Psalm 3 of King David (prophet) – read the text in Russian, listen to the interpretation online for free

Often during Orthodox services, believers hear the texts of psalms. These are chapters from the book of the Old Testament, which are written in poetic form. For many they are a wonderful expression of their feelings towards God. The psalms also reflect many experiences that a person experiences throughout life. And the interpretations compiled by the holy fathers help to better understand the theological meaning contained in Scripture.

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Let's look at Psalm 3 - its interpretation and meaning.

Psalm of David 3 – what it talks about

The psalmist narrated various events at different times and raised many topics in his texts. Among them there were more joyful ones, full of hope, but there were also those filled with sadness. The latter includes the third canto. However, if you read it, you can also hear an encouraging voice, uplifting and glorifying the Lord, encouraging and inspiring.

Absalom is the third son of King David. The family drama of the prophet is connected with it. Absalom was so handsome that he did not have a single flaw “from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.” In addition, he was praised by everyone, which, together with his external attractiveness, contributed to an increase in superiority, pride, and arrogance. By modern standards, Absalom was a wonderful man: handsome, successful.

However, from a theological point of view,

he had many vices and low qualities.

Absalom sought to seize the power given to David by God. He used various tricks, even won the trust and love of the Israelis, hiding his true essence and intentions. The father loved Absalom, despite the latter's atrocities. He rebelled against David, which is why the prophet had to flee, taking with him only a small number of faithful soldiers. Absalom sent his subjects to search for his father. The prophet and the soldiers pursued him along with them.

When David learned about this, he was even more saddened. He sent his men to meet Absalom's soldiers. Despite the fact that the king's army was outnumbered, David won. However, Absalom and the remnants of his soldiers fled. At the same time, the son of David died by accident (his hair caught on a branch, and the leader of the king’s army killed him). The Prophet was saddened, he cried and cried out, “My son! Oh, who would let me die instead of you."

It is believed that the Lord killed Absalom,

because he “blasphemed his father” and also did many other wicked deeds.

At the same time, many troubles befell David: he himself became ill, his son took up arms against him, he had to face the betrayal of a friend, and the faithful people were afraid to help the fugitive ruler, because the new king (during his lifetime he planned to become Absalom) might punish him for helping the fugitive. All these misfortunes crippled David, he experienced deep sorrow. However, the prophet did not depart from the Lord. He continued to believe in the power of the Almighty and knew that God would help him overcome any hardships. This helped David to perk up. As a result, the message of the sacred text changes towards the end - praise is given to God.

History of writing

Difficulties occur in everyone's life, but the life of King David 1000 years before the birth of Christ was full of deadly trials. The king's own son Absalom was lured over to his side by traitors and enemies. This blow was unexpected for David and crippled the already sick king. He had to flee the city with a small number of loyal people, while his son, enlisting the support of most of the army, pursued the king. The caption to the text of Psalm 3 indicates that it was about this period of his life that David wrote.

The prayer is saturated with melancholy and despondency, fear for life and sincere hope for the support and protection of the Lord. The third psalm refers to both psalms of lamentation and songs of praise. If at first the suffering of David is described, then by the end the prayer is transformed, filled with strength and firm faith in the power of the Lord, in the bright future that the righteous will find.

Text of “Psalm 3” in Russian – read with translation and emphasis online, download for free

David's prayer is said sincerely. First, the text is presented in the form of thinking out loud, the king voices his experiences. At the same time, the prophet expresses hope for the help of the Almighty. He knows that the Heavenly Father will stand as a shield before the one praying, and let fear leave him, for the Lord always protects (both day and night - at any time of the day he dwells in every believer).

1 Psalm to David, who sometimes fled from the face of Absalom his son

2 Lord, why have we multiplied the cold? Many people rise up against me,

3 Many people say to my soul: there is no salvation for him in his God.

4 But You, O Lord, are my Protector, my glory, and lift up my head.

5 With my voice I cried to the Lord, and He heard me from His holy mountain. 6 I fell asleep, and smelled, and arose, for the Lord would intercede for me.

7 I will not be afraid because of the people around who attack me.

8 Arise, Lord, save me, O my God, for Thou hast struck down all those who were at enmity with me in vain: Thou hast crushed the teeth of sinners.

