Psalms 3 - Introduction

III.

With this psalm the hymn-book of Israel properly begins. The title indicates it as the first psalm of a Davidic collection formed at some time previous to the arrangement of the rest of the Psalter — a date, however, which we cannot recover. We also find ourselves on probable historical ground. The only reason to suspect the tradition embodied in the title which refers Psalms 3 to the time of the flight from Absalom, is in the mention of “the holy mountain”; and this is explained as in Note to Psalms 3:4. There is a beautiful conjecture which connects the two psalms with the actual day of the flight from Jerusalem — the day of whose events we have a more detailed account than of any other in Jewish history. The close connection of the two psalms is seen by a comparison of Psalms 4:7 with Psalms 3:3, and Psalms 3:5 with Psalms 4:8, and of both with the narrative in 2 Samuel 15:16; 2 Samuel 15:17.

The absence of any allusion to Absalom by name may be accounted for by the tender feeling of the fond father for the rebellious son. Ewald calls attention to the evidence in the tone of Psalms 3, not only of a tried religious sense, but also of the elasticity and strength supplied by a peaceful sleep. “The calmer mood of a cheerful morning” comes to crown the constancy of a faith which is not of yesterday, but has been built up by a lifetime. The same eminent critic declares that here “the elevation, the stamp, the style of David are unmistakable.” The rhythmical arrangement is so artistic that we must suppose the poem composed at leisure, after the excitement of the rout was over.

Title. — A Psalm of David. Heb., Mizmôr ledavid, the usual form of announcing authorship. Mizmôr, which occurs only in the inscriptions to psalms, must be regarded as the technical term for a particular kind of lyric composition, and possibly originated with David. It corresponds to ψαλµὸς in the Greek version; and whether the root from which it is derived primarily means “to prune,” or is, as some think, a word formed to express the sound of a harp-string when struck, it means a song composed for musical accompaniment, as is shown by its being sometimes united with shir, the generic name for song. (See titles to Psalms 48, 66)