Psalm 3/Story Behind/Assumptions
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
| V. | Text (Hebrew) | Text (CBC) | Proposition (Story Behind) | common ground | local ground | playground |
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| 1 | מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִ֑ד בְּ֝בָרְח֗וֹ מִפְּנֵ֤י ׀ אַבְשָׁל֬וֹם בְּנֽוֹ׃ | A psalm. By David. When he was fleeing from Absalom, his son. | David flees from Absalom, his son. | • 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]) (2 Sam 3:3) • For the story of Absalom's rebellion, see 2 Sam 15-19:11. • "Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, 'Come! We must flee (וְנִבְרָחָה), or none of us will escape from Absalom (מִפְּנֵי אַבְשָׁלוֹם). We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin on us and put the city to the sword'" (2 Sam 15:14, NIV).
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| 2 | יְ֭הוָה מָֽה־רַבּ֣וּ צָרָ֑י | YHWH, how my adversaries have become many! | David's adversaries become many. | • "And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept on increasing (וְהָעָ֛ם הוֹלֵ֥ךְ וָרָ֖ב אֶת־אַבְשָׁלֽוֹם)" (II Sam 15:12, NIV). • "So I advise you: Let all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba—as numerous as the sand on the seashore (כַּח֥וֹל אֲשֶׁר־עַל־הַיָּ֖ם לָרֹ֑ב)—be gathered to you, with you yourself leading them into battle" (2 Sam 17:11, NIV)
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• David has adversaries.
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| רַ֝בִּ֗ים קָמִ֥ים עָלָֽי׃ | Many are those rising against me. | Those rising against David are many. | • People rise up against David.
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| 3 | רַבִּים֮ אֹמְרִ֪ים לְנַ֫פְשִׁ֥י | Many are those saying about me, | Those saying about David, 'There is no victory for him in God' are many. | • People say about David's soul, 'There is no victory for him in God.'
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| אֵ֤ין יְֽשׁוּעָ֓תָה לּ֬וֹ בֵֽאלֹהִ֬ים סֶֽלָה׃ | "There is no victory for him in God!" Selah. | There is no victory for David in God. | • When someone is abandoned by God, it is an opportune time for that person's enemies to attack him. See e.g., Ps 71—"For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together. They say, 'God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him'" (Ps 71:10-11, NIV).
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• David's enemies have reason to think that he has been abandoned by God.
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| 4 | וְאַתָּ֣ה יְ֭הוָה מָגֵ֣ן בַּעֲדִ֑י | But you, YHWH, are a shield for me, | YHWH is a shield for David. | • See "shield" imagery chart
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| כְּ֝בוֹדִ֗י וּמֵרִ֥ים רֹאשִֽׁי׃ | my honor, and the one who lifts my head. | YHWH is David's honor.
YHWH is the one who lifts David's head. |
• God-given victory results in the king's honor—"Your victory brings him great honor (גָּד֣וֹל כְּ֭בוֹדוֹ בִּישׁוּעָתֶ֑ךָ)" (Ps 21:6, NLT) • To lift someone's head is "to distinguish, confer honour upon someone" (HALOT; cf. Baethgen 1904, 8). See e.g., the proverb in Ben Sira: "The physician's knowledge lifts up his head (תרים ראשו), that he may stand in the presence of noblemen" (Ben Sira 38:3).
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| 5 | ק֭וֹלִי אֶל־יְהוָ֣ה אֶקְרָ֑א | I call aloud to YHWH, | David calls aloud to YHWH. | |||
| וַיַּֽעֲנֵ֨נִי מֵהַ֖ר קָדְשׁ֣וֹ סֶֽלָה׃ | and he answers me from his holy mountain. Selah. | YHWH answers David from his holy mountain. | • YHWH's holy mountain is Mt. Zion, the city of David (cf. 2 Sam 5:7; Pss 2:6; 132:13-14)
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| 6 | אֲנִ֥י שָׁכַ֗בְתִּי וָֽאִ֫ישָׁ֥נָה | I lay down and fell asleep. | David lies down.
David falls asleep. |
• Night sometimes offered an opportune time to strike an enemy, while the enemy was weak and resting. "I would choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight (הַלָּיְלָה) in pursuit of David. I would attack him while he is weary and weak" (2 Sam 17:1-2, NIV).
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| הֱקִיצ֑וֹתִי כִּ֖י יְהוָ֣ה יִסְמְכֵֽנִי׃ | I woke up, because YHWH supports me. | David wakes up.
YHWH supports David. |
• David did not die in his sleep.
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• YHWH supported David through the night
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| 7 | לֹֽא־אִ֭ירָא מֵרִבְב֥וֹת עָ֑ם | I will not be afraid of tens of thousands of people | David is afraid of tens of thousands of people. | |||
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר סָ֝בִ֗יב שָׁ֣תוּ עָלָֽי׃ | who have taken position against me all around. | Tens of thousands of people take position against David all around. | ||||
| 8 | ק֘וּמָ֤ה יְהוָ֨ה ׀ הוֹשִׁ֘יעֵ֤נִי אֱלֹהַ֗י | Rise up, YHWH! Save me, my God! | YHWH rises up.
David's God saves him. |
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| כִּֽי־הִכִּ֣יתָ אֶת־כָּל־אֹיְבַ֣י לֶ֑חִי | For you have struck all my enemies on the jaw. | YHWH strikes all of David's enemies on the jaw. | • Striking someone on the jaw/cheek was offensive, an act of scornful contempt that brought shame upon the person struck. "People open their mouths to jeer at me; they strike my cheek in scorn (בְּחֶרְפָּה הִכּוּ לְחָיָי) and unite together against me" (Job 16:11, NIV; cf. 1 Kgs 22:24; Lam 3:3)
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| שִׁנֵּ֖י רְשָׁעִ֣ים שִׁבַּֽרְתָּ׃ | You have broken wicked people's teeth. | YHWH breaks wicked people's teeth. | • "Teeth are an image of power... The breaking of teeth symbolizes defeat. The teeth of the wicked are broken; they are not allowed to use them to devour the weak/righteous who trust in God. Though they may roar and growl like lions, evil people will have their teeth broken by the Lord. For a lion to have its teeth broken was to be mortally wounded. It now 'perishes for lack of prey' (Job 4:11, NIV). Here teeth are a symbol of the power of evil people to consume the defenseless" (Ryken et al. 1948, 847). "I am in the midst of lions; I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords" (Ps 57:5, NIV; cf. Pss 58:7; 124:6; Job 4:10).
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| 9 | לַיהוָ֥ה הַיְשׁוּעָ֑ה | Victory is YHWH's! | Victory is YHWH's. | |||
| עַֽל־עַמְּךָ֖ בִרְכָתֶ֣ךָ סֶּֽלָה׃ | Your blessing is on your people. Selah. | YHWH's blessing is on his people. |