Chapter 3 of Tehillim is, in the words of the Malbim, a psalm containing the full narrative of the war of Avshalom from beginning to end. The psalm is divided into three sections, with each section concluding with the word "Selah" - and we will later examine the meaning of this word.
מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד בְּבׇרְחוֹ מִפְּנֵי אַבְשָׁלוֹם בְּנוֹ׃ - A psalm of David, when he fled from Avshalom his son.
Everyone asks: "A psalm of David"? A man is running and fleeing for his life, his own son has risen up in rebellion against him and seeks to kill him, has defiled his concubines, and seized his kingdom - and he sings a psalm of praise? Rashi notes that the Sages of Aggadah offered many homiletical explanations for this. Chazal teach that when the prophet told him, "Behold, I will raise up evil against you from within your own house," David's heart was deeply unsettled: Who is this evil that will rise against me from within my house? Perhaps a slave or a mamzer will rise against me, who will show me no mercy at all. Once he saw that it was his son, he was relieved. And this is why it says, "when he fled from Avshalom his son": specifically because Avshalom was his son and not a ruthless stranger, there was an element of consolation and joy in this.
A Midrash Aggadah explains: it was because he saw that his royal standing remained intact. That is, David saw that his kingdom still stood. For even though he was fleeing, he was not fleeing alone. His servants, along with the Kereti and Peleti who comprised the Sanhedrin, still recognized him as their king. As it is written there, "Arise and let us flee from Avshalom," and they answered him, "Whatever my lord the king chooses, behold, your servants are ready." And when he reached Machanayim, Shovi son of Nachash, Machir son of Ammiel, and Barzillai the Gileadite came out to support him. For this David sings praise: even though he is fleeing for his life, he does not flee alone, and great and prominent figures remain loyal to him.
The Radak further cites from Midrash Shocher Tov: David said, Yaakov Avinu fled, as it is written, "And Yaakov fled to the field of Aram"; Moshe fled, as it is written, "And Moshe fled"; and I am fleeing just like them. In short, I am in good company. Furthermore: I thought I had incurred the death penalty, but now that I am being exiled, exile atones for sin. It turns out that the flight itself carries a form of rectification and atonement. And this is what David meant when he said, "I remembered Your judgments of old, Hashem, and took comfort" - I remembered Your judgments with Yaakov and with Moshe, who both fled, and You treated me as You treated them. I was comforted, knowing that through this flight my sin was forgiven. Therefore, he began to sing.
All these are beautiful homiletical teachings, but one must never lose sight of the peshat (the plain meaning), and the peshat is somewhat different. As the Radak explains, these psalms were not recited at the time of the event itself; rather, they were sung in the Beit HaMikdash, and subsequently by individuals in their own circumstances. The same applies to "A psalm... when Doeg the Edomite came and told Shaul," "when the Ziphites came and said to Shaul," as well as the psalms about the exile and destruction, such as "A psalm of Asaph: O God, nations have entered Your estate," and all the psalms composed regarding David during his troubles. Although during the event itself David was in grave danger, once he was saved from all those perils, the experience was transformed into a song of praise: I sing to Hashem over what took place, that I fled from Avshalom, and You, Hashem, stood by me and saved me. Once the ordeal concluded favorably, it is readily understood why it is termed a "psalm." According to this, we do not need to rely on the derashot of Chazal - true as they are - because according to the plain sense, it was established as a psalm only after everything ended well.
And should you ask: How does one answer for "O God, nations have entered Your estate" and similar psalms, which describe troubles from which we seemingly have not yet emerged? The answer is that those psalms concerning the exile were established as songs of praise upon the return from exile - once they returned from exile and were redeemed, there was indeed room to recite a "psalm" over them.
The Radak also explains the connection to the preceding chapter: in the previous chapter we saw that the Pelishtim came to challenge the monarchy and oppose the reign of David; our psalm comes to tell us that opposition arose not only from the outside, but also from within - even Avshalom challenged the kingship. And through it all, Hashem protected David: from the Pelishtim in the previous chapter, and from Avshalom in our chapter.