9 Salvation is the Lord, and your blessing is on your people.

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[ Psalm 3 in Old Church Slavonic print

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1 Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.

2 Lord, why have those who oppressed me multiplied?

3 Many rise up against me, many say to my soul, There is no salvation for him in his God.

4 But You, O Lord, are my protector, my glory, and You lift up my head.

5 With my voice I cried to the Lord, and He heard me from His holy mountain.

6 I fell asleep and slept; woke up, for the Lord will protect me.

7 I will not be afraid of the multitude of people who attack me all around.

8 Arise, O Lord, save me, my God, for Thou hast slain all those who were hostile against me in vain, Thou hast broken the teeth of sinners.

9 Salvation comes from the Lord, and your blessing comes to your people.

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Listen to the audio version of the prayer “Psalm 3” in Russian, listen 3 times in a row

Psalm 3

At the beginning of the third psalm there is the following inscription: Psalm to David, who once fled from the face of his son Absalom.

By God's permission, King David's faith and patience were tested by repeated attacks on him from his many enemies. His enemies included Ahithophel, one of his closest advisers, and even Absalom, one of his sons. The latter planned to reign in place of David, his father, and for this purpose he prepared an armed uprising against him. David was forced to leave Jerusalem, his capital, and flee with some of his close associates from the persecution of Absalom. But the Lord heard David’s prayer and saved him from the machinations of his enemies, who all died a cruel death. Struck by terrible grief, David, during the uprising of Absalom against him, cried out to the Lord:

Ps.3:2 Lord, why have I multiplied the cold; Many people rise up against me.

Translated from Hebrew: “Lord! how many enemies I have!” or: “How my enemies have multiplied!” In the Second Book of Samuel it is narrated that with Absalom many rebelled against David, because Absalom “took the hearts of the children of Israel”

, i.e.
crept into their hearts (2 Samuel 15:6,12). In confusion, David said to his servants: “Arise, and let us flee, for there is no salvation for us from the presence of Absaloml”
(2 Sam. 15:14).
"Many people rise up against me
. Almost the entire Israeli people, having deserted David, their rightful king, adhered to Absalom, who decided to overthrow David and ascend to the throne of the kingdom of Israel. Therefore, in his prayer to God, David complains about the multitude of his enemies. In this case, the Prophet David prefigured the humiliated state on earth of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who was also surrounded by many enemies. David loved his son Absalom and asked his commanders to spare his life in the event of the defeat of his army, and then he wept bitterly for his son when he learned of his death. So Jesus Christ wept over the destruction of His enemies and prayed for them. Ahithophel, David's sincere friend and adviser, betrayed him, betrayed himself to Absalom's side, and then hanged himself. So Judas, one of Christ’s close disciples, betrayed Him and after that he hanged himself.

Ps.3:3-4 Many people say to my soul: there is no salvation for him in his God. But you, Lord, are my protector, my glory, and lift up my head.

It is not unreasonable to assume that David, when prayerfully complaining to the Lord God about his many enemies, means not only his external, visible enemies who are afflicting him

, i.e.
constantly disturbing, oppressing him, but also internal enemies, such as his own flesh, constantly fighting against the law of conscience and reason, the sinful world, lying in evil, or wicked people, leading into temptation and temptation and constantly pursuing with hatred, and, finally, the primordial enemy our salvation is the devil, constantly tempting and seeking our destruction. All these enemies of David tried to arouse in his soul thoughts of despair in the mercy of God, in order to more accurately destroy him. That is why he says in prayer to God: “Many say to my soul: he hopes in vain for God’s help; there is no salvation for him from God.” So the wicked Jews, cursing at Christ crucified on the cross, said: “I trust in God: let him deliver him now if he wills”
(Matthew 27:43).

Ps.3:4 But you, O Lord, are my protector, my glory, and lift up my head.

