What happened between David and Absalom?
Absalom rebelled against his father and had himself proclaimed king, and David had to leave Jerusalem. The story is in 2 Samuel 15-18, where Absalom dies in battle and David weeps for him.
Psalms · psalm 3 of 150
Psalm 3: Summary, Key Verses and Study Questions
Updated on
What happens in Psalm 3?
Psalm 3 is a prayer of David when he fled from his son Absalom. Although many rise against him and say that God will not save him, David confesses that the Lord is his shield and his glory, lies down, sleeps and wakes in safety, and ends by declaring that salvation belongs to the Lord.
This is the first psalm with a title and the first to join a poem with an episode from David's life: the rebellion of his son Absalom, told in 2 Samuel 15-18. It is an individual lament with a strong tone of trust, and tradition has read it as a morning prayer.
Psalm 3 summary
The title places the psalm when David fled from Absalom. David begins with a complaint: his foes are many, many rise against him, and many say that God will not deliver him. After that comes the first musical pause, Selah.
But the prayer turns. David confesses that the Lord is a shield around him, his glory and the one who lifts his head. He cries aloud to God, and God answers from his holy hill. That is why he can lie down, sleep and wake, for the Lord sustains him. He is not afraid of the tens of thousands who have set themselves against him on every side.
Then he asks the Lord to rise up and save him. He recalls that God has struck his enemies and broken the teeth of the wicked. The psalm closes with a short line that sums it all up: salvation belongs to the Lord, and may his blessing be on his people.
Chapter outline
- vv. 1-2: The foes are many and say God will not save him.
- vv. 3-4: The Lord is shield, glory and the lifter of his head; he answers from his hill.
- vv. 5-6: David sleeps and wakes without fear of the multitudes.
- vv. 7-8: A plea for salvation and the confession that salvation belongs to the Lord.
Key verses in Psalm 3
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Psalm 3:3
David says the Lord is a shield around him, his glory and the one who lifts his head. A king fleeing with his head down finds in God both his protection and his dignity.
Psalm 3:5
David lay down, slept and woke again because the Lord sustained him. Sleeping in the middle of a pursuit is a striking sign of trust: his security does not come from the danger having passed.
Psalm 3:6
He is not afraid of the tens of thousands of enemies who surround him. Fear fades when the size of the problem is compared with the size of the God who protects.
Psalm 3:8
Salvation belongs to the Lord, and David asks that his blessing be on his people. Although the king himself is in danger, he ends by thinking of the nation and not only of himself.
Main themes
- Trust in the midst of persecution
- The Lord as shield
- Morning prayer
- Salvation comes from the Lord
- Peace to sleep
People and places
- David
- Absalom
- The Lord
- The adversaries
Psalm 3 study questions and answers
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
1. How does David begin his prayer?
Answer: By complaining that his adversaries are many and rise up against him. — Psalm 3:1
2. What did many say about David?
Answer: That there is no salvation for him in God. — Psalm 3:2
3. How does David describe the Lord?
Answer: As a shield around him, his glory and the lifter of his head. — Psalm 3:3
4. From where does the Lord answer him?
Answer: From his holy hill. — Psalm 3:4
5. What does David do in spite of the danger?
Answer: He lies down, sleeps and wakes, because the Lord sustains him. — Psalm 3:5
6. What line closes the psalm?
Answer: Salvation belongs to the Lord, and his blessing is on his people. — Psalm 3:8
Application for today
Psalm 3 teaches us to pray honestly under pressure. David does not hide that many rise against him, but he turns his complaint into trust. In a small group, this psalm invites us to name real fears and to say aloud who God is in the face of them.
Peace to sleep does not depend on problems being solved. Sleeping under the Lord's care is an act of faith. It is also a lesson for leaders: in the middle of a family crisis, David thinks of his people, and his last word is a blessing.
Psalm 3 is a morning prayer after a night of danger. Psalm 4 is its natural partner: an evening prayer in which another believer lies down in peace under the Lord's care.
Frequently asked questions about Psalm 3
What does Selah mean?
It is a Hebrew word whose exact meaning is not known with certainty. It is usually understood as a pause or musical direction to stop and reflect.
Why does David ask God to strike his enemies?
This is a common prayer language in the lament psalms: the psalmist leaves justice in God's hands instead of taking revenge. The New Testament calls believers to love their enemies, and the psalm teaches us to hand the cause to God.