יְהֹוָה מָה־רַבּוּ צָרָי רַבִּים קָמִים עָלָי׃ - Hashem, how numerous are my adversaries! Many rise up against me.
What is the meaning of "mah" ("how")? Ibn Ezra explains that the word "mah" can refer both to something exalted and to something base: "How (mah) manifold are Your works, Hashem" is an expression of praise and wonder; "What (mah) is man that You are mindful of him" is an expression of insignificance and disparagement. Here, "mah" expresses astonishment: Master of the Universe, so many are those who pursue me!
We must also examine the apparent redundancy: if he already said, "How numerous (rabu) are my adversaries," why add "Many (rabbim) rise up against me"? He could simply have said, "How numerous are my adversaries who rise up against me." However, "rav" also means great, as in "rav rabbanan" (a master of scholars), and similarly "rivo" denotes abundance - not necessarily a precise number, though it usually refers to ten thousand, but rather an expression of greatness or abundance, as in "mighty and numerous (atzum varav)," meaning great. Therefore, Rashi explains: people who are great in Torah, great in wisdom, great in wealth, great in physical stature - all of these rise up against me. It is not small or insignificant people who come against me, but specifically the greatest. Great in Torah - Doeg, who was the head of the Sanhedrin (Av Beit Din) and called "the chief of the herdsmen," and likewise Shimi ben Gera; and Achitophel was a counselor, of whose counsel it is said, "as when a man inquires of the word of God," as though one were consulting with the Holy One, Blessed be He. Great in stature - "the descendants of the giant (yelidei ha-raphah)," referring to Goliath, and later Yishbi-Benov, who was also among the giants. David is saying: my pursuers are consistently the great ones, the giants, who seek my life.
רַבִּים אֹמְרִים לְנַפְשִׁי אֵין יְשׁוּעָתָה לּוֹ בֵאלֹהִים סֶלָה׃ - Many say of my soul, "There is no salvation for him in God, Selah."
And what was their claim against him? They would say: Is it possible that a man who captured the ewe-lamb, killed the shepherd, and caused Israel to fall by the sword could have salvation? "Captured the ewe-lamb" - this refers to Batsheva; "killed the shepherd" - this refers to Uriah the Hittite; "and caused Israel to fall by the sword" - because he counted and numbered Israel, and as a consequence they fell by the sword. Hence their conclusion: "There is no salvation for him in God, Selah."
The Radak explains the repetition differently: "How numerous are my adversaries" - they are so numerous that even those closest to me have become my enemies. My own son has become my pursuer; Amasa ben Yether was his nephew (sister's son) and sided with Avshalom; and the hearts of most of Israel were swayed after Avshalom. Thus, the repetition encompasses both that those closest to me are among them, and that they are vast in number - all coming to wage war against me.
The Malbim explains that the twofold phrasing conveys two different types of pursuers confronting David. There were those who pursued him purely over the monarchy - they did not want David to rule, but rather that Avshalom his son reign in his stead, without regard to his spiritual standing. And there were those who regarded him as a sinful and wicked man who could not be saved by Hashem - a transgressor who was inherently unworthy of divine salvation, and therefore pursued him and sought his demise. This was like Shimi, who called him a "man of blood" and a "worthless man." "Many rise up against me" refers to the first faction, rising against his reign. Meanwhile, the second faction opposed him on spiritual grounds, like Shimi ben Gera, of whom it is said, "and he cursed me with a grievous curse (kelalah nimretzet)." The word nimretzet is an acronym for no'ef (adulterer), Moavi (Moabite), rotze'ach (murderer), tzorer (oppressor), and to'evah (abomination) - all their accusations against him were on spiritual matters. Concerning these people, it is said: "Many say of my soul, 'There is no salvation for him in God, Selah'" - they do not oppose me out of political ambition for the kingship, but because they claim I am unworthy, a wicked sinner who will not merit salvation from Hashem because I am deeply tainted and flawed.
Here comes the word "Selah." According to the Malbim, wherever "Selah" appears, it signifies that the matter has reached a conclusion (and we will cite further explanations later). The Malbim explains, based on what we see in the Book of Shmuel, that among Avshalom's advisers when he rose, seized the kingship, and rebelled against his father, there were two camps. At the head of one camp stood Achitophel, who advised: If you want to succeed, you must surprise him right now. David is fleeing, David is under pressure, David has not yet had time to gather forces - send a small force immediately, and it will eliminate him.