No thoughts, no evil suggestions of David’s enemies could shake the firmness of his faith in God and turn him away from trusting in the mercy of God and His intercession. The whole life of David, all the circumstances of this life, sorrowful and joyful, serve as confirmation of what he always firmly confessed - both before people and before the face of the Omniscient God, saying as it were: let my enemies say that I hoped in vain in vain : They are all deceived. You, Lord, never abandon those who trust in You, I will always say this; You are my protector; You are my glory; In You alone do I boast, and You will not give me over to the reproach of my enemies. You lift up my head. Elevation of the Head

, raising it upward means a state of joy and cheerfulness of the spirit, just as vice versa, bowing the head and drooping the face is a sign of sadness and lamentation.

Ps.3:5 With my voice I cried to the Lord, and He heard me from His holy mountain.

Under the holy mountain

Here the psalmist means those places of the special invisible presence of God, which in his time were especially sacredly revered by the Jews. This is, firstly, the temple, or the then tabernacle of God, located on Mount Zion, and, secondly, heaven, “heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb. 12:22). Thus, the fifth verse of the psalm can be expressed in the following words: in grave sorrows, during the attacks of my enemies, I cried out to the Lord, and He mercifully accepted my prayerful cry, just as in His holy temple and in His heavenly Zion.

Ps.3:6-7 I fell asleep and fainted, and arose, for the Lord would intercede for me. I will not be afraid of the people around who attack me.

Tmami in the Holy Scriptures, in the Slavic language, expresses a large assembly, or a great multitude of people; tmami, in fact, are called myriads, or tens of thousands. Thus, the meaning of the sayings of verses 6 and 7 can be expressed as follows: “The Lord hears my cry of prayer, and therefore during enemy attacks, whether I sleep or wake, I am confident that the Lord protects and protects me. That’s why I’m not afraid of the great multitude of enemies surrounding me and taking up arms against me, even if there were tens of thousands of them.”

Ps.3:8 Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God: for thou hast slain all those who are hostile to me in vain, thou hast broken the teeth of sinners.

The word "resurrect"

used here not in the literal sense of resurrection from the dead, but figuratively.
The Lord is called resurrecting, or rising from sleep, when He comes to our aid, and, conversely, is called sleeping when He does not come or does not provide His help. The same psalmist says in another place: “Rise up, write down the world, O Lord”
(Ps. 43:24).
Under the teeth of sinners
, of course, according to St. fathers, the strength, or the strength of those who sin against David, or their slander and blasphemy. Therefore, crushing the teeth of sinners means depriving them of strength, strength, and destroying their slander. Thus, having expressed confidence in Divine protection and intercession from his enemies, David also turns to the Lord with a prayer, so that He will again rise to protect him and save him from all those who are hostile against him in vain, innocently, so that he will strike and take away their strength and opportunity harm him. “Arise,” he says, “Lord, to my help and save me, as before You have struck all those who were at enmity against me and, like despised ones, crush them with Your right hand.”

Ps.3:9 Salvation is the Lord's, and Your blessing is upon Your people.

At the conclusion of the psalm, the holy psalmist once again expresses deep recognition or confession that both he himself and the people with him owe their salvation from enemies to the One Lord, and that the blessing of the Lord rests on those people who hope in the Lord and seek His help . He seems to express these thoughts and feelings this way: not only do I owe salvation to You, Lord, but You also extend Your favor to all who confess Your name.

“Let us all, Christians, cry out, following the example of the psalmist: to You, O Lord, I cry with all my heart. God, God, hear me, the hope of all the ends of the earth and those who wander far. Rebuke all unclean spirits, so that they may flee from the presence of Your servant. Take weapons and shields and arise to help me. Sayings to my soul: I am your salvation

. May the spirit of fear, the spirit of despondency, the spirit of pride and all malice depart from my soul, may all kindling produced by the action of the devil be extinguished in it; may my spirit, soul and body be enlightened by the light of Thy vision, and having come to the measure of age, to the age of the century, with the angels and with all those who have pleased You, I will glorify Thy most honorable and worshiped name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen" (Psalter of St. Ephraim the Syrian).

“Psalm 3” by King David in Old Church Slavonic with emphasis

1 Psalm to David, who sometimes fled from the face of Absalom his son

2 Lord, why have we multiplied the cold? Many people rise up against me,

3 Many people say to my soul: there is no salvation for him in his God.

4 But You, O Lord, are my Protector, my glory, and lift up my head.

5 With my voice I cried to the Lord, and He heard me from His holy mountain.

6 I fell asleep, and smelled, and arose, for the Lord would intercede for me.

7 I will not be afraid because of the people around who attack me.

8 Arise, Lord, save me, O my God, for Thou hast struck down all those who were at enmity with me in vain: Thou hast crushed the teeth of sinners.

