Many say of meThis phrase reflects the psalmist's awareness of the opinions and judgments of others. In the context of
Psalm 3, David is fleeing from his son Absalom, who has usurped the throne. The phrase indicates the widespread belief among David's adversaries that he is beyond help. This sentiment is echoed in
2 Samuel 16:8, where Shimei curses David, suggesting that God has abandoned him. The phrase highlights the isolation and vulnerability David feels, a common theme in the Psalms where the righteous are often surrounded by those who doubt God's presence and power.
“God will not deliver him.”
This statement is a direct challenge to David's faith and trust in God. It reflects a common belief in the ancient Near East that a person's misfortune was a sign of divine abandonment. Theologically, this phrase tests the covenant relationship between God and David, as God had promised to establish David's throne forever (2 Samuel 7:16). The doubt expressed here contrasts with the assurance found in other scriptures, such asPsalm 34:17, which affirms that the Lord delivers the righteous from all their troubles. This phrase also foreshadows the mockery Jesus faced on the cross, as recorded inMatthew 27:43, where onlookers doubted God's deliverance.
Selah
The term "Selah" is often found in the Psalms and is thought to be a musical or liturgical marker, possibly indicating a pause for reflection or a musical interlude. Its exact meaning is uncertain, but it serves to emphasize the preceding statement, inviting the reader or listener to contemplate the gravity of the situation. In the context ofPsalm 3, "Selah" encourages a moment of reflection on the dire circumstances David faces and the challenge to his faith, prompting the audience to consider their own trust in God's deliverance amidst adversity.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
DavidThe author of
Psalm 3, David is fleeing from his son Absalom, who has rebelled against him. This context of personal betrayal and danger is crucial for understanding the depth of David's lament and trust in God.
2.
AbsalomDavid's son, who led a rebellion against his father, causing David to flee Jerusalem. This event is a backdrop for the psalm and highlights the personal and political turmoil David faced.
3.
GodThe central figure in whom David places his trust, despite the doubts expressed by others. The psalm reflects David's reliance on God's salvation and protection.
4.
EnemiesThose who oppose David, both physically in the form of Absalom's followers and spiritually as those who doubt God's ability to save David.
5.
SelahA term used in the Psalms, possibly indicating a pause for reflection or musical interlude, emphasizing the gravity of the statement made.
Teaching Points
Trust in God's SalvationDespite external voices of doubt, believers are called to trust in God's power to save and deliver.
Facing OppositionLike David, Christians may face opposition and doubt from others, but they should remain steadfast in their faith.
The Power of WordsThe words of others can deeply affect us, but we must weigh them against the truth of God's promises.
Reflective Pause (Selah)Taking time to pause and reflect on God's faithfulness can strengthen our resolve and trust in Him.
God's Faithfulness in TrialsEven in the midst of personal and external turmoil, God's faithfulness remains a constant source of hope and strength.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Psalm 3:2?
2.How can Psalm 3:2 strengthen your trust in God's deliverance today?
3.What does Psalm 3:2 reveal about the challenges believers face from others?
4.How does Psalm 3:2 connect with Romans 8:31 about God's support?
5.In what ways can you apply Psalm 3:2 during personal trials?
6.How does Psalm 3:2 encourage reliance on God despite others' doubts?
7.How does Psalm 3:2 challenge the believer's trust in God's protection amid adversity?
8.What historical context influenced the writing of Psalm 3:2?
9.How does Psalm 3:2 reflect the theme of divine deliverance?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Psalm 3?
11.What musical terms are used in Psalms?
12.What does "Selah" mean in the Bible?
13.What musical terms are mentioned in the Bible?
14.How does God provide deliverance from troubles?What Does Psalm 3:2 Mean
Many say of me• David records the painful reality that opposition is not isolated but “many.” His flight from Absalom (2 Samuel 15–16) shows how quickly crowds can turn.
• Scripture repeats this theme of multiplied voices against the righteous—Job faced friends who misunderstood his suffering (Job 16:2-3), and Jeremiah heard “many whispering, ‘Terror on every side!’” (Jeremiah 20:10).
• Jesus experienced the same collective mockery: “Those who passed by hurled insults at Him” (Matthew 27:39-40). The verse reminds us that godly people often encounter a chorus of critics, not just a single detractor.
God will not deliver him• The mockers attack David’s very relationship with the LORD, declaring that divine rescue is impossible. Similar taunts appear inPsalm 22:8—“He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD deliver him.”
• Such words aim to undermine faith. When Shimei cursed David, he shouted, “The LORD has repaid you” (2 Samuel 16:7-8), implying abandonment.
• Yet numerous passages underscore God’s unfailing rescue: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all” (Psalm 34:19). The scoffers’ claim is the opposite of God’s promise.
• For believers today, the tactic is unchanged: voices insist God won’t come through. Scripture counters with assurance—“He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5-6).
