Psalm 28/Participant Analysis/Set

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There are 4 participants/characters in Psalm 28:

David
"YHWH's anointed"

YHWH
"My rock"
"My strength"
"My shield"
"Saving refuge"

The people
"YHWH's possession"

Enemies
"Wicked people"
"Evildoers"
"those who speak peace with their neighbors but [speak] evil in their hearts"

  • David (the psalmist): Psalm 28 is traditionally attributed to David, and he is named as the author in the superscription. Others have argued that Psalm 28 was written by Jeremiah[1] or Josiah,[2] but these proposals have not gained traction. A number of historical events may have prompted David's lament, e.g., David's flight from Absalom,[3] a time of war,[4] duplicitous behavior from enemies,[5] and even illness or despair.[6] The setting of the psalm remains vague which contributes to the psalm's wide-ranging application. What can be known for certain is that the psalmist cried out to God for help, and God heard the sound of his cries.
  • "YHWH's anointed": Scholars have debated whether מְשִׁיחוֹ (his [YHWH’s] anointed) refers to a king or to YHWH’s chosen people. We prefer the view of most scholars that the מָשִׁיחַ refers to a king. David, the speaker, is probably referring to himself at this point. See The Identity of the "Anointed" in Ps 28:8b for a detailed discussion.
  • YHWH is referred to as the psalmist's rock, strength, shield, saving refuge, and the strength of his people. Throughout, YHWH is depicted as the one in whom the psalmist can take refuge and find protection (cf. Pss 61:2-4; 62: 6-8; 91:2; 144:1-2; etc.).
  • The people referred to in the psalm are most likely Israel because they are described as "YHWH's possession" (Deut 4:20, 9: 26, 29; Exod 34:9; cf. also Barnes 1869, 246).
  • Although they are not named, the enemies in this psalm are referred to as "wicked people" and "evildoers". They are also described as "those who speak peace with their neighbors but [speak] evil in their hearts." That is, they pretend to care for the well-being of their neighbors, but they secretly wish harm upon them. Thus, the enemies are duplicitous, masking their true intentions with friendly speech. Their fate is to be destroyed by YHWH. All of the above descriptors most likely refer to the same group of people.[7]
  • Neighbor (v. 3) is not a participant in this psalm, but it is used to refer to those who have "some level of association" with the psalmist's enemies.[8] The association may be geographical, circumstantial, social, or even personal.[9]
  • In this psalm, the phrase "Those who go down to the Pit" (v. 1) does not represent a participant for it does not function as an agentive subject of a verb. Instead, the phrase represents an outcome which the psalmist wishes to avoid. He recognizes that without God's help he will be unable to escape death. In fact, David employs the same phrase in Ps 30:3 to acknowledge that God has saved him from death: "O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit" (Ps 30:3, ESV. See participant analysis of Ps 88 in which the phrase "those who go down to the Pit" is part of the participant set list).


  1. ↑ Hitzig 1836, 72
  2. ↑ Ewald 300, 1880.
  3. ↑ Delitzsch 1883, 441; Perowne 1871, 259; Lange 1872, 204; Keil and Delitzsch 1900, 362.
  4. ↑ Briggs and Briggs 1906, 245.
  5. ↑ Craigie 2004, 237.
  6. ↑ Kidner 1973, 122.
  7. ↑ Cf. Berry 1915, 211; Mays 1994, 134; Broyles 1999, 148; VanGemeren 2008, 289; etc.
  8. ↑ SDBH.
  9. ↑ SDBH.