9 Salvation is the Lord, and your blessing is on your people.

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Kathisma 1 in Church Slavonic in the Synodal classical translation

Kathisma is a section of the Psalter. Another name is Poetry. There are 20 kathismas in total. Each contains a different number of psalms. The third canto is also part of one of the sections - kathisma 1. These parts of the Psalter are divided into 3 fragments (Glory). The name comes from the doxology (“Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit...”), it is read between different parts of the text, words.

The third canto can be recited separately, as a prayer, or recited as part of an entire section.

When reading, the same rules apply

as when addressing the Almighty through other sacred texts.

It is believed that the best (theologically correct) is not the most accessible, although this is the classic option. It is called synodal because of its connection with the event - the meeting of the board (the Holy Synod). This governing body approved the final versions of translations (19th century). The prayer word in a more understandable format is intended to be read at home or in church.

1 Psalm to David, Who fled from the face of Absalom his Son

(Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son.)

2 Lord, why have we multiplied the cold? Many people rise up against me,

(Lord, how my enemies have multiplied! Many are rising up against me)

3 Many people say to my soul: there is no salvation for him in his God.

(Many say to my soul: “He has no salvation in God.”)

4 But You, O Lord, are my Protector, my glory, and lift up my head.

(But You, O Lord, are a shield before me, my glory, and You lift up my head.)

5 With my voice I cried to the Lord, and He heard me from His holy mountain.

(With my voice I cry to the Lord, and He hears me from His holy mountain.)

6 I fell asleep, and smelled, and arose, for the Lord would intercede for me.

(I lie down, sleep and get up, for the Lord protects me.)

7 I will not be afraid because of the people around who attack me.

(I will not be afraid of the people who have taken up arms against me from all sides.)

8 Arise, Lord, save me, O my God, for Thou hast struck down all those who were at enmity with me in vain: Thou hast crushed the teeth of sinners.

(Arise, Lord! Save me, my God! For You strike all my enemies on the cheek; You crush the teeth of the wicked.)

9 Salvation is the Lord, and your blessing is on your people.

(Salvation comes from the Lord. On Your people is Your blessing.)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to you, God. (three times)

Lord, have mercy (three times)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

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Interpretation of the Psalms. Psalm III

In the interpretation of the psalms by Christian authors, the most important exegetical principle is clearly visible: the educational significance of the sacred text. Thus, being written in a certain historical context, the lines of the Bible prophetically proclaim New Testament events and then, more allegorically, reflect various states of the human soul. In the psalms, reflecting a certain historical reality, Christian authors saw prophecies about the events of the New Testament, and in what was happening to David they could see different situations from the life of Jesus Christ. But the interpretation was not limited to the earthly life of the Savior. Even more relevant turned out to be either a moralizing conclusion from biblical lines, or a search for the eternal meaning of the psalm, suitable for everyone and always, reflecting the most important spiritual movements of man. The third psalm sounds at every Matins as part of the Six Psalms, reflecting the feeling of abandonment and vulnerability of a person, whose main hope can only be in God: “The Lord’s salvation is.” “It befits not David alone, but also everyone who is attacked by enemies, visible and invisible” (Euphemius Zigaben).

As the inscription of the third psalm says (Psalm to David, who sometimes fled his son from Absalom), it was composed in connection with the flight of King David during the seizure of power by his son Absalom (2 Sam. 15–18)1. Being persecuted by the person closest to him, knowing about the betrayal of Ahithophel, one of his close associates, David cried out to the Lord, simultaneously prefiguring the rejection of Christ by Israel (which in the Bible is called the son of God), the betrayal of Judas, the suffering and resurrection of Jesus Christ2.