And why did Achitophel offer such counsel, and what was his interest with Avshalom? We have already learned this in Shmuel: his plan was that Avshalom would kill his father, and afterward they would put Avshalom on trial as a stubborn and rebellious son (ben sorer u-moreh), as one who murdered his father - even if the strict technical definitions regarding age did not apply - and as a patricide, the Sanhedrin would sentence him to death. The kingship would then fall directly into Achitophel's hands. Furthermore, he held an old grudge against David, for Batsheva was the daughter of Eliam, the son of Achitophel the Gilonite, meaning she was his granddaughter; he harbored resentment against David over that affair, in addition to his jealousy and ambition to seize the throne.
David prayed, for his greatest fear was Achitophel, whose counsel was like inquiring of the word of God; he knew that if Avshalom followed his advice, the story was over. He therefore prayed that Hashem would thwart Achitophel's counsel. Meanwhile, Chushai the Archite, one of David's loyal men, went and attached himself to Avshalom as a fifth column to undermine Achitophel's advice. When Achitophel proposed pursuing David immediately, Chushai said: "The counsel that Achitophel has given is not good this time." He could not claim that Achitophel lacked wisdom, for Achitophel had proven his acumen time and again; therefore, he argued: this specific time, his counsel is flawed. Why? You know your father is like a bereaved bear; if you do not strike with overwhelming force, he will fight with all his might and defeat the detachment you send, creating the impression that the rebellion has failed, which will cost you the entire kingdom. Moreover, you cannot catch him sleeping, for your father will not sleep at all, but will remain awake and prepared for a surprise attack. Rather, what should you do? Gather all of Israel, assemble a massive army - a general mobilization - and then you can advance steadily, search for him, and strike him down effortlessly, for with the few men he has, he will be unable to defend himself.
The counsel of Chushai the Archite found favor in the eyes of Avshalom, for Hashem had thwarted the counsel of Achitophel. And when Achitophel heard that his counsel had not been accepted, he knew that the rebellion was finished - and he was right - and he went and hanged himself.
The Malbim explains that the dynamic between the two factions and the two counsels is expressed here. The faction that sought to kill him immediately, corresponding to the counsel of Achitophel, is the one saying, "There is no salvation for him in God, Selah" - he has no salvation, his deeds were unconscionable, and he must be killed. By contrast, the faction that sought merely to take the kingship from him reflects the approach of Chushai the Archite: do not rush, gather an army, organize properly, and only then depose him. This is the meaning of "many rise up against me" - regarding the monarchy, since they do not want me to reign, but not against my life; whereas "many say of my soul, 'There is no salvation for him in God, Selah'" - on account of his sins, claiming that because of them he is unworthy to reign.
Many of the Rishonim have already addressed this question. The Radak cites that most commentators explained it as meaning "forever" and "eternally": "There is no salvation for him in God, Selah" - he will never be saved by Hashem; and Targum Yonatan likewise translates it in the prayer of Chavakuk as "le'almin" (forever). Ibn Ezra explains that Selah means "truth," "so it is," or "thus": he has no salvation in God - in truth, so it is. The Radak himself says that Selah is an expression of elevation, as in "Pave, pave the highway" (solu solu hamessilah), where they would pave the road and raise it above the surrounding ground, just as a modern roadway is elevated above the terrain. According to this, wherever "Selah" is written, it serves as a kind of musical notation: a place where the singer would raise his voice. As proof of this, one finds this expression only here and in the prayer of Chavakuk, which is also a song, as it states there, "To the chief musician with my stringed instruments."
Ibn Ezra also cites in the name of a translator of the Book of Psalms that the word "Selah" has no inherent meaning at all, but rather serves to correct the meter of the melody. This aligns with what the Radak says, that it is an instruction on how to chant. As often happens when setting words to a melody - sometimes the sentence ends before the melody finishes, and so another word is added or a word is repeated to fit the tune. It is very possible that this is the intention here, that a word was added to sustain the melody; or, as the Radak maintains, that it is a signal to raise one's voice in song.
