מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד בְּבָרְחוֹ מִפְּנֵי אַבְשָׁלוֹם בְּנוֹ

A psalm by David when he fled from Avshalom his son. Although the heading makes reference to a specific episode, the psalm speaks generally of a situation of great distress. It is an entreaty to God, coupled with an expression of faith that He will rescue the psalmist from his dire straits.

ה' מָה רַבּוּ צָרָי רַבִּים קָמִים עָלָי

Lord, how numerous are my tormentors; many rise up against me. Not only are they enemies, but they are rebels from within my own ranks.

רַבִּים אֹמְרִים לְנַפְשִׁי אֵין יְשׁוּעָתָה לּוֹ בֵאלֹהִים סֶלָה

In addition to these enemies and rebels, principally Avshalom’s army, there are many others who say of me: There is no salvation for him in God. Although they were not actively involved in the insurgency, they nonetheless believed that David’s reign had ended and that his predicament was hopeless. Selah.

וְאַתָּה ה' מָגֵן בַּעֲדִי כְּבוֹדִי ומֵרִים רֹאשִׁי

But You, Lord, protect me. You are my glory, or alternatively, You are the source of my glory, and You lift my head. You keep me from being completely cast off and humiliated.

קוֹלִי אֶל ה'אֶקְרָא וַיַּעֲנֵנִי מֵהַר קָדְשׁוֹ סֶלָה

I cried aloud to the Lord and He answered me from His holy mount, Selah. It is as if I can hear the voice of God speaking to me from the holy mount in Jerusalem.

אֲנִי שָׁכַבְתִּי וָאִישָׁנָה הֱקִיצוֹתִי כִּי ה' יִסְמְכֵנִי

I lay down and slept, often dejected and with no expectation that I would live to see the following day. But I awoke and did not succumb to eternal sleep, because the Lord sustains me and gave me strength to carry on.

לֹא אִירָא מֵרִבְבוֹת עָם אֲשֶׁר סָבִיב שָׁתוּ עָלָי

And because God sustains me, I shall have no fear of the myriads that surround me and oppose me. I am not afraid of tens of thousands of people, all of whom are poised to attack me.

קוּמָה ה'הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי אֱלֹהַי כִּי הִכִּיתָ אֶת כָּל אֹיְבַי לֶחִי שִׁנֵּי רְשָׁעִים שִׁבַּרְתָּ

Arise, Lord. This is a call for God to reveal Himself in a recognizable way. Save me, my God. For You have smitten my enemies on the cheek. You have slapped the faces of all the enemies who surround me. This notion of a painful blow to the enemy’s cheek resonates with the subsequent imagery: You have broken the teeth of the wicked.

לַה' הַיְשׁוּעָה עַל עַמְּךָ בִרְכָתֶךָ סֶּלָה

In summation, David declares: Salvation belongs to the Lord. Even if salvation from God does not appear to be imminent, eventually it becomes apparent that Your blessing is on Your people, Selah.