Psalms 3:1

Psalm 3 ¹ 

A psalm of David, written when he fled from his son Absalom. ² 

3:1 Lord, how ³  numerous are my enemies!

Many attack me. ⁴ 

Psalms 118:10-12

118:10 All the nations surrounded me. ⁵ 

Indeed, in the name of the Lord ⁶  I pushed them away. ⁷ 

118:11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me.

Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away.

118:12 They surrounded me like bees.

But they disappeared as quickly ⁸  as a fire among thorns. ⁹ 

Indeed, in the name of the Lord I pushed them away.

Acts 4:25-27

4:25 who said by the Holy Spirit through ¹⁰  your servant David our forefather, ¹¹ 

‘Why do the nations ¹²  rage, ¹³ 

and the peoples plot foolish ¹⁴  things?

4:26 The kings of the earth stood together, ¹⁵ 

and the rulers assembled together,

against the Lord and against his ¹⁶  Christ.’ ¹⁷ 

4:27 “For indeed both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together in this city against ¹⁸  your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, ¹⁹ 

Revelation 16:14

16:14 For they are the spirits of the demons performing signs who go out to the kings of the earth ²⁰  to bring them together for the battle that will take place on the great day of God, the All-Powerful. ²¹ 

[3:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 3. The psalmist acknowledges that he is confronted by many enemies (vv. 1-2). But, alluding to a divine oracle he has received (vv. 4-5), he affirms his confidence in God’s ability to protect him (vv. 3, 6) and requests that God make his promise a reality (vv. 7-8).

[3:1]  ² sn According to Jewish tradition, David offered this prayer when he was forced to flee from Jerusalem during his son Absalom’s attempted coup (see 2 Sam 15:13-17).

[3:1]  ³ tn The Hebrew term מָה (mah, “how”) is used here as an adverbial exclamation (see BDB 553 s.v.).

[3:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “many rise up against me.”

[118:10]  ⁵ sn The reference to an attack by the nations suggests the psalmist may have been a military leader.

[118:10]  ⁶ tn In this context the phrase “in the name of the Lord” means “by the Lord’s power.”

[118:10]  ⁷ tn Traditionally the verb has been derived from מוּל (mul, “to circumcise”) and translated “[I] cut [them] off” (see BDB 557-58 s.v. II מוּל). However, it is likely that this is a homonym meaning “to fend off” (see HALOT 556 s.v. II מול) or “to push away.” In this context, where the psalmist is reporting his past experience, the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite. The phrase also occurs in vv. 11, 12.

[118:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “were extinguished.”

[118:12]  ⁹ tn The point seems to be that the hostility of the nations (v. 10) is short-lived, like a fire that quickly devours thorns and then burns out. Some, attempting to create a better parallel with the preceding line, emend דֹּעֲכוּ (do’akhu, “they were extinguished”) to בָּעֲרוּ (ba’aru, “they burned”). In this case the statement emphasizes their hostility.

[4:25]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “by the mouth of” (an idiom).

[4:25]  ¹¹ tn Or “ancestor”; Grk “father.”

[4:25]  ¹² tn Or “Gentiles.”

[4:25]  ¹³ sn The Greek word translated rage includes not only anger but opposition, both verbal and nonverbal. See L&N 88.185.

[4:25]  ¹⁴ tn Or “futile”; traditionally, “vain.”

[4:26]  ¹⁵ tn Traditionally, “The kings of the earth took their stand.”

[4:26]  ¹⁶ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[4:26]  ¹⁷ sn A quotation from Ps 2:1-2.

[4:27]  ¹⁸ sn The application of Ps 2:1-2 is that Jews and Gentiles are opposing Jesus. The surprise of the application is that Jews are now found among the enemies of God’s plan.

[4:27]  ¹⁹ sn A wordplay on “Christ,” v. 26, which means “one who has been anointed.”

[16:14]  ²⁰ tn BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 1 states, “the inhabited earth, the world…ὅλη ἡ οἰκ. the whole inhabited earth…Mt 24:14; Ac 11:28; Rv 3:10; 16:14.”

[16:14]  ²¹ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”