Salmos 3

Salmos 3

Boice - Psalm 3 begins with an introductory title: “A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.” It is the first title to a psalm in the Psalter, and it contains a number of other important firsts too. (1) This is the first time the word psalm has occurred. The Hebrew word is mizmor, meaning a poem to be sung to musical accompaniment. (2) This is the first poem of which “David” is said to be the author. (Generally, the psalms ascribed to David occur in the first two books of the Psalter, Psalms 1–72, but some also occur later.1) (3) This is the first psalm which is given a historical setting, namely, “When he [David] fled from his son Absalom.” Is this historical setting to be taken seriously? Since the titles of the psalms are in the canonical text of the Hebrew Bible (though, strangely enough, they are omitted in many English translations), the position I hold is that they are to be taken with absolute seriousness throughout. But even apart from this dogmatic consideration, there are ample reasons for viewing Psalm 3 as arising out of the situation in David’s life to which the title alludes. (Strangely, some of the best ancient commentators (e.g., Saint Augustine and Martin Luther) ignore the historical setting in favor of Spiritualizing the text. Augustine and Luther view the psalm as a prophecy of the passion and resurrection of Jesus, Augustine saying, “The words … sound more appropriate to the Passion and Resurrection of our Lord, than to that history in which David’s flight is described from the face of his rebellious son” (COMMENT - SPIRITUALIZING THE BIBLE IS DANGEROUS AS IT DEPENDS ON WHAT MAN THINKS RATHER THAN WHAT GOD SAID. IT LEADS TO MISINTERPRETATION AND CONFUSION, ESPECIALLY IN ESCHATOLOGICAL PASSAGES LIKE THE REVELATION.) Related Resource: Allegorizing and Spiritualizing the Truth - Dr Tony