such as the helmet is: the Lord was lifter up of David's head when hebrought him to the throne, and afterwards gave him victory over his enemies; for so the phrase oflifting up the head signifies; see 2Ki_25:27. And he was the lifter up of Christ's head when heraised him from the dead; and exalted him, both with and at his right hand, to be a Prince and aSaviour, and gave him a name above every name. And he is the lifter up of the heads of his peoplein conversion, when he raises them from a low estate, and sets them among princes to inherit thethrone of glory; and when he gives them comfort, peace, and joy, which causes them to lift uptheir heads; whereas in sorrow, and mourning, and distress, the head is bowed down like abulrush, Isa_58:5; and when he gives them boldness and confidence, as at the throne of gracenow, through the sprinkling of the blood of Christ upon them; so at the bar of judgmenthereafter, through the righteousness of Christ put upon them, as that they shall not be ashamednor confounded; see Luk_21:28; and he will be the lifter up of their heads in the resurrectionmorn, and when they shall appear with Christ in glory.”

5. Calvin, “David employs language full of confidence, in opposition to the hardihood andprofane scoffings of his enemies, and testifies that whatever they may say, he would neverthelessrely upon the word of God. It besides appears that he had previously entertained an assured hopeof deliverance, from the circumstance of his here making no mention of his present calamity as achastisement inflicted upon him by the hand of God; but rather depending upon the divine aid,he courageously encounters his enemies, who were carrying on an ungodly and wicked waragainst him, seeing they intended to depose a true and lawful king from his throne. In short,having acknowledged his sin before, he now takes into consideration only the merits of thepresent cause. And thus it becomes the servants of God to act when molested by the wicked.Having mourned over their own sins, and humbly betaken themselves to the mercy of God, theyought to keep their eyes fixed on the obvious and immediate cause of their afflictions, that theymay entertain no doubt of the help of God when undeservedly subjected to evil treatment.Especially when, by their being evil entreated, the truth of God is opposed, they ought to begreatly encouraged, and glory in the assurance that God without doubt will maintain the truth ofhis own promises against such perfidious and abandoned characters. Had it been otherwise withDavid, he might seem to have claimed these things to himself groundlessly, seeing he haddeprived himself of the approbation and help of God by offending him. But being persuaded thathe was not utterly cut off from the favor of God, and that God’s choice of him to be kingremained unchanged, he encourages himself to hope for a favorable issue to his present trials.And, in the first place, by comparing God to a shield, he means that he was defended by hispower. Hence also he concludes, that God was his glory, because he would be the maintainer and

defender of the royal dignity which he had been pleased to confer upon him. And, on thisaccount, he became so bold that he declares he would walk with unabashed brow.”

6. F. B. Meyer, “Men find glory in all sorts of things - fame, power, prestige, or possessions. Davidfound his glory in the LORD. “Oh, my soul, hast thou made God thy glory? Others boast in theirwealth, beauty, position, achievements: dost thou find in God what they find in these?”

7. Spurgeon, “Thou, O Lord, art a shield for me. The word in the original signifies more than ashield; it means a buckler round about, a protection which shall surround a man entirely, a shieldabove, beneath, around, without and within. Oh! what a shield is God for his people! He wardsoff the fiery darts of Satan from beneath, and the storms of trials from above, while, at the sameinstant, he speaks peace to the tempest within the breast. Thou art my glory. David knew thatthough he was driven from his capital in contempt and scorn, he should yet return in triumph,and by faith he looks upon God as honouring and glorifying him. O for grace to see our futureglory amid present shame! Indeed, there is a present glory in our afflictions, if we could butdiscern it; for it is no mean thing to have fellowship with Christ in his sufferings. David washonored when he made the ascent of Olivet, weeping, with his head covered; for he was in all thismade like unto his Lord. May we learn, in this respect, to glory in tribulations also! And the lifter up of mine head -- thou shalt yet exalt me. Though I hang my head in sorrow, Ishall very soon lift it up in joy and thanksgiving. What a divine trio of mercies is contained in thisverse! -- defence for the defenceless, glory for the despised, and joy for the comfortless. Verily wemay well say, "there is none like the God of Jeshurun."

“There is a lifting up of the head by elevating to office, as with Pharaoh's butler; this we trace tothe divine appointment. There is a lifting up in honour after shame, in health after sickness, ingladness after sorrow, in restoration after a fall, in victory after a temporary defeat; in all theserespects the Lord is the lifter up of our head.”

8. J. Clinton McCann, JR. “David, in spite of negative statements by his foes, cried out, “But youare a shield around me, O LORD.” The Psalmist employs a metaphor (“shield”) to convey hisdependence upon God—a common metaphor for protection. He is saying that God can protecthim. He is declaring that God is the One who protects me from the evil intent of Absalom and hishost. Whenever one focuses too much attention on his or her troubles, the problems seem almostimpossible to overcome. On the other hand, when one reflects upon God, one is able to look morerealistically at his or her problems. Whatever your problems are, one can reduce the magnitudeof the so-called insurmountable obstacles by relying upon God. An excellent example is found inthe reaction of the twelve spies that Moses sent into the land of Canaan to survey the possibilityof their odds against the people (�umbers 13:16-25).

Ten of the spies returned with a tale of horror: “We can’t attack those people; they are strongerthan we are” (13:31). In their description of the enemies in the land, they concluded theirremarks with the following words of fright: “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, andwe looked the same to them” (13:33). They failed to give notice to what God said to Mosesearlier: “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites”(13:2). Ten of the representative from the twelve tribes failed to rely upon God as their shield. Yet,two of the other representatives—Joshua and Caleb—cautioned the people about not puttingtheir trust in God: “Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people ofthe land, because we will swallow them up” (14:9). Ten of the leaders looked upon the Israelites

as grasshoppers, but Joshua and Caleb look upon the Canaanites as grasshoppers. These twospies kept their eyes upon God.

Christians need to emulate Joshua and Caleb in their trust in the providence of God. WhenDavid turned his attention from his son Absalom to God, he, too, discovered that his enemieswere manageable. When trials and tribulations come one’s way, one needs to keep his or her eyesfocused on the One who is greater than anything Satan can throw at God’s children. Even inPaul’s final hours, he did not reflect upon the strength of the enemy, but he placed his trust inGod for deliverance.

Psalm 3 is as relevant today as it was at the time David penned this marvelous Psalm of trust inGod. As Christians encounter hostilities from others, as individuals run into opposition fromfamily members, as disciples come upon troubles from one’s neighbors, as persons sufferharassment from employers or employees, or as folks experience religious persecution from otherChristians, they can find comfort in the belief that God is still their shield. An attack againstGod’s children is an assault against God Himself. This Psalm is designed to give hope to the onewho faces overwhelming resistance from others.”

