The Lord Will

Psalms 3

Old Testament · King James Version

Psalm 3 begins with danger multiplying around the speaker and with enemies claiming that God will not save him. The prayer answers that taunt by naming the LORD as shield, glory, and the one who lifts the bowed head. Sleep and awakening become evidence of sustaining care rather than denial of the crisis. The closing plea places deliverance and blessing in the LORD’s hands and widens the horizon from one threatened person to God’s people.

1

Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.

2

Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.

3

But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

4

I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

5

I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.

6

I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.

7

Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.

8

Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.

Context

The superscription links Psalm 3 with David’s flight from Absalom, the crisis narrated in 2 Samuel 15–18. That setting illuminates the language of betrayal, encirclement, and urgent prayer, but the psalm itself does not narrate every event of the rebellion. Its movement is from multiplying threat, through remembered divine protection, to a plea for judgment and a confession that salvation belongs to the LORD.

Themes & application

  • Threat and the theological taunt that God will not help
  • The LORD as shield, glory, and lifter of the head
  • Sleep and awakening as testimony to sustaining grace
  • Deliverance, judgment, and blessing that belong to the LORD

Psalm 3 permits honest naming of danger without allowing hostile voices to define God’s faithfulness. It directs fear into prayer, receives ordinary rest as sustaining mercy, and refuses to turn deliverance into private revenge.

Key verses

Psalm 3:3
“But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.”

The adversaries’ verdict is contradicted by a threefold confession: the LORD protects, restores honor, and raises the downcast person.

Application: Name God’s character before measuring the crisis only by the number or volume of opposing voices.

Commonly misread: The shield image does not promise that believers will never be wounded or displaced; it confesses dependable divine protection within real danger.

Psalm 3:5
“I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.”

Lying down, sleeping, and waking form a compact testimony that the LORD sustained the speaker through a vulnerable night.

Application: Receive sleep and waking as gifts rather than proof of self-sufficiency, while seeking appropriate help when anxiety or insomnia persists.

Commonly misread: The verse is not a guarantee that faithful people will always sleep easily or avoid trauma-related distress.

Psalm 3:8
“Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.”

The final confession locates salvation in the LORD and extends the requested blessing from the individual to the whole people.

Application: Ask for deliverance in a way that remains joined to the good and blessing of God’s people.

Commonly misread: The verse does not make every preferred outcome an entitlement; it identifies the LORD, not human control, as the source of salvation.

Verse notes

  • v2 — The hostile claim is theological as well as personal: the enemies interpret visible distress as proof that God has abandoned the sufferer. “Selah” should not be assigned one certain musical or liturgical meaning.
  • v7 — The struck cheek and broken teeth portray the disabling of violent, predatory power. The prayer appeals to divine judgment; it does not commission private retaliation.

Common misreadings of Psalms 3

Misreading: Psalm 3 teaches that faith makes fear or danger unreal.

In context: The psalm repeatedly names enemies and encirclement. Courage grows from addressing the LORD within danger, not from denying it.

Misreading: Verse 5 promises effortless sleep to every faithful person.

In context: The verse is David’s testimony of sustaining care in this crisis, not a universal formula that condemns people who experience insomnia or trauma.

Misreading: Verse 7 authorizes believers to strike their enemies.

In context: The speaker asks God to act and uses judgment imagery that disables aggression; the text gives no mandate for private vengeance or coercion.

Misreading: The superscription allows every detail of 2 Samuel 15–18 to be read directly into each line.

In context: The superscription supplies a canonical setting, but interpretation must still follow the words and movement of the psalm itself.

Cross-references

  • 2 Samuel 15:13–14 — David’s flight from Absalom supplies the canonical crisis named by the superscription.
  • Psalm 27:3 — Psalm 27:3 expresses a related confidence when an army encamps against the worshiper.
  • Psalm 4:8 — Psalm 4:8 develops the theme of lying down and sleeping because safety rests with the LORD.
  • Romans 12:19 — Romans 12:19 clarifies that judgment belongs to God rather than to personal vengeance.

Frequently asked questions about Psalms 3

What is the main message of Psalm 3?
Psalm 3 shows a threatened worshiper bringing multiplying enemies and spiritual taunts to the LORD, confessing God as shield and sustainer, and locating salvation and blessing in God alone.
Why is Psalm 3 connected with Absalom?
Its superscription identifies it as a psalm of David when he fled from Absalom. Second Samuel 15–18 supplies the canonical background, though the psalm remains a crafted prayer rather than a complete narrative report.
What does Selah mean in Psalm 3?
Its precise function is uncertain. It likely marks a musical, liturgical, or reflective division, so the page preserves the term without presenting one disputed explanation as certain.
Does Psalm 3:7 justify violence?
No. The verse is an appeal for divine judgment using imagery of disabling hostile power; it does not authorize private revenge, abuse, or forced religion.

Sources & editorial notes

Translation
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (1611), public domain.
Authorship
The superscription attributes the psalm to David during his flight from Absalom. The page reports that canonical attribution without inventing a date, route, or unmentioned episode.
Editorial process
This draft was prepared from Psalm 3 and checked against the site’s KJV shard. Claims about the superscription, Selah, sleep, and the judgment imagery remain explicitly bounded pending human review.

References

  • The Holy Bible, King James Version (1611), public domain. — English textual basis and wording.
  • 2 Samuel 15–18. — Canonical background for David’s flight from Absalom.
  • Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710), on Psalm 3 — public domain. — Public-domain historical commentary on threat, trust, sleep, and salvation.
  • Charles H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, on Psalm 3 — public domain; Brown–Driver–Briggs (1906), relevant lexical entries — public domain. — Lexical caution concerning Selah and the violent imagery.

Author: The Lord Will Editorial Team · Reviewed by: Ugo Candido · Updated: 2026-08-03