וְאַתָּה יְהֹוָה מָגֵן בַּעֲדִי כְּבוֹדִי וּמֵרִים רֹאשִׁי׃ - But You, Hashem, are a shield for me, my glory, and the One Who raises my head.
According to the Malbim, that "Selah" concludes a topic, the second section begins here. David responds to both factions: against those who rise up against the monarchy and do not want David to reign - "But You, Hashem, are a shield for me." And against those who say, "There is no salvation for him in God," claiming that the Holy One, Blessed is He, has rejected him and that his actions were contrary to Hashem's will - to this he responds, "my glory, and the One Who raises my head." "My glory" refers to the holy soul upon which Hashem's glory rests, and by virtue of this, He "raises my head." For the glory of Hashem does not rest upon a transgressor and a wicked person, and if Hashem's glory remains with me - this itself proves that I have not sinned nor transgressed.
קוֹלִי אֶל־יְהֹוָה אֶקְרָא וַיַּעֲנֵנִי מֵהַר קׇדְשׁוֹ סֶלָה׃ - With my voice I call out to Hashem, and He answers me from His holy mountain, Selah.
Here the Malbim recalls the account in II Samuel 15: when David fled from Avshalom, the Kohanim took the Ark of the Covenant, thinking it would accompany them and serve as their protection and guard. The king said to Tzadok, "Return the Ark of God to the city; if I find favor in the eyes of Hashem, He will bring me back and show me it and His dwelling place." Why? Because he trusted in Hashem to answer him whether the Ark of God was near him or far from him - Hashem is close to him in any situation. And this is "With my voice I call out to Hashem": wherever I am, I will call out to Hashem, and I do not need to be physically in the Mishkan to call upon Him; rather, "and He answers me from His holy mountain" - as though I were right there upon His holy mountain. With this, the second topic concludes with "Selah."
אֲנִי שָׁכַבְתִּי וָאִישָׁנָה הֱקִיצוֹתִי כִּי יְהֹוָה יִסְמְכֵנִי׃ - I lay down and slept; I awoke, for Hashem supports me.
Here a new subject begins, recalling what is related there: Achitophel advised Avshalom to select twelve thousand men and pursue David that night, while he was weary and weak-handed, throwing his men into a panic and striking him down - surprising them in a single moment with a small strike force that would execute the mission. But Chushai HaArki frustrated his counsel, saying that David would not sleep nor let his men lodge, and if you do this you are destined for failure. And Scripture itself testifies there that Achitophel's counsel was good, including this advice as well.
From this it follows that it is mistaken to call bad or flawed advice "Achitophel's counsel" based on his final advice, for even his final advice was strategically sound; it simply was not accepted. Achitophel's counsel never failed, for it was like inquiring of the word of God, and only in this final instance was it not implemented, which is why it did not succeed. Had Avshalom followed it, he would have prevailed. One can certainly use the term "Achitophel's counsel" in the sense of malicious or wicked advice, since he counseled Avshalom on how to kill David his father; but defining flawed advice as "Achitophel's counsel" was never accurate.
And Hashem orchestrated events in order to frustrate Achitophel's counsel and rescue David, and this is what David refers to here. "I lay down and slept" - the reality was as Achitophel said, not as Chushai claimed. I did not stay awake, nor did I set ambushes; I truly went to sleep that night. Had Achitophel implemented his counsel, I would not have awakened at all, and I would have been killed that night. Yet despite all this, "I awoke" - and how did I merit to see a new morning? "For Hashem sustained me," by frustrating Achitophel's counsel and placing it in Avshalom's heart to accept the advice of Chushai HaArki.
לֹא־אִירָא מֵרִבְבוֹת עָם אֲשֶׁר סָבִיב שָׁתוּ עָלָי׃ - I will not fear the myriads of people who have deployed against me all around.
Once Achitophel's counsel was nullified, what remained was the advice of Chushai HaArki - not to march out with twelve thousand men, but rather to launch a general mobilization of myriads of people. David says: Now that Achitophel's counsel has been thwarted, I am no longer worried, nor do I fear even myriads of people. A full mobilization will not materialize either, nor will all of Israel pursue me. That will not happen either, and I have no fear of it whatsoever.