4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah

1. Henry, “David, having stirred up himself by the irritations of his enemies to take hold on Godas his God, and so gained comfort in looking upward when, if he looked round about him,nothing appeared but what was discouraging, here looks back with pleasing reflections upon thebenefit he had derived from trusting in God and looks forward with pleasing expectations of avery bright and happy issue to which the dark dispensation he was now under would shortly bebrought.

I. See with what comfort he looks back upon the communion he had had with God, and thecommunications of his favour to him, either in some former trouble he had been in, and throughGod's goodness got through, or in this hitherto. David had been exercised with many difficulties,often oppressed and brought very low; but still he had found God all-sufficient. He nowremembered with pleasure,

1. That his troubles had always brought him to his knees, and that, in all his difficulties anddangers, he had been enabled to acknowledge God and to lift up his heart to him, and his voicetoo (this will be comfortable reflection when we are in trouble): I cried unto God with my voice.Care and grief do us good and no hurt when they set us a praying, and engage us, not only tospeak to God, but to cry to him, as those that are in earnest. And though God understands thelanguage of the heart, when the voice is not heard (1Sa_1:13), and values not the hypocriticalprayers of those who cause their voice to be heard on high (Isa_58:4), vox et praeterea nihil - meresound, yet, when the earnestness of the voice comes from the fervency of the heart, it shall be

taken notice of, in the account, that we cried unto God with our voice.

2. That he had always found God ready to answer his prayers: He heard me out of his holyhill, from heaven, the high and holy place, from the ark on Mount Sion, whence he used to giveanswers to those that sought to him. David had ordered Zadok to carry back the ark into the citywhen he was flying from Absalom (2Sa_15:25), knowing that God was not tied, no, not to the arkof his presence, and that, notwithstanding the distance of place, he could by faith receive answersof peace from the holy hill. �o such things can fix a gulf between the communications of God'sgrace towards us and the operations of his grace in us, between his favour and our faith. The arkof the covenant was in Mount Zion, and all the answers to our prayers come from the promises ofthat covenant. Christ was set King upon the holy hill of Zion (Psa_2:6), and it is through him,whom the Father hears always, that our prayers are heard.”

1B. Henry Law, “The voice of the insulting foe may loudly cry; but faith outcries. It has directadmission to the courts above. The blood-bought way is ever open. The interceding Spirit promptsthe appeal. The mediating Son presents it. The Father on His throne receives it. Heaven opens,streams of answering blessings flow down. �o case is desperate to him whose call can bringalmightiness to his aid. Here is our Jesus. In the days of His flesh, He offered up prayers andsupplications, with strong crying and tears, unto Him who was able to save Him from death, andwas heard in that He feared.”

2. Barnes, “I cried unto the Lord - That is, in these troubles, as he had always done in affliction.The form of the verb here is future - “I will cry” or call unto the Lord; probably, however,designed to state a general habit with him, that when troubles came he always called on the Lord.He speaks now of himself as if in the midst of the trouble; gives utterance to the feeling which hehas always had in his sorrows; and says, “I will call upon the Lord,” thus declaring his purpose tomake his appeal confidently to him. Thus, the language is not so much retrospective as it isindicative of the uniform state of his mind in the midst of afflictions.

With my voice - �ot merely mentally, but he gave utterance to the deep anguish of his soul inwords. So the Savior did in the garden of Gethsemane Mat_26:39; and so, perhaps, most personsdo in deep affliction. It is natural then to cry out for help; and besides the fact that we may hopethat any prayer then, though mental only, would bring relief by being answered, there is ameasure of relief found by the very act of giving utterance or vent to the deep and, as it were,pent-up feelings of the soul. In calmer times we are satisfied with unuttered aspirations, withgentle ejaculations, with sweet mental communion with God; in overwhelming trials we giveutterance to our feelings in the earnest language of pleading.

And he heard me - Or, “then he hears me;” that is, when I call. The psalmist refers to what hehad constantly found to be true, that God was a hearer of prayer.

Out of his holy hill - Zion. See the notes at Psa_2:6. That was the place to which David hadremoved the ark, and which was regarded, therefore, as the special dwelling-place of the MostHigh. To him, as dwelling in Zion, prayer was accustomed to be offered, and there he wasaccustomed to answer prayer. To this fact David here refers as one that had been illustrated in hisformer days. To that God who had thus answered him he felt that he might confidently appealnow.

Selah - Indicating another strophe or musical pause.

3. Clarke, “I cried unto the Lord with my voice - He was exposed to much danger, and thereforehe had need of fervor. He heard me - �otwithstanding my enemies said, and my friends feared,

that there was no help for me in my God; yet he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah: mark this,and take encouragement from it. God never forsakes those who trust in him. He never shuts outthe prayer of the distressed.

4. Gill, “ I cried unto the Lord with my voice,.... The experience which the psalmist had of beingheard in prayer, was what gave great encouragement to his faith, as to his interest in God andsalvation by him, when his enemies were so increased about him; for crying here is to beunderstood of prayer, as it is often used in this book of Psalms: and so the Targum renders it, "Iprayed"; and this designs vocal prayer. Sometimes there is a crying in prayer and no voice heard,as it is said of Moses, Exo_14:15; and was the case of Hannah, 1Sa_1:13; but this was with avoice, and a loud one, as in Psa_55:17; denoting ardour, fervency, and importunity; and suchprayer avails much with God. The object addressed in prayer is the Lord, the God of his life, andwho was able to save him, and supply all his wants;

and he heard me out of his holy hill; either out of the church, the holy hill of Zion, Psa_2:6;where David prayed and God granted his presence, and gave an answer to his prayers; or outfrom the mercy seat and ark, which was a type of the propitiatory, Christ, and which David hadbrought to his own city, the hill of Zion; or from heaven, the habitation of God's holiness: Davidwas a man of prayer, and he was often heard and answered by God. And this also is true ofChrist, he offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to God Heb_5:7,that was able to save him; and he was heard by him, yea, the Father always heard him: and Godis a God hearing and answering the prayers of his people, sooner or later: sometimes before,sometimes at, and sometimes after their crying to him.”

