The Bible — World English Bible
Psalm 3
In brief
Psalm 3 is a psalm of David, written when he fled from his son Absalom, who had risen against him. David is surrounded by many enemies and hears people say that God will no longer save him. Yet he declares that Yahweh is his shield, his glory and the one who lifts up his head. He cries to God, who answers him from his holy hill. He can then lie down, sleep and wake again, held up by God, without fear of multitudes. The psalm ends with a statement of faith: salvation belongs to Yahweh.
Psalm 3 is the first in the book to have a title: a psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom. The story of this revolt is found in 2 Samuel 15 to 18. Absalom won the hearts of part of the people and had himself proclaimed king. David leaves Jerusalem weeping, his head covered, betrayed by his own son and by his counselor Ahithophel. The psalm is a lament that turns into trust: David voices his fear, then leans on God. The word Selah, which appears three times, is a Hebrew term most likely meant as a musical marker. Because it speaks of lying down and waking up, many believers pray it in the morning, or in the evening along with Psalm 4. People also come back to it in family conflicts and whenever they feel surrounded on every side.
The chapter in 4 parts
1Yahweh, how my adversaries have increased! Many are those who rise up against me.
2Many there are who say of my soul, “There is no help for him in God.”
3But you, Yahweh, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
4I cry to Yahweh with my voice, and he answers me out of his holy hill.
5I laid myself down and slept. I awakened; for Yahweh sustains me.
6I will not be afraid of tens of thousands of people who have set themselves against me on every side.
7Arise, Yahweh! Save me, my God! For you have struck all of my enemies on the cheek bone. You have broken the teeth of the wicked.
8Salvation belongs to Yahweh. May your blessing be on your people.
Understanding Psalm 3 verse by verse
v. 1-2Surrounded by enemies and by discouragement
David does not begin with a victory song. He says things as they are: “Yahweh, how my adversaries have increased!” In Hebrew, the same word comes back three times: they are many, many rise up, many speak. The worst is not their number but the sentence they keep repeating: “There is no help for him in God.” During the flight, a man named Shimei cursed David, saying that Yahweh was punishing him (2 Samuel 16). That voice still exists: the one that whispers to you that it is too late, that you have failed too many times, that even God can do nothing more for you. It sometimes comes from other people, sometimes from your own mind, in the middle of the night. The psalm gives you permission to name it before God. Biblical faith does not deny fear: it tells it to the one who can answer.
v. 3-4God, a shield who protects and lifts the downcast head
Everything turns on two words: but you. David stops looking at the crowd and looks at God, to whom he gives three names. Shield: the one who steps between him and the blows. My glory: David has lost his throne, his city and his reputation, but God remains his honor. The one who lifts up my head: the story shows David climbing the Mount of Olives weeping, his head covered (2 Samuel 15:30). God lifts the head of the one who bows it in shame or exhaustion. Then comes experience: “I cry to Yahweh with my voice, and he answers me out of his holy hill.” David had sent the ark back to Jerusalem, entrusting his future to God, and he had to leave the city. Yet God hears him. When you can no longer change anything about your situation, you can still cry out, and that cry is heard.
v. 5-6Sleeping and waking in the middle of danger
“I laid myself down and slept. I awakened; for Yahweh sustains me.” For David on the run, the night was dangerous. In 2 Samuel 17, Ahithophel advises pursuing him that very night, while he is tired and weak, and it is God who makes the plan fail. Falling asleep in such conditions is an act of faith, and waking up alive is already a grace. That is why this psalm is often called a morning prayer. David does not pretend that the danger is small: he speaks of tens of thousands of people surrounding him on every side. But he is not afraid of them, because his safety does not rest on the number of his soldiers. If you are afraid to fall asleep, or if your first thought on waking is anxiety, these verses do not promise a night without trials. They remind you who sustains you while you sleep and who is there when you open your eyes.
v. 7-8Leaving justice to God and blessing his people
“Arise, Yahweh! Save me, my God!” David takes up an ancient cry of Israel, which Moses spoke when the ark set out ahead of the people (Numbers 10:35). The images that follow are harsh: a blow on the cheek is a gesture of humiliation, and breaking the teeth of a wild animal leaves it unable to bite. David asks God to make his enemies harmless, but he does not take revenge himself. The story shows, in fact, that he asks for Absalom to be spared and that he mourns his death. The psalm ends by answering verse 2. People said there was no help for him in God, and David declares that salvation belongs to Yahweh. In Hebrew, help and salvation are one and the same word, from the same root as the name of Jesus. Finally, instead of cursing, the king on the run prays: “May your blessing be on your people.”
How to pray Psalm 3
When to pray this psalm
- In the evening, when you are afraid to fall asleep because of what tomorrow will bring.
- On waking, when the first thought of your day is anxiety.
- When a family conflict is breaking you, especially if the wound comes from a child or a loved one.
- When you feel that everyone is against you, at work, in your family or on social media.
- When someone tells you, or you tell yourself, that God can do nothing more for you.
- When you have to sleep away from home, in a hospital, while traveling or in temporary housing.
A prayer inspired by Psalm 3
O Yahweh, tonight my troubles are many, and it feels as if everything is rising up against me. You also hear the voices saying that there is no hope left for me, that even you can do nothing more. Sometimes it is my own voice repeating it. I admit it to you: I am afraid, and the humiliation weighs on me. But you, Lord, are my shield. You are my glory when I have no dignity left, and you lift up my head when I lower it in shame. With my voice I cry to you, and I believe that you hear me. I do not ask to know how it will all end. I ask you to keep me. Tonight I want to lie down and fall asleep leaning on you, and tomorrow I want to wake up knowing that you are still there. Arise, my God, and stop the evil that threatens me. I leave justice to you; I do not want to take revenge. Salvation comes from you, Lord Jesus, whose name means Yahweh saves. May your blessing rest on those I love, and even on those who hurt me. Amen.
Key verses
Yahweh, how my adversaries have increased! Many are those who rise up against me. Many there are who say of my soul, “There is no help for him in God.”
David is in a humiliating situation: running from his own son, he hears it said that God will not save him. The psalm tells the truth about fear before it speaks of trust.
But you, Yahweh, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
Three titles given to God: a shield who protects, David's glory, and the one who lifts up his head, that is, who gives back his dignity when he is cast down.
I laid myself down and slept. I awakened; for Yahweh sustains me. I will not be afraid of tens of thousands of people who have set themselves against me on every side.
David sleeps and wakes because Yahweh sustains him. His peace does not come from a calm situation, but from God's faithfulness.
Salvation belongs to Yahweh. May your blessing be on your people.
The last word is a confession: salvation belongs to God. David ends with a blessing on the people, even while he is on the run.
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Frequently asked questions about Psalm 3
What does Psalm 3 mean?
It is a prayer of David as he fled from his son Absalom. Surrounded by enemies, he declares that God is his shield, his glory and the one who lifts up his head. He can sleep in peace because God sustains him. The psalm teaches that even in a humiliating situation, we can lean on God's faithfulness.
Who wrote Psalm 3 and in what circumstances?
The title attributes it to David, when he fled from his son Absalom (2 Samuel 15 to 18). Psalm 4 seems to come from the same period, and many readers see Psalm 3 as a morning prayer and Psalm 4 as an evening prayer.
How do you pray Psalm 3 when you are discouraged?
Read it in the evening. Tell God what weighs on you, as David does in verses 1 and 2. Then repeat the three titles of verse 3 and apply them to your situation: shield, glory, the one who lifts up my head. Finish with verse 8 by entrusting the people you love to God.
Articles quoting Psalm 3
World English Bible translation — public domain.