The historical explanation of the psalm also has a moral application. David was punished for his crime: he broke up someone else's family - he sent Uriah to death, and he himself married his wife Bathsheba. From IV-V centuries. A text has reached us under the name of St. John Chrysostom, now attributed to Asterius (IV–V? centuries), which contains a purely moral interpretation of the psalm and states that “domestic disasters are the fruits of sins.” “Blessed David in this psalm had the goal of teaching a virtuous and chaste life, never doing evil and not despising the laws of God, so that the sinner would not suffer the same thing that he himself suffered. David fled from his son because he had strayed from purity; fled from his son because he violated a chaste marriage; fled from his son because he fled from the law of God, which says: Thou shalt not kill, neither commit adultery (Exodus 20:13)... Many are even now waging war in their homes: one encounters war from his wife, another is besieged by his son, another suffers troubles from a brother, another from a servant - and each one suffers, is annoyed, fights, causes war and is amazed by the war; but no one thinks, reasoning within himself, that if he had not sowed sins, then thorns and thistles would not have grown in his house; if he had not planted sparks of sin, then his house would not have caught fire.”3.

Blzh. Jerome says that the psalm can be attributed to David or to Christ, and through Him to all the saints4. In general, Western interpreters more often emphasize the connection of the psalms with the life of Jesus Christ. In particular, verse 6 (I slept and fell, rose) received a Christological explanation, as announcing the death and resurrection of Christ. Yes, darling. Augustine says: “The prophecies of the psalms did not remain silent about His resurrection. For what else is sung in the third psalm on His behalf: “I lie down, sleep, and get up, for the Lord protects me” (Ps. 3:6)? Would anyone be so lost in common sense that he would think that the prophet wanted to present to us as something great the fact that he would fall asleep and get up, if by sleep this did not mean death, and by awakening - resurrection, which in such expressions was meant foreshadow Christ? (About the city of God 17, 18). Among the Easterners this place finds a similar understanding. Thus, David “teaches how the general burden of human misfortunes will be resolved, and with sudden illumination by the Spirit, taught by the mystery of the Lord’s suffering, he takes upon himself the very face of the Master and says: “I fell asleep and fell asleep, and arose, for the Lord would intercede for me” (Ps. 3: 6). (St. Gregory of Nyssa. On the inscription of psalms. 2, 10.)

However, a more common approach to the perception of the third psalm has been the search for spiritual meaning, relevant beyond the temporal events of biblical history. Interpreters have often been attracted by the correlation of the psalms with the inner life of the soul, the reflection in them of the diverse spiritual world. St. Athanasius says “that the psalms serve as a mirror for those who sing them; in them he recognizes the movements of his soul... And the one who listens to the reader accepts the psalm as a song about himself... And everyone, when he sings the third psalm, looking at his own sorrows, considers the words contained in the psalm as if they were his own “5. “If you are persecuted by your own people and there are many who rise up against you, then say the third psalm”6. This approach makes the psalm more universal, applicable at any time, reflecting the eternal laws of spiritual life. Thus, the fight against the enemy, invisible spiritual warfare, is a person’s constant companion throughout his life.

Eastern interpreters, in search of the eternal meaning of the Holy Scriptures, are more inclined to attribute the content of the psalms to the internal movements of the soul. This is especially clearly seen in the commentary on the third psalm of St. Gregory of Nyssa: “So the first psalm removed man from an affinity with evil, the second, foreshadowing the appearance of the Lord in the flesh and showing that our blessedness is our hope in Him, indicated to whom we should cleave. The third psalm foreshadows the temptation coming to you from the enemy, so that you, already anointed to the kingdom for faith and co-reigning with the true Anointed One, intends to overthrow you from this dignity not by someone external, but by someone who comes from you yourself. For the enemy does not have power over us borrowed from the outside, and we are not overthrown from our dignity by anyone else, unless we ourselves, through severe torment, become the fathers of evil offspring...” This spiritual interpretation is further passed on by St. Gregory into an allegory, an allegory, a riddle: since in the first psalms our forces have not yet been strengthened for the fight, so that when the enemy attacks us face to face, we can enter into battle with him; that word showed the combatants that it is not unimportant for safety to avoid the invasion of such an enemy, by example from the inscription, teaching you that when Absalom is born to you, a fratricide, hairy with vices, who was furious at your honest marriage and on your undefiled bed; then run, as the Lord says, from city to city (Matthew 10:23). For by fleeing from the face of such a son - Absalom, one who has gathered his strength with the help of a tree that has tied Absalom's evil hair to himself can kill the enemy with three arrows... this arrow is the living Word of the Lord, sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12) , the word is Christ; and in this name the mystery of the Trinity is confessed. In Him we recognize both the Anointed One, and the Anointed One, and the One by Whom He is Anointed.” (On the inscription of psalms. 2, 11.) So, in this case we are already faced with the extremes of the allegorical method adopted by St. Gregory, probably from Origen.