5. Calvin, “With my voice have I cried unto the Lord. He here informs us that he had never been sobroken by adversity, or cast down by impious scornings, By the pitiful scornings of the wicked.as to be prevented from addressing his prayers to God And it was an infallible proof of his faithto exercise it by praying even in the midst of his distresses. �othing is more unbecoming thansullenly to gnaw the bit with which we are bridled, and to withhold our groaning from God, Towithhold our groanings from God, and to conceal them from him, if, indeed we have any faith inhis promise. �or is there a redundancy of expression in these words, I have cried with my voiceDavid distinctly mentions his voice, the better to express that how much soever the ungodly mightrage against him, he was by no means struck dumb, but pronounced, in a loud and distinct voice,the name of his God; and to do this was a difficult matter under so grievous and severe atemptation. He also particularly mentions his voice, in order to show that he opposes the voice ofprayer to the tumultuous outcries of those who either blame fortune or curse God, or give way toexcessive complainings; those in short, who with passionate confusion pour forth theirimmoderate sorrow. But David’s meaning appears to me to be principally this, that amidst theblasphemies of his enemies by which they endeavored to overwhelm his faith, he was not put tosilence, but rather lifted up his voice to God, whom the ungodly imagined to have become hisenemy. He adds that he cried not in vain, to encourage all the godly to the like constancy. As tothe expression, from the hill of his holiness or, which signifies the same things from his holy hill, itis improperly explained of heaven, as has been done by some. Heaven, I indeed confess, is oftencalled, in other places, God’s holy palace; but here David has doubtless a reference to the ark ofthe covenant, which at that time stood on Mount Sion. And he expressly affirms that he washeard from thence, though he had been compelled to flee into the wilderness. The Sacred Historyrelates, (2 Samuel 15:24,) that when Abiathar the priest commanded the ark to be carried by the

Levites, David would not suffer it. And in this the wonderful faith of the holy man appearsconspicuous. He knew that the Lord had chosen Sion to be the dwelling place of the ark, but hewas, notwithstanding, willing rather to be torn from that sacred symbol of the divine presence,(which was painful to him as if his own bowels had been torn from him,) than make anyinnovation not sanctioned by the will of heaven. �ow, he boasts, that although he was deprived ofthe sight of the ark, and notwithstanding the distance to which he was removed from it, God wasnear him to listen to his prayers. By these words he intimates that he kept a due medium,inasmuch as he neither despised the visible sign, which the Lord had appointed on account of therudeness of the times, nor by attaching a superstitious importance to a particular place,entertained carnal conceptions of the glory of God. Thus, he did not idly scatter words whichwould vanish into air, as unbelievers are wont to do, who pray also but are in doubt to what placethey ought to direct their speech. David turned himself directly towards the tabernacle, whenceGod had promised to be merciful to his servants. Hence the confidence with which he prayed;and this confidence was not without success. In our day, since there is fulfilled in Christ what wasformerly shadowed forth by the figures of the law, a much easier way of approach to God isopened up for us, provided we do not knowingly and willingly wander from the way.”

6. David Guzik, “He heard me from His holy hill: Others said that God wanted nothing to dowith David but he could gloriously say, “He heard me.” Though Absalom took over Jerusalemand forced David out of the capitol David knew that it wasn’t Absalom enthroned on God’s holyhill. The LORD Himself still held that ground and would hear and help David from His holy hill.”

7. Spurgeon, “I cried unto the Lord with my voice. Why doth he say, "with my voice?" Surely,silent prayers are heard. Yes, but good men often find that, even in secret, they pray better aloudthan they do when they utter no vocal sound. Perhaps, moreover, David would think thus: -- "Mycruel enemies clamour against me; they lift up their voices, and, behold, I lift up mine, and mycry out soars them all". They clamour, but the cry of my voice in great distress pierces the veryskies, and is louder and stronger than all their tumult; for there is one in the sanctuary whoharkens to me from the seventh heaven, and he hath, heard me out of his holy hill. Answers toprayers are sweet cordials for the soul. We need not fear a frowning world while we rejoice in aprayer hearing God. Here stands another Selah. Rest awhile, O tried believer, and change thestrain to a softer air.”

5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

1. Henry, “ That he had always been very safe and very easy under the divine protection(Psa_3:5): “I laid myself down and slept, composed and quiet; and awaked refreshed, for the Lordsustained me.” (1.) This is applicable to the common mercies of every night, which we ought togive thanks for alone, and with our families, every morning. Many have not where to lay theirhead (but wander in deserts), or, if they have, dare not lie down for fear of the enemy; but wehave laid ourselves down in peace. Many lie down and cannot sleep, but are full of tossings to and

fro till the dawning of the day, through pain of body, or anguish of mind, or the continual alarmsof fear in the night; but we lie down and sleep in safety, though incapable of doing any thing thenfor our own preservation. Many lie down and sleep, and never awake again, they sleep the sleepof death, as the first-born of the Egyptians; but we lie down and sleep, and awake again to thelight and comfort of another day; and whence is it, but because the Lord has sustained us withsleep as with food? We have been safe under his protection and easy in the arms of his goodprovidence. (2.) It seems here to be meant of the wonderful quietness and calmness of David'sspirit, in the midst of his dangers. Having by prayer committed himself and his cause to God, andbeing sure of his protection, his heart was fixed, and he was easy. The undutifulness of his son,the disloyalty of his subjects, the treachery of many of his friends, the hazard of his person, thefatigues of his march, and the uncertainty of the event, never deprived him of an hour's sleep, norgave any disturbance to his repose; for the Lord, by his grace and the consolations of his Spirit,powerfully sustained him and made him easy. It is a great mercy when we are in trouble to haveour minds stayed upon God, so as never either to eat or sleep with trembling and astonishment.(3.) Some of the ancients apply it to the resurrection of Christ. In his sufferings he offered upstrong cries, and was heard; and therefore, though he laid down and slept the sleep of death, yethe awaked the third day, for the Lord sustained him, that he should not see corruption.

1B. David Guzik, “I lay down and slept; I awoke: David used both of these as evidence of God’sblessing. Sleep was a blessing, because David was under such intense pressure from thecircumstances of Absalom’s rebellion that sleep might be impossible, but he slept. Waking wasanother blessing because many wondered if David would live to see a new day.”

2. Barnes, “I laid me down and slept - �otwithstanding these troubles and dangers I had suchconfidence that God hears prayer, and such calm trust in his protection, that I laid me downgently and slept securely. The psalmist mentions this as a remarkable proof of the divineprotection and favor. He was driven from his capital, his throne, and his home. He was compelledto wander as a poor fugitive, accompanied by only a few friends. He was pursued by enemies,who were numbered by thousands. He was made an exile, and persecuted by his own son; andwith this son there were men of age and of experience in war. The forces of his enemies mightcome upon him at any moment. In these circumstances, persecuted as he was, and under all theanxiety and distress which he felt in view of the ungrateful conduct of his own son, he regarded itas a singular proof of the divine favor, and as an illustration of the peace which confidence in Godgives to those who put their trust in him, that on such a dreadful night he was permitted to liecalmly down and sleep. As such a proof and illustration it may be regarded here: a proof of theunspeakable value of the divine favor, and an illustration of the effect of confidence in God ingiving calmness and peace of mind in time of trouble. Psa_127:2.