קוּמָה יְהֹוָה הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי אֱלֹהַי כִּי־הִכִּיתָ אֶת־כׇּל־אֹיְבַי לֶחִי שִׁנֵּי רְשָׁעִים שִׁבַּרְתָּ׃ - Arise, Hashem! Save me, my God! For You strike all my enemies upon the cheek; You break the teeth of the wicked.
Now he describes the battle between David's servants and Avshalom's army, pleading, "Arise, Hashem" (pronounced with the stress on the ultimate syllable, milra). The expression "my God" (Elohai) - as the Malbim explains in several places - denotes individual Divine providence over me. When "Elohim" is used generally, it refers to God ruling over all; but when it is personalized to me or to Israel, as in "the God of Israel," it refers to specific individual providence over me or over the Jewish people. This also resolves the apparent redundancy: "Arise, Hashem" is a general appeal, while "save me, my God" asks for specific, personal providence over me.
"For You strike all my enemies upon the cheek" - for You have already broken the teeth of the wicked by nullifying Achitophel's counsel, and Achitophel hanged himself. What is the meaning of "You strike... upon the cheek"? The Malbim cites the passage in the chapter "HaRoeh" (Berachot) regarding dream interpretation, where a man said: I saw my two cheeks fall out. The interpreter replied: Roman ministers have devised evil counsel against you. Thus, cheeks symbolize counsel. It follows that "You strike all my enemies upon the cheek" means You have nullified their counsel, and breaking their teeth alludes to the strangulation of Achitophel, similar to "the teeth of young lions are broken" (Iyov 4:10) - that the jaws of the lions were uprooted. The plain physical reality is straightforward: when someone receives a powerful blow to the cheek, the teeth break. A story is told of someone who visited Rav Ovadia Yosef - who famously loved to give affectionate slaps on the cheek - and said that after several such pats, he went to count how many teeth he had left. When a pat is a bit too firm, teeth can sometimes go missing.
לַיהֹוָה הַיְשׁוּעָה עַל־עַמְּךָ בִרְכָתֶךָ סֶּלָה׃ - Deliverance is Hashem's; upon Your people be Your blessing, Selah.
Even though the war ended successfully and David quelled the enemies and the rebellion, and Yoav ultimately killed Avshalom, David was still concerned for the people involved in the battle, that they should not be harmed. Therefore he says, "Deliverance is Hashem's" - that the people of Israel who are there should not perish in the war. And so it was, and his prayer was answered, for as soon as Avshalom died, the fighting ceased immediately. The war could have dragged on, killing many more people on both sides; and in such a war, any victor is a loser - who won? The one who killed more of the other side? Both sides were Jews, and it was a war where any outcome was tragic. Therefore, David prayed that Hashem bring salvation so there would not be a massive slaughter among the people, and that they would manage to suppress the rebellion with minimal casualties. This is "upon Your people be Your blessing, Selah" - that the nation not perish in battle and that the blessing endure forever. And with this "Selah," the third time it appears, the third section is sealed and the psalm concludes.
Psalm 3 tells the story of Avshalom's rebellion from beginning to end, structured in three parts that are each sealed with "Selah." In the first part, David describes the two groups among his pursuers: those who rose against his monarchy, and those who slandered him as a sinner who has no salvation in God. In the second part, he answers both: "But You, Hashem, are a shield about me" against those rebelling against the kingdom, and "my glory and the lifter of my head" against those defaming him, for Hashem's glory does not rest upon the wicked; moreover, he does not need proximity to the Ark, for wherever he calls out to Hashem, he is answered from His holy mountain. In the third part, he gives thanks that Achitophel's counsel was thwarted: I indeed lay down and slept, and only Hashem sustained me and I awoke, which is why I no longer fear myriads of people. Finally, he is not satisfied merely with military victory, but prays, "Deliverance is Hashem's; upon Your people be Your blessing, Selah" - that the salvation be complete, without the Jewish people perishing in a civil war.