Now let's pay attention to some details.

The inscription of the third psalm seems somewhat unexpected. This psalm is one of the first, and the events associated with the uprising of Absalom took place far from the beginning of King David’s life and certainly, for example, after the occasion and writing of Psalm 50. In this regard, let us consider one of the general issues of the psalter, namely the sequence of psalms, and pay attention to their order. They come one after another, not in the order of historical events and, obviously, not in the order in which they were written. But one can hardly talk about the random and disorderly arrangement of psalms in this ancient sacred collection. St. also dwells on a certain order of psalms. Gregory of Nyssa, he speaks about the goal pursued by this order: “others will thoroughly ask why the order of psalmody does not agree with the sequence of history. For if anyone pays attention to the distance of time in which David’s life continued, and to the sequence of events, he will not find that the arrangement of the psalms is consistent with the order of history. Therefore, turning to the first purpose of our word, let’s say that our Teacher was not concerned about any of this; and Teacher, I think, should be called the Holy Spirit, as the Lord says: He will teach you everything (John 14:26). So, He, the leader and mentor of souls, recognizes everything else as a secondary matter, and His concern is only to save those wandering in the vanity of life and to attract them to true life. For for every deed performed with any purpose, there is a certain natural and necessary order in which the desired is successively fulfilled... In the first section of psalmody we are excommunicated from a vicious life, and in the following sections, in a continuous sequence, the likeness is brought to perfection. Therefore, the order of the psalms is structured because, as has been said, it is desirable for the Spirit to teach us not simple history, but to form our souls with virtue according to God, as required by the consistent understanding of what is written in the psalms, and not what is needed in historical sequence.” (On the inscription of Psalms 2, 11.) The church use of the psalter presupposes regular reading of the entire book in a row in order with a known frequency (once or twice a week). One biblical scholar expressed the importance of reading the psalms sequentially in the order given in the Bible: “I believe that the Psalter does have a certain order, which exegetes are trying to rediscover today, and this order must be respected. There is, as the church fathers said, a consequential between one psalm and another, a sequential concatenation of terms and motifs, which obliges the reader to be consistent, to have continuity in reading, becoming a kind of sequence (in Greek, akoluthia). Through reading from top to bottom all David’s psalms, the true messianic experience, the experience of following the Messiah, is realized in us.

A characteristic figure of speech reflecting the peculiarities of the Hebrew text of the Bible is the following Hebraism in verse 5: I cried with my voice to the Lord. It is clear that you can only cry out with your voice, but this seemingly unnecessary repetition gives the text a special poetics, expressiveness and intensification. The Lord hears David “from His holy mountain,” that is, Zion, as a place of His special, gracious presence.

The expression is remarkable in its expressiveness: “thou hast broken the teeth of sinners” (Ps. 3:8). In the Explanation of the Psalms of St. Athanasius gives the following explanation: “The teeth of sinners are either the strength of those who sin against him, or their slander and blasphemy.” Then there follows another explanation, now attributed to Evagrius of Pontus: “the teeth of sinners are dumb (or unreasonable) thoughts that come to us by nature, using which our enemies often approach us to tear off our flesh (Ps. 27:2), that is, born of the flesh: the essence of the matter of the flesh is revealed (Gal. 5:19), as the divine apostle says.”8 Blzh. Theodoret, in his Explanation of the Psalms, explains the image of the teeth this way: “he deprived them of all their strength; the image of expression is borrowed from animals, which, if they lack teeth, are not at all dangerous and are easily overcome.”