I awaked - Still safe and secure. He had not been suddenly attacked by his foes, and made tosleep the sleep of death; he had not been crushed by anguish of spirit. That we are “awaked” inthe morning after a night’s refreshing slumber; that we are raised up again to the enjoyments oflife; that we are permitted again to greet our friends and to unite with them in the privileges ofdevotion, should always be regarded as a new proof of the goodness of God, and should lead toacts of praise. We have no power to awake ourselves; and when we remember how many aretaken away from our world each night - how many there are who lie down to sleep to wake nomore, we should never rise from a bed of repose without giving our first thoughts in gratitude toour Great Preserver.

For the Lord sustained me - He kept me from danger; he preserved me from death. And it is astrue now as it was then, that God is the supporter of life when men sleep. He guards us; he causes

the action of the heart to be continued as it propels the blood through our frame; he secures thegentle heaving of the lungs, both when we slumber and when we wake.

3. Clarke, “I laid me down and slept - He who knows that he has God for his Protector may goquietly and confidently to his bed, not fearing the violence of the fire, the edge of the sword, thedesigns of wicked men, nor the influence of malevolent spirits. I awaked - Though humanlyspeaking there was reason to fear I should have been murdered in my bed, as my mostconfidential servants had been corrupted by my rebellious son; yet God, my shield, protected me.I both slept and awaked; and my life is still whole in me.

4. Gill, “ I laid me down and slept,.... After the battle was over between Absalom's men and his,says Aben Ezra; but rather this was in the midst of his trouble and distress, since he afterwardsprays for salvation: and this sleep was either, as Jarchi observes, through his heart beingoverwhelmed with grief; for there have been instances of persons sleeping through sorrow, asElijah, Jonah, and the disciples of Christ, 1Ki_19:4; or rather this is expressive of the calmnessand serenity of his mind amidst his troubles; he laid himself down in peace, and slept quietly andcomfortably; he did not lose a night's rest, his sleep was sweet unto him; which was a blessing oflife from the Lord that everyone does not enjoy; see Psa_127:2;

I awakened; in the morning, alive and cheerful, Some lay themselves down and never awakemore, as Sisera the captain of Jabin's army, and Ishbosheth the son of Saul; and this might havebeen David's case, considering the circumstances he was in: and others, through perplexingthoughts and cares, or pains of body, or uneasy dreams, rise fatigued and distressed; but Davidarose in good health of body, and tranquillity of mind, and comfortably refreshed;

for the Lord sustained me; the psalmist committed himself to the care and protection of God; helaid himself down in his arms, and there slept in safety; the Lord preserved him, who is Israel'skeeper, that neither slumbers nor sleeps: and he rose in health and cheerfulness in the morning,supported by his right hand. This shows, that lying down to sleep, when in such circumstances,and awaking with cheerfulness, were not owing to rashness, stupidity, and insensibility, but todivine supports. These words may be interpreted, as they are by some of the ancients, of thedeath of Christ, and of his resurrection from the dead by the power of God; death is oftenexpressed by sleep, and the resurrection of the dead by an awaking out of sleep, Dan_12:2; andChrist's death being signified by lying down and sleeping, may denote both the voluntariness ofit, that he laid down his life freely and willingly; and his short continuance under the power ofdeath, it was but like a night's sleep; and his resurrection from the dead, being expressed by anawaking through the Lord's sustaining him, shows that it was by the power of God, even theexceeding greatness of his power: and the whole of this may be applied to the case and state of thesaints and people of God, who at times have rest and peace amidst their enemies; though theyhave tribulation in the world, they have peace in Christ; and notwithstanding the temptations ofSatan, and the corruptions of their own hearts, they have joy and comfort through believing inChrist; the Lord sustains them with precious promises, and supports them with the discoveries ofhis love, and upholds them with the right hand of his righteousness.”

5. Calvin, “According to the usage of the Hebrews, these words, which are in the past tense, I laidme down and slept, are taken sometimes for the future, I will lie down and sleep. If we retain thereading of the verb in the past tense, David expresses a wonderful and almost incrediblesteadfastness of mind in that he slept so soundly in the midst of many deaths, as if he had been

beyond the reach of all danger. He had doubtless been tossed amidst the merciless waves ofanxiety, but it is certain their violence had been allayed by means of faith, so that however muchhe was disquieted, he reposed in God. Thus the godly never fail in ultimately proving victoriousover all their fears, whereas the ungodly, who do not rely upon God, are overwhelmed withdespair, even when they meet with the smallest perils. Some think there is here a change oftenses; and, therefore, translate the verbs into the fixture tense, I will lay me down and will sleep,and will awake, because immediately after a verb of the future is subjoined, The Lord shall upholdme But as he expresses, by these last words, a continuous act, I thought it unnecessary to changethe tenses in the three first verbs. Still we ought to know, that this confidence of safety is not to bereferred peculiarly to the time of his affliction, or, at least, is not to be limited to it: for, in myjudgment, David rather declares how much good he had obtained by means of faith and prayer;namely the peaceful and undisturbed state of a well regulated mind. This he expressesmetaphorically when he says, that he did the ordinary actions of life without being disturbed byfear. “I have not lain,” says he, “waking and restless on my bed; but I have slept soundly, whereassuch manner of sleeping does not generally happen to those who are full of thought and fear.” Butlet us particularly notice that David came to have this confidence of safety from the protection ofGod, and not from stupidity of mind. Even the wicked are kept fast asleep through anintoxication of mind, while they dream of having made a covenant with death. It was otherwisewith David, who found rest on no other ground but because he was upheld by the power of God,and defended by his help. In the next verse, he enlarges upon the incalculable efficacy of thisconfidence, of which all the godly have some understanding, from their experience of the divineprotection. As the power of God is infinite, so they conclude that it shall be invincible against allthe assaults, outrages, preparations, and forces of the whole world. And, indeed, unless weascribe this honor to God, our courage shall be always failing us. Let us, therefore, learn, when indangers, not to measure the assistance of God after the manner of man, but to despise whateverterrors may stand in our way, inasmuch as all the attempts which men may make against God,are of little or no account.”

6. Warren Wiersbe, “How well we sleep sometimes indicates how much we really trust the Lord.David said, "I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me" (v. 5). We may think wecan do that anytime. But what if we had been where David was? He was fleeing from his sonAbsalom, who had turned against him and had driven him from Jerusalem. �ow David was inthe wilderness with his army. It would be difficult to lie down and sleep knowing that you are in adangerous wilderness and that your own son is against you. Oh, it wasn't the physical danger thatkept David awake. He knew God would protect him. It was the inner spiritual and emotionalagony of having his own flesh and blood trying to seize the kingdom from him.”

