Psalm 3:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.

NIV: Arise, LORD! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.

NASB: Arise, Lord; save me, my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.

CSB: Rise up, Lord! Save me, my God! You strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.

NLT: Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked!

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Arise, O Lord; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.

David appeals to the Lord to save him from his many enemies. Specifically, in this case, his son has contemplated sending an army of 12,000 men with orders to kill him (2 Samuel 17:1–3). Hushai, David's ally, managed to convince Absalom to wait, and warned David (2 Samuel 17:15–16). David's prior experience, however, has given him confidence that God will not abandon him in this situation.

He recalls how the Lord struck down his enemies in the past and was confident he would do so again. Perhaps David was thinking especially about how the Lord had delivered him from a bear and a lion, from Goliath, from the Amalekites, and from King Saul's forces (1 Samuel 17:37, 49–50; 2 Samuel 1:1). "You strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked" evokes the image of landing a crushing blow in combat. The Lord would defeat David's enemies so thoroughly that they would be harmless.

Believers may not be surrounded by military foes, but we are surrounded by trials and afflictions. The apostle Paul assures us "we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). Even physical death is a defeated foe. By his resurrection, Jesus delivered a crushing blow and gained the victory over it for us. In 1 Corinthians 15:54–57, Paul writes: "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is in the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Psalm 3:7–8 ends David's prayer with a specific plea and an expression of confidence. David was surrounded by many foes, sent to kill him by his own son, Absalom (2 Samuel 15—18). Yet David recognized the Lord was on his side and would deliver him. He knew that salvation belongs to the Lord. The Lord would eventually answer David's prayer by delivering him from this desperate situation (2 Samuel 18:31–32).

David cries out to the Lord while being pursued by many enemies. Others are telling him the situation is hopeless, that he cannot be delivered from his trouble. However, David testifies that the Lord is his shield and deliverer. He says the Lord answered him from the site of Mount Zion. This answer to prayer led to a good night's sleep and confidence that he had nothing to fear from his many foes. He closes the psalm by declaring that the Lord had slain his enemies in the past and would do so again. The Lord would strike down David's enemies with crushing blows to the head. He knew the Lord delivers those who trust in Him, so he asks the Lord to bless His people.

Psalm 3 finds its background in David's flight from his rebellious son Absalom (2 Samuel 15—18). David had fled from the palace in Jerusalem and was hiding in the desert. This psalm is closely related to Psalm 4, both of which were written by David when he was a fugitive from Absalom. It is the first psalm in the first division of Psalms (Psalm 1—41) that is specifically ascribed to David. In this division only Psalms 1, 2, 10, and 33 do not bear an ascription. David's expressions of confidence in the Lord to protect him from his enemies are also seen in Psalms such as 25, 27, 28, 31, 35, and 41.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.