Priest Dimitry Rumyantsev, Master of Theology

1. Blzh. Theodoret of Cyrus notes that “because of the warm repentance he brought, the Spirit of God then acted in him.”
2. “In the highest prophetic sense, the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father during the suffering of the Cross is heard in the psalm.” Miller T. A. Comments // Educational Psalter with parallel translation into Russian. M., 2011. P. 661.
3. John Chrysostom, St. Conversations on the Psalms. - M.: Spassky Brotherhood, 2013. P. 8.
4. Psalms 1–50. Edited by Craig A. Blaising and Carmen S. Hardin. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture. Old Testament VII. 2008. P. 19.
5. Epistle to Marcellinus, 12.
6. Ibid., 15.
7. Mello A. God's love in the psalms. M.: BBI, 2014. pp. 4–5. Wed. lines by D. Bonhoeffer: “you cannot choose individual psalms to your liking, by doing this we dishonor the biblical prayer book and behave as if we know better than God Himself what we should pray for” (D. Bonhoeffer. Psalms - biblical prayer book. On counseling. M ., 2006. P. 28). The point is not about not using individual psalms, but about not neglecting the rest, as if they do not relate to us.
8. Scholia in Psalmos. See: PG 12, 1132. In the Patrology of Min, these lines are found in the works of Origen.

Orthodox detailed interpretation of the prophet

If we take the text in Church Slavonic as a basis, then it will be difficult for most believers to understand the meaning, since for this you need to have an expanded amount of knowledge in theology. Many words have a different meaning, and an erroneous judgment about the meaning of the psalm will give a wrong idea about the dogmas of Orthodoxy. This will increase the incorrect picture of the world. In turn, it will form the basis of ideas among descendants.

You can avoid such consequences, you just need to be patient and attentive when studying sacred texts. Those who have just begun to read the Psalter need to remember that at this stage it will not be possible to do without the interpretations of theologians and clergy. The translation helps to find out the meanings of the words of the Church Slavonic language in which the Psalter is written. However, it does not always reveal the meaning. Many translations convey a narrower meaning of what is written. If the main idea is taken literally, the deeper power of the psalms is lost.

Verse 1

Psalm 3 contains 9 verses. Moreover, the first of them gives a direct indication of the time period when the events that David narrates took place. This happened when Absalom (the son of the prophet) rose above his father and the Lord and decided to take the throne of his parent. It is impossible to specify the time (hour in a day) more precisely. These are events of long ago, many details have been lost. However, we can say with confidence that the psalm was written after David’s flight from Jerusalem.

Psalm to David, who sometimes ran away from the face of Absalom his son

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Verse 2

The prophet narrates the events of those days from the moment when he realized how many enemies had gathered around. His own son began hunting for the king, and his subjects supported him. The prophet could die at any moment, which also saddened him. “Many are rebelling against me” - this refers to an amazing feature of a person: when a change in power occurs, those who previously did not have the opportunity to express themselves out loud do so in the shadow of a stronger one, often under the cover of the attacking person.

Lord, why have we multiplied the cold? Many people rise up against me,

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Verse 3

“There is no salvation for him in God” - the wicked, unbelievers deny the omnipotence of the Lord. They glorify themselves and their capabilities; in the worst case, they worship the devil. This does not allow us to get a complete picture of the world, because only people full of Divine light have the ability to see the whole picture, while uniting opposites.

In fact, David knows that all of them, the wicked, are mistaken - the Lord exists and he is in each of us, he is among us, protects, protects, guides, but also educates and blasphemes. However, this is all God, he sees everyone and everything, and grants salvation to those who turn to him.

Many people say to my soul: there is no salvation for him in his God.

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Verse 4

David turns to the Heavenly Father, he glorifies him, says: “But you, Lord, are a shield before me, my glory, and you lift up my head.” These words show how convinced David is that he is right, because he has joined the Great Truth, and those who condemn his hopes for the Heavenly Father will see reality, but this will not save them from oblivion.

But you, Lord, are my Protector, my glory, and lift up my head.

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Verse 5

“With my voice I cry to the Lord, and He hears me from His Holy Mountain” - the prophet already knows that God hears each of the prayers. Despite the apparent external loneliness after the King left Jerusalem, David’s inner peace did not become impoverished. The Prophet continued to believe in the Almighty and turn to him while on the run. God will hear prayers from everywhere, even “from his mountain.”

5 With my voice I cried to the Lord, and He heard me from His holy mountain.

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Verse 6

Prophet David believes that the Lord protects him day and night: when he gets up and when he goes to bed. This allows you to feel safe regardless of the circumstances.

I fell asleep, and smelled, and arose, as if the Lord would intercede for me.

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Verse 7

This verse is a continuation of the previous one. In it, David says that “he will not be afraid of the people who have taken up arms against me on all sides.” This is what happened when the king escaped, when he could not trust any of the people around him, for they were all in fear because of possible denunciations for helping the fugitive.

David, despite these dangers, remained among the living, went to bed and got up, although he was surrounded by enemies on all sides. However, the Lord protected him. Seeing this, the prophet continued to believe in the limitless power of the Heavenly Father.

I will not be afraid of those people around who attack me.

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Verse 8

David calls on God to rise up. He prays for punishment for his enemies, punishment for the atrocities committed. But the Lord is just, he will not leave any of the wicked unanswered for their atrocities. However, David had been enduring trials for a long time, and therefore he prayed to God for help in freeing himself from his enemies.

Arise, Lord, save me, my God, for You have struck down all those who were at enmity with me in vain: You have crushed the teeth of sinners.

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Verse 9

Salvation comes from the Lord, and the people of Israel receive God's blessing. This is the denouement of any difficult situation - the Heavenly Father Triumphant, and with him believers who have not renounced the Almighty.

Salvation is the Lord, and Your blessing is upon Your people.

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Content

King David was one of Israel's most famous rulers. But his fate turned out to be very difficult. He had to endure a lot, but in any circumstances he always relied on God, His mercy. The text of Psalm 3, which is included in the Six Psalms (prayers that are part of the evening Orthodox service), is about this.

• This prayer was composed during the period when David was hiding from persecution. Only a few devoted people remained with him; it seemed that the whole world was up in arms against the king.
• Realizing the danger, the author initially finds his situation hopeless. However, already in the next lines the mood changes.
• It was the Lord who had given him all his previous successes, so why couldn’t He help him this time? According to I. Lopukhin’s interpretation, it is the Almighty who becomes for the fugitive a source of confidence that everything will be fine.
• Enemies who want David dead will be punished by God. It is he who promises to protect the faithful in Scripture, so the psalmist no longer fears death. The words of the prayer are full of confidence, triumph, and praise to the Lord.

Question-answer section

You can read Psalm 3, listen - the result of prayer will be the same. The first method has the advantage of being able to interrupt when necessary to clarify unclear points in the interpretation text. Questions about the psalm being read are also asked to the clergyman. It is possible to turn to an Orthodox resource and find answers here.

Psalm 3, why is it read?

Expert opinion

Father Innocent

“Psalm 3 is a source of wisdom, because David’s behavior can provide an example that even in the deepest sorrow one should not abandon God or hate him for the adversities that are sent. All the tests that are given by the Almighty are designed to help the development of the soul, its change, approach to the Heavenly Father, and also to show that love for God is the highest happiness on Earth, renunciation of it is like a slow death. If you read or listen to a psalm, you can strengthen your faith, receive support in difficult situations (when a lawsuit is filed, litigation is ongoing, neighbors or relatives are at enmity, the prayer of the person praying is disturbed because of this).”

What is the power of praying Psalm of David 3?

The third song of the first kathisma of the Psalter shows the power of the Lord - it protects the believer, even when he is surrounded on all sides by many enemies seeking to destroy him. The psalm makes one feel the depth of faith a person must have in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. When reading the prayer, love intensifies, a person ceases to depend on circumstances, the surrounding world, relies on God, learns to turn to him when insurmountable difficulties arise. In response to the goodness of the Almighty, the person praying is taught to give gratitude, to extol God above all else.

Psalm of David 3 – at what time of day to read?

This song is part of Matins - a prayer reading held in the early hours of the day. Moreover, Psalm 3 is an important part of it. Before the prayer begins, a small doxology is performed. Then the third psalm is read. The six psalms are said at every morning. The exception is the days of Bright Week. At home they read Psalm 3 in Russian.