Selah• This pause invites reflection. Instead of rushing past the sting of ridicule, David stops to let the accusation—and his coming confidence in God—sink in.
• Moments of “Selah” appear elsewhere (Psalm 46:7,11) to frame a shift from crisis to trust. Here it readies the reader for verse 3: “But You, O LORD, are a shield about me.”
• Practically, Selah teaches us to take time in prayer: acknowledge the attack, then deliberately consider God’s character before responding.
summaryPsalm 3:2 records real, widespread voices denying God’s willingness to save. Their claim exposes a timeless strategy of the enemy: shake the believer’s confidence in divine deliverance. David admits the hurt, pauses to reflect, and will immediately affirm God’s protection. The verse challenges us to recognize external doubts for what they are, pause in God’s presence, and cling to His unfailing promise that He does, in fact, deliver His people.
(2)
There is no help.--According to the current creed, misfortune implied wickedness, and the wicked were God-forsaken. David, too, had sent back Zadok with the Ark, which in the popular view meant sending away the power and the presence of God. Even Zadok seemed to share this feeling; and David's words to him, "thou a seer" (
2Samuel 15:27), seem to contain something of a rebuke.
Selah.--This curious word must apparently remain for ever what it has been ever since the first translation of the Bible was made--the puzzle of ordinary readers, and the despair of scholars. One certain fact about it has been reached, and this the very obscurity of the term confirms. It has no ethical significance, as the Targum, followed by some other of the old versions and by St. Jerome, implies, for in that case it would long ago have yielded a satisfactory meaning. There are many obscure words in Hebrew, but their obscurity arises from the infrequency of their use; butselahoccurs no less than seventy-one times in the compass of thirty-nine psalms, and three times in the ode of Habakkuk (Habakkuk 3:3;Habakkuk 3:9;Habakkuk 3:13). It is pretty certain that the sense "for ever," which is the traditional interpretation of the Rabbinical schools, does not suit the majority of these places, and no other moral or spiritual rendering has ever been suggested; nor is it a poetical word, marking the end of a verse or the division into strophes, for it occurs sometimes in the very middle of a stanza, as inPsalm 20:3-4;Psalm 32:4-5;Psalm 52:3-4, and often at the end of a psalm (Psalms 46). There is only one conclusion, now universally admitted, thatselahis a musical term, but in the hopeless perplexity and darkness that besets the whole subject of Hebrew music, its precise intention must be left unexplained. The conjecture that has the most probability on its side makes it a direction toplay loud.The derivation fromsalah, "to raise," is in favour of this view. The fact that in one place (Psalm 9:16) it is joined tohiggaion,which is explained as a term having reference to the sound of stringed instruments, lends support to it, as also does the translation uniformly adopted in the Psalms by the LXX.:????????--if, indeed, that word means interlude. It is curious that the interpretation next in favour to Ewald's makes the meaning ofselahexactly the opposite to his--pianoinstead offorte--deriving it from a word meaning "to be silent," "to suspend." . . .
Verse 2. -
Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. When Absalom first raised the standard of revolt, there were no doubt many who looked to see some signal Divine interposition on behalf of the anointed king and against the rebel; but when David fled, and with so few followers (
2 Samuel 15:18), and in his flight spoke so doubtfully of his prospects (
2 Samuel 15:26), and when no help seemed to arise from any quarter, then we can well understand that men's opinions changed, and they came to think that David was God-forsaken, and would succumb to his unnatural foe (comp.
Psalm 71:10, 11). Partisans of Absalom would see in David's expulsion from his capital a Divine Nemesis (
2 Samuel 16:8), and regard it as quite natural that God should not help him.
Selah. There is no traditional explanation of this word. The LXX. rendered it by
διάψαλμα which is said to mean "a change of the musical tone;" but it is against this explanation that
selah occurs sometimes, as here, at the end of a psalm, where no change was possible. Other explanations rest wholly on conjecture, and are valueless.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
Manyרַבִּים֮(rab·bîm)Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 7227:Much, many, greatsayאֹמְרִ֪ים(’ō·mə·rîm)Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 559:To utter, sayof me,לְנַ֫פְשִׁ֥י(lə·nap̄·šî)Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5315:A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion“Godבֵֽאלֹהִ֬ים(ḇê·lō·hîm)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430:gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlativewill notאֵ֤ין(’ên)Adverb
Strong's 369:A non-entity, a negative particledeliver him.”יְֽשׁוּעָ֓תָה(yə·šū·‘ā·ṯāh)Noun - feminine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 3444:Something saved, deliverance, aid, victory, prosperitySelahסֶֽלָה׃(se·lāh)Interjection
Strong's 5542:Suspension, pause
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OT Poetry: Psalm 3:2 Many there are who say of my (Psalm Ps Psa.) 
