Psalm 3 Study Notes

3:4 The word answers expresses the idea of completed action in the Hebrew (sometimes translated in the past tense: “answered”), but it seems to be used here in the sense of confidence that God always answers. The holy mountain is Zion, which is the place where God dwelt among his people (Jl 3:17).

3:5-6 To lie down and to sleep are poetic and tangible ways to describe a state of security. Only a person who feels secure will be able to sleep undisturbed by troubling thoughts. Ps 4:8 uses the same combination of verbs and adds the phrase “in peace.” The psalmist was confident that he would wake again because it is the Lord himself who sustained (i.e., supported or helped) him. The psalmist’s security was unrelated to his circumstances even though he was surrounded by enemies. Confidence in God’s protection does not depend on one’s circumstances.

3:7-8 Although the fact that the psalmist was calling out to the Lord is stated in v. 4, it is v. 7 that identifies the content of his plea. The request is rather brief and made up of two imperatives: rise up and save. The first of these describes a change of state from rest to action. The action that brings salvation is expressed in vivid terms. Verse 8 contains a timeless theological truth—only the Lord can be trusted to save his people.