7. Spurgeon, “David's faith enabled him to lie down; anxiety would certainly have kept him ontiptoe, watching for an enemy. Yea, he was able to sleep, to sleep in the midst of trouble,surrounded by foes. "So he giveth his beloved sleep." There is a sleep of presumption; Goddeliver us from it! There is a sleep of holy confidence; God help us so to close our eyes! But Davidsays he awaked also. Some sleep the sleep of death; but he, though exposed to many enemies,reclined his head on the bosom of his God, slept happily beneath the wing of Providence in sweetsecurity, and then awoke in safety.

For the Lord sustained me. The sweet influence of the Pleiades of promise shone upon the sleeper,and he awoke conscious that the Lord had preserved him. An excellent divine has well remarked-- "This quietude of a man's heart by faith in God, is a higher sort of work than the natural

resolution of manly courage, for it is the gracious operation of God's Holy Spirit upholding aman above nature, and therefore the Lord must have all the glory of it."

8. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. The title of the Psalm tells uswhen David had this sweet night's rest; not when he lay on his bed of down in his stately palace atJerusalem, but when he fled for his life from his unnatural son Absalom, and possibly was forcedto lie in the open field under the canopy of heaven. Truly it must be a soft pillow indeed thatcould make him forget his danger, who then had such a disloyal army at his back hunting of him;yea, so transcendent is the influence of this peace, that it can make the creature lie down ascheerfully to sleep in the grave, as on the softest bed. You will say that child is willing that calls tobe put to bed; some of the saints have desired God to lay them at rest in their beds of dust, andthat not in a pet and discontent with their present trouble, as Job did, but from a sweet sense ofthis peace in their bosoms. "�ow let thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thysalvation," was the swan like song of old Simeon. He speaks like a merchant that had got all hisgoods on ship board, and now desires the master of the ship to hoist sail, and be gone homewards.Indeed, what should a Christian, that is but a foreigner here, desire to stay any longer for in theworld, but to get his full lading in for heaven? And when hath he that, if not when he is assured ofhis peace with God? This peace of the gospel, and sense of the love of God in the soul, doth soadmirably conduce to the enabling of a person in all difficulties, and temptations, and troubles,that ordinarily, before he calls his saints to any hard service, or hot work, he gives them adraught of this cordial wine next their hearts, to cheer them up and embolden them in theconflict. William Gurnall.

9. Henry Law, “The battlefield and the besieged fort present no downy couch. The alarms of warinvite not to repose. But GOD is a pillow to the head of faith! David lies down, His sleep is sweet.He arises with renewed strength. But deeper truth sounds in these words. Jesus calmly fallsasleep. The new-made grave receives Him to its bed. On the third day He casts off sleep. Heappears and testifies, God did not leave My soul in hell, nor suffer His Holy One to seecorruption. So, also, believers fall asleep in Him. Short is the night of death. Soon shall theyawake and shout, "O grave! where is your victory? O death! where is your sting?"

10. Steven Cole, “The whole of Psalm 3, but especially verses 5-6, is a real-life drama illustratingPhilippians 4:6-7: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication withthanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses allcomprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” David cried out to Godin prayer, then he went to bed—not in the palace, but camped in the wilderness—and sleptthrough the night. It reminds me of Peter on the night before his intended execution. He was sosound asleep in the prison between two guards that the angel sent to rescue him had to hit him towake him up (Acts 12:7)! David awoke safe and sound, because the Lord sustained him. Asreports came in of the tens of thousands set against him, he was not afraid” (Ps. 3:6).

6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up againstme on every side.

1. Henry, “See with what confidence he looks forward to the dangers he had yet in prospect.Having put himself under God's protection and often found the benefit of it, 1. His fears were allstilled and silenced, Psa_3:6. With what a holy bravery does he bid defiance to the impotentmenaces and attempts of his enemies! “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that either ina foreign invasion or an intestine rebellion set themselves, or encamp, against me round about.” �oman seemed less safe (his enemies are numerous, ten thousands; they are spiteful and resolute,“They have set themselves against me; nay, they have prevailed far, and seem to have gained theirpoint; for they are against me round about on every side, thousands against one”), and yet noman was more secure: “I will not be afraid, for all this; they cannot hurt me, and therefore theyshall not frighten me; whatever prudent methods I take for my own preservation, I will notdisquiet myself, distrust my God, nor doubt of a good issue at last.” When David, in his flightfrom Absalom, bade Zadok carry back the ark, he spoke doubtfully of the issue of his presenttroubles, and concluded, like a humble penitent, Here I am; let him do to me what seemeth to himgood, 2Sa_15:26. But now, like a strong believer, he speaks confidently, and has no fearconcerning the event. �ote, A cheerful resignation to God is the way to obtain a cheerfulsatisfaction and confidence in God.”

2. Barnes, “I will not be afraid - As the result of this new proof of the divine protection, and inview of all that God has done and has promised, the psalmist now says that he would not beafraid though any number of foes should rise up against him. Perhaps this confiding and exultingspirit may be regarded in some measure as the “result” of the calm and refreshing slumber whichhe had enjoyed. The mind as well as the body had been refreshed and invigorated. With thebright light of a new morning he looked with more cheerful views and hopes on the things aroundhim, and felt new strength to meet the dangers to which he was exposed. Who in trouble andsorrow has not felt this? Who has not experienced the influence of the slumbers of a night and ofthe light of the morning, in giving new vigour and inspiring new hopes, as if the returning daywas an emblem of brighter scenes in life, and the passing away of the shades of night a token thatall trouble and sorrow would flee away?

Of ten thousands of people - Myriads: Though myriads are arrayed against me. He does not, ofcourse, pretend to any exactness here; but he felt that the number of his enemies was very great.This “was” the case in the rebellion of Absalom. Ahithophel proposed to Absalom to “choose outtwelve thousand men” with whom he might pursue after David, implying that the number withhim was actually much greater than that, 2Sa_17:1)

That have set themselves against me - That have arrayed themselves against me; or that haverisen up in rebellion against me.

Round about - Intending to hem me in on every side. Of course this was to be apprehended insuch a rebellion; yet David says that he could now look with calmness on all this, for he hadconfidence in God. Compare Psa_56:3.

3. Clarke, “I Will not be afraid of ten thousands - Strength and numbers are nothing against theomnipotence of God. He who has made God his refuge certainly has no cause to fear.

4. Gill, “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of the people,.... David was a man of courage fromhis youth; the instances of his attacking the lion and the bear, when he kept his father's sheep, hisengaging with Goliath, and his military exploits, show it; and though there were now many

thousands up in arms against him, and his own son at the head of them; all the tribes of Israelwere revolting from him, and he was only attended with a few of his friends, yet he was notdismayed; for that he refers to this insurrection appears by what follows,

that have set themselves against me round about; and this was owing not to himself; but to theLord's sustaining of him; see Psa_27:1; and such courage and greatness of soul did his antitypethe Messiah express, and to a greater degree, when Judas, with his band of soldiers, and themultitude with clubs and staves, entered the garden to apprehend him; and when the prince ofthis world was marching towards him, and when he was engaged with all the powers of darkness,and when the sorrows of death compassed him about, yet he failed not, nor was he discouraged:and something of this spirit appears in true believers, When they are in the exercise of faith, havethe presence of God, and the discoveries of his love; they are then not afraid what man can dounto them; nor are they afraid of devils themselves, but wrestle against them; nor of any nor alltheir enemies, they having victory over them, given by God through Christ.”

5. Spurgeon, “Buckling on his harness for the day's battle, our hero sings, I will not be afraid often thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about. Observe that he doesnot attempt to under estimate the number or wisdom of his enemies. He reckons them at tens ofthousands, and he views them as cunning huntsmen chasing him with cruel skill. Yet he tremblesnot, but looking his enemy in the face he is ready for the battle. There may be no way of escape;they may hem me in as the deer are surrounded by a circle of hunters; they may surround me onevery side, but in the name of God I will dash through them; or, if I remain in the midst of them,yet shall they not hurt me; I shall be free in my very prison. But David is too wise to venture to the battle without prayer; he therefore betakes himself to hisknees, and cries aloud to Jehovah.”

6. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.The psalmist will trust, despite appearances. He will not be afraid though ten thousands of peoplehave set themselves against him round about. Let us here limit our thoughts to this one idea,"despite appearances." What could look worse to human sight than this array of ten thousandsof people? Ruin seemed to stare him in the face; wherever he looked an enemy was to be seen.What was one against ten thousand? It often happens that God's people come into circumstanceslike this; they say, "All these things are against me;" they seem scarce able to count theirtroubles; they cannot see a loophole through which to escape; things look very black indeed; it isgreat faith and trust which says under these circumstances, "I will not be afraid." These were the circumstances under which Luther was placed, as he journeyed toward Worms.His friend Spalatin heard it said, by the enemies of the Reformation, that the safe conduct of aheretic ought not to be respected, and became alarmed for the reformer. "At the moment whenthe latter was approaching the city, a messenger appeared before him with this advice from thechaplain, `Do not enter Worms!' And this from his best friend, the elector's confidant, fromSpalatin himself! ... But Luther, undismayed, turned his eyes upon the messenger, and replied,`Go, and tell your master, that even should there be as many devils in Worms as tiles upon thehousetops, still I would enter it.' The messenger returned to Worms, with this astounding answer:`I was then undaunted,' said Luther, a few days before his death, `I feared nothing.'"

At such seasons as these, the reasonable men of the world, those who walk by sight and not byfaith, will think it reasonable enough that the Christian should be afraid; they themselves wouldbe very low if they were in such a predicament. Weak believers are now ready to make excuses

for us, and we are only too ready to make them for ourselves; instead of rising above theweakness of the flesh, we take refuge under it, and use it as an excuse. But let us think prayerfullyfor a little while, and we shall see that it should not be thus with us. To trust only whenappearances are favourable, is to sail only with the wind and tide, to believe only when we cansee. Oh! let us follow the example of the psalmist, and seek that unreservedness of faith whichwill enable us to trust God, come what will, and to say as he said, "I will not be afraid of tenthousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about". Philip Bennet Power's "Iwills" of the Psalms, 1862.

7. I will not be afraid, etc. It makes no matter what our enemies be, though for number, legions;for power, principalities; for subtlety, serpents; for cruelty, dragons; for vantage of place, aprince of the air; for maliciousness, spiritual wickedness; stronger is he that is in us, than theywho are against us; nothing is able to separate us from the love of God. In Christ Jesus our Lord,we shall be more than conquerors. William Cowper, 1612.”

7 Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.

1. Henry, “That God had often broken the power and restrained the malice of his enemies, hadsmitten them upon the cheek-bone (Psa_3:7), had silenced them and spoiled their speaking,blemished them and put them to shame, smitten them on the cheek reproachfully, had disabledthem to do the mischief they intended; for he had broken their teeth. Saul and the Philistines,who were sometimes ready to swallow him up, could not effect what they designed. The teeth thatare gnashed or sharpened against God's people shall be broken. When, at any time, the power ofthe church's enemies seems threatening, it is good to remember how often God has broken it; andwe are sure that his arm is not shortened. He can stop their mouths and tie their hands.

1B. David Guzik, “Arise, O LORD: This recalled the words of Numbers 10:35, where Moses usedthis phrase as the children of Israel broke camp in the wilderness. It was a military phrase, callingon God to go forth to both defend Israel and lead them to victory. Broken the teeth of theungodly: This vivid metaphor is also used in Psalm 58:6. It speaks of the total domination anddefeat of the enemy. David looked for protection in this Psalm, but more than protection - helooked for victory. It wasn’t enough for David to survive the threat to the kingdom. He had to bevictorious over the threat, and he would with the blessing of God.”

1C. “To strike on the jaw means to humiliate; to break their teeth means to render powerless.”

2. Jamison, “Arise, O Lord — God is figuratively represented as asleep to denote His apparentindifference (Psa_7:6). The use of “cheekbone” and “teeth” represents his enemies as fierce, likewild beasts ready to devour (Psa_27:2), and smiting their cheekbone (1Ki_22:24) denotes violenceand insult. thou hast broken — God took his part, utterly depriving the enemy of power toinjure.

3. Barnes, “Arise, O Lord - This is a common mode of calling upon God in the Scriptures, as if hehad been sitting still, or had been inactive. It is, of course, language taken from humanconceptions, for in the intervals of active effort, in labor or in battle, we sit or lie down, and whenwe engage in toil we arise from our sitting or recumbent posture. So the mind accustoms itself tothink of God. The idea is simply that David now calls upon God to interpose in his behalf and todeliver him.

Save me, O my God - He was still surrounded by numerous enemies, and he, therefore, callsearnestly upon God to help him. In accordance with a common usage in the Scriptures, and withwhat is right for all the people of God, he calls him “his” God: “O my God.” That is, he was theGod whom he recognized as his God in distinction from all idols, and who had manifested himselfas his God by the many mercies which he had conferred on him.

For thou hast smitten all mine enemies - That is, in former exigencies, or on former occasions.In his conflicts with Saul, with the Philistines, and with the surrounding nations, he had donethis; and as the result of all he had established him on the throne, and placed him over the realm.In the remembrance of all this he appeals with the full confidence that what God had done forhim before He would do now, and that, notwithstanding he was surrounded with numerous foes,He would again interpose. So we may derive comfort and assurance in present trouble or dangerfrom the recollection of what God has done for us in former times. He who has saved us in formerperils can still save us; we may believe that he who did not forsake us in those perils will not leaveus now.

Upon the cheek-bone - This language seems to be taken from a comparison of his enemies withwild beasts; and the idea is, that God had disarmed them as one would a lion or tiger by breakingout his teeth. The cheek-bone denotes the bone in which the teeth are placed; and to smite that, isto disarm the animal. The idea here is not that of “insult,” therefore; but the meaning is simplythat he had deprived them of the power of doing him wrong.

Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly - The same idea is here expressed under anotherform, “as if” the teeth of wild animals were broken out, rendering them harmless. As God hadthus disarmed his enemies in times past, the psalmist hoped that he would do the same thing now,and he confidently called on him to do it.

4. Clarke, “Arise, O Lord - Though he knew that God had undertaken his defense, yet he knewthat his continued protection depended on his continual prayer and faith. God never ceases tohelp as long as we pray. When our hands hang down, and we restrain prayer before him, we maythen justly fear that our enemies will prevail. Those blast smitten - That is, Thou wilt smite. Hespeaks in full confidence of God’s interference; and knows as surely that he shall have thevictory, as if he had it already. Breaking the jaws and the teeth are expressions which imply,confounding and destroying an adversary; treating him with extreme contempt; using him like adog, etc.

5. Gill, “Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God,.... God sometimes, in the apprehension of his people,seems to be as if he was asleep: when he does not appear to them and for them, and does not exert

his power on their behalf, then they call to him to awake and arise; see Psa_44:23; and it may besome respect is had to the words of Moses when the ark set forward, �um_10:35; and it may beobserved, that though David enjoyed so much peace and tranquillity of mind, and was in suchhigh spirits as not to be afraid of ten thousands of men, yet he did not neglect the right means ofdeliverance and safety, prayer to God, who he knew was his God; and he addresses him as such,and uses his covenant interest in him, as an argument with him to arise and save him from hisenemies, who was able to do it, and to whom salvation belongs: so Christ, his antitype, prayed toGod as his God to save him, and was heard by him in like manner; so the saints call upon God ina day of trouble, cry to him in their distresses, to be delivered out of them;

for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheekbone; to smite anyone upon the cheek isreckoned reproachful, and is casting contempt upon them; see Job_16:10 and the sense is, thatGod had poured contempt upon his enemies in time past, and had brought them to shame andconfusion: hence he puts up the above prayer as a prayer of faith for salvation, founded on pastexperience of God's goodness; he prayed that his God would arise and save him, and he believedhe would because he had hitherto appeared for him, and against his enemies;

thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly; who were like to beasts of prey, whose strength lies intheir teeth, whereby they do the mischief they do; and the breaking of their teeth signifies thetaking away from them the power of hurting, and refers to the victories which God had givenDavid over the Philistines, Edomites, Syrians, and others; and maybe applied to Christ, and beexpressive of sin, Satan, the world, and death, being overcome and abolished by him, and of thevictory which the saints have through him over the same enemies.”

6. Calvin, “Arise, O Lord. As in the former verses David boasted of his quiet state, it would nowappear he desires of the Lord to be preserved in safety during the whole of his life; as if he hadsaid, Lord, since thou hast overthrown my enemies, grant that this thy goodness may follow me,and be continued even to the end of my course. But because it is no uncommon thing for David,in the Psalms, to mingle together various affections, it seems more probable, that, after havingmade mention of his confidence in God, he returns again to make the same prayers as at thebeginning. He therefore asks to be preserved, because he was in eminent peril. What followsconcerning the smiting of his enemies, may be explained in two ways: either that in praying hecalls to his remembrance his former victories, or that having experienced the assistance of God,and obtained the answer of his prayers, he now follows it up by thanksgiving: and this lastmeanings I am much inclined to adopt. In the first place, then, he declares that he fled to God forhelp in dangers, and humbly prayed for deliverance, and after salvation had been granted him,he gives thanks, by which he testifies, that he acknowledged God to be the author of thedeliverance which he had obtained.”

7. Spurgeon, “His only hope is in his God, but that is so strong a confidence, that he feels theLord hath but to arise and he is saved. It is enough for the Lord to stand up, and all is well. Hecompares his enemies to wild beasts, and he declares that God hath broken their jaws, so thatthey could not injure him; Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. Or else he alludes to thepeculiar temptations to which he was then exposed. They had spoken against him; God,therefore, has smitten them upon the cheek bone. They seemed as if they would devour him withtheir mouths; God hath broken their teeth, and let them say what they will, their toothless jawsshall not be able to devour him. Rejoice, O believer, thou hast to do with a dragon whose head isbroken, and with enemies whose teeth are dashed from their jaws!”

8. “Arise, O Lord, Jehovah! This is a common scriptural mode of calling upon God to manifesthis presence and his power, either in wrath or favour. By a natural anthropomorphism, itdescribes the intervals of such manifestations as periods of inaction or of slumber, out of which heis besought to rouse himself. Save me, even me, of whom they say there is no help for him in God.Save me, O my God, mine by covenant and mutual engagement, to whom I therefore have a rightto look for deliverance and protection. This confidence is warranted, moreover, by experience.For thou hast, in former exigencies, smitten all mine enemies, without exception (on the) cheek orjaw, an act at once violent and insulting. J. A. Alexander, D.D.

8 From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. Selah

1. Henry, “He believed God was his Saviour, and yet prays; nay, he therefore prays, Arise, OLord! save me, O my God! Promises of salvation do not supersede, but engage, our petitions for it.He will for this be enquired of. 3. His faith became triumphant. He began the psalm withcomplaints of the strength and malice of his enemies, but concludes it with exultation in thepower and grace of his God, and now sees more with him than against him, Psa_3:8. Two greattruths he here builds his confidence upon and fetches comfort from. (1.) That salvation belongethunto the Lord; he has power to save, be the danger ever so great; it is his prerogative to save,when all other helps and succours fail; it is his pleasure, it is his property, it is his promise tothose that are his, whose salvation is not of themselves, but of the Lord. Therefore all that havethe Lord for their God, according to the tenour of the new covenant, are sure of salvation; for hethat is their God is the God of salvation. (2.) That his blessing is upon his people; he not only haspower to save them, but he has assured them of his kind and gracious intentions towards them.He has, in his word, pronounced a blessing upon his people; and we are bound to believe that thatblessing does accordingly rest upon them, though there be not the visible effects of it. Hence wemay conclude that God's people, though they may lie under the reproaches and censures of men,are surely blessed of him, who blesses indeed, and therefore can command a blessing. In singingthis, and praying it over, we must own the satisfaction we have had in depending upon God andcommitting ourselves to him, and encourage ourselves, and one another to continue still hopingand quietly waiting for the salvation of the Lord.”

2. Barnes, “Salvation belongeth unto the Lord - That is, it pertains to God alone to save. Thepsalmist had no expectation of saving himself; he had no confidence in the unaided prowess of hisown arm. If he was to be saved he felt that it was to be only by God, and the praise of this was tobe given to Him. The particular reference here is to temporal deliverance, or deliverance fromthe dangers which surrounded him then; but the declaration is as true of spiritual deliverance -of the salvation of the soul - as it is of deliverance from temporal danger. In both cases it is truethat God only saves, and that all the praise is due to him.

Thy blessing is upon thy people - Or perhaps, rather, “thy blessing be upon thy people,”regarding this as a “prayer” rather than an “affirmation.” It is true, indeed, as an affirmation(compare Psa_2:12); but it accords better with the connection here, and is a more appropriateconclusion of the psalm to regard it as a petition, expressing an earnest desire that the blessing ofGod might ever rest upon his own people. Then the thoughts of the psalmist are turned awayfrom his own perils to the condition of others; from his individual case to that of the Church atlarge; and he prays that all others may find the same favors from God which he had so richlyenjoyed, and which he hoped still to enjoy. It is one of the characteristics of true piety thus toturn from our own condition to that of others, and to desire that what we enjoy may be partakenof by the people of God everywhere.

3. Clarke, “Salvation belongeth unto the Lord - It is God alone who saves. He is the fountainwhence help and salvation come; and to him alone the praise of all saved souls is due. His blessingis upon his people. Those who are saved from the power and the guilt of sin are his people. Hismercy saved them; and it is by his blessing being continually upon them, that they continue to besaved. David adds his selah here also: mark this!

1. Salvation comes from God.

2. Salvation is continued by God.

These are great truths; mark them!

4. Gill, “Salvation belongeth unto the Lord,.... As the author of it; temporal salvation is of him; allthe deliverances of the saints out of their troubles are from him; and to him is owing theirspiritual and eternal salvation; this belongs to Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit: Jehovah theFather resolved upon it, chose men to it from everlasting, contrived the scheme of it in his infinitewisdom, made a covenant with his Son, in which he secured it, and appointed him to be theauthor of it, and sent him in the fulness of time to effect it; and Christ the Son of God, beingqualified for it, being mighty to save, came into this world for that purpose, and is become theauthor of eternal salvation; his own arm has brought it to him, though there were manydifficulties in the way; such as fulfilling the law, satisfying justice, making an end of sin,grappling with all the powers of darkness, and undergoing an accursed death: and the Spirit ofGod, he makes men sensible of their need of this salvation; he brings it near to them, and worksfaith in them to lay hold upon it, and shows them their interest in it; and in consequence of allthis the glory of salvation belongs to the Lord, Father, Son, and Spirit, and should be given to theFather as the contriver of it, to the Son as the author of it, and to the Spirit as the applier of it;see Rev_7:10;

thy blessing is upon thy people; or it may be considered prayer wise, let "thy blessing be upon thypeople" (b); either upon those that were on the side of David, or on those, as others interpret it,who had imprudently joined themselves to Absalom; which latter sense, if right, shows in what adivine frame and disposition of mind the psalmist was, to pray for his enemies: or the words arean assertion, that the blessing of the Lord was come upon his covenant people, and does descendupon them as they are called by grace; even all spiritual blessings, the blessings of a justifyingrighteousness, of pardon of sin, of reconciliation and peace by the blood of Christ, of adoption,and of eternal life; the blessing of grace, and the blessing of glory.”

5. Calvin, “Salvation belongeth unto the Lord. Because ל is sometimes used by the Hebrews for מךMin, some not improperly translate this clause, Salvation is of the Lord. I, however consider thenatural and obvious meaning to be simply this, that salvation or deliverance is only in the handsof God. By these words, David not only claims the office and praise of saving for God alone,tacitly opposing his power to all human succor; but also declares, that although a thousanddeaths hang over his people, yet this cannot render God unable to save them, or prevent himfrom speedily sending forth without any effort, the deliverance which he is always able to impart.In the end of the psalm, David affirms that this was vouchsafed, not so much to him as anindividual, as to the whole people, that the universal Church, whose welfare depended on thesafety and prosperity of his kingdom, might be preserved from destruction. David, therefore,acknowledges the dispersion of this wicked conspiracy to have been owing to the care which Godhad about the safety of his Church. From this passage we learn, that the Church shall always bedelivered from the calamities which befall her, because God who is able to save her, will neverwithdraw his grace and blessing from her.”

6. “Thy blessing is upon thy people. The saints are not only blessed when they are comprehensors,but while they are viators. They are blessed before they are crowned. This seems a paradox toflesh and blood: what, reproached and maligned, yet blessed! A man that looks upon the childrenof God with a carnal eye, and sees how they are afflicted, and like the ship in the gospel, whichwas covered with waves (Matthew 8:24), would think they were far from blessedness. Paul bringsa catalogue of his sufferings (2Co 11:24-26), "Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned,thrice I suffered shipwreck," etc. And those Christians of the first magnitude, of whom the worldwas not worthy, "Had trials of cruel mockings and scourgings, they were sawn asunder, theywere slain with the sword." Hebrews 11:36,37. What! and were all these during the time of theirsufferings blessed? A carnal man would think, if this be to be blessed, God deliver him from it.But, however sense would give their vote, our Saviour Christ pronounces the godly man blessed;though a mourner, though a martyr, yet blessed. Job on the dunghill was blessed Job. The saintsare blessed when they are cursed. Shimei did curse David (2 Samuel 16:5 ), "He came forth andcursed him;" yet when he was cursed David he was blessed David. The saints though they arebruised, yet they are blessed. �ot only they shall be blessed, but they are so. Psalms 119:1."Blessed are the undefiled." Psalms 3:8. "Thy blessing is upon thy people." Thomas Watson.

7. Steven Cole, “David turned this horrible experience of betrayal, emotional pain, and nearlybeing killed into a song of praise. This teaches us that God can use our worst trials to deepen ourtrust in Him and to produce praises that will encourage His people. When life falls apart, you canexperience God’s peace by laying hold of Him in believing prayer. When He answers, He gets theglory, you get the joy, and God’s people get the blessing.”

8. Remember why God inspired David to write this poem, for it is designed for all God's people.Paul put it like this, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so thatthrough endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans15:4).

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 3:2 A word of uncertain meaning, occurring frequently in the Psalms; possibly a musical

term

2. Psalm 3:3 Or LORD , / my Glorious One, who lifts