Psalm 3 4

Psalm 3:4 kjv

I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

Psalm 3:4 nkjv

I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

Psalm 3:4 niv

I call out to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy mountain.

Psalm 3:4 esv

I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

Psalm 3:4 nlt

I cried out to the LORD,
and he answered me from his holy mountain. Interlude

Psalm 3 verses

Psalm 3 4 Meaning

Psalm 3:4 expresses the psalmist's confident declaration that when he called upon the Lord with an earnest cry, God immediately responded from His sacred dwelling place. This verse highlights a direct, personal, and powerful interaction between the suffering believer and the sovereign God, demonstrating God's attentiveness, faithfulness, and the efficacy of heartfelt prayer.

Psalm 3 4 Context

Psalm 3 is a psalm of individual lament and trust, bearing the superscription "A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son." This historical context is crucial: David is in grave distress, betrayed by his own son, facing rebellion, and deserted by many. He is physically fleeing Jerusalem, and countless enemies mock his faith, claiming God will not deliver him (v. 2). Amidst this overwhelming adversity and existential threat, verse 4 is a pivot point where David recounts his powerful prayer experience. He had cried out to God in his desperation, and God, in turn, answered him from His holy dwelling place, confirming His sovereignty and faithfulness even when His earthly anointed king was in exile.

Psalm 3 4 Word analysis

• "I cried aloud": The Hebrew verb is qara' (קָרָא). This is not a whisper or a casual plea, but an urgent, strong call or cry. It signifies a profound expression of need, often used for calling upon God's name in distress or proclaiming an important message. Here, it denotes an earnest, desperate petition. It speaks to the sincerity and intensity of David's prayer.
• "to the Lord": The Hebrew here is YHWH (יהוה), the personal, covenantal name of God. This indicates that David appealed to the God of Israel, who had revealed Himself and entered into a relationship with His people, not just a generic deity. It emphasizes trust in God's faithfulness to His promises.
• "and he answered me": The Hebrew verb is 'anah (עָנָה), meaning "to answer," "to respond," or "to testify." It indicates a definitive and effective response from God, not just hearing. This answer implies God's active intervention and acknowledgment of David's cry, bringing peace, strength, or deliverance, contrasting sharply with silent, inanimate idols.
• "from his holy hill": The Hebrew is har qodsho (הַר קָדְשׁוֹ).
  • "His holy hill": This primarily refers to Mount Zion in Jerusalem, where the Tabernacle (and later, the Temple) was located. It was considered God's chosen earthly dwelling place among His people. However, in the context of David fleeing Jerusalem, it also symbolizes God's transcendent, heavenly throne. Even when David was separated from the physical holy hill, God's answer came from it, indicating His unshakeable presence and authority from His dwelling of perfect holiness and power. It's a statement of God's omnipresent sovereignty, ruling from His sanctified seat.
  • "holy": The Hebrew word qadosh (קָדוֹשׁ) signifies something or someone "set apart," "consecrated," "sacred," and utterly distinct from all that is common or defiled. Applied to God's dwelling, it highlights His absolute purity, majesty, and unapproachable glory, from which perfect