Psalm 3/Participant Analysis/Set

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There are 5 participants/characters in Psalm 3:

Profile List

David
YHWH's people

YHWH
"YHWH" (vv. 2a, 4a, 6b, 8a, 9a)
"[my] God" (vv. 3b, 8a)

Enemies
"my adversaries" (v. 2a)
"those rising against me" (v. 2b)
"those saying about me..." (v. 3a)
"tens of thousands of people" (v. 7a)
"my enemies" (v. 8b)
"wicked people" (v. 8c)
Absalom

Profile Notes

  • The speaker in this psalm is David, the king of Israel and the representative of YHWH's people.
  • YHWH is David's God. YHWH made a covenant with David, promising to give him an eternal dynasty and kingdom and to rescue him from all of his enemies (see 2 Sam 7; Ps 89).
  • The enemies in this psalm are the many people who joined in rebellion against David under the leadership of Absalom, David's own son (see 2 Sam 15ff). Absalom is David's third-born son, the first by his wife Ma'acha, daughter of Talmi, king of Geshur (a "small Aramaic state between Bashan and Hermon" [HALOT, 205]) (2 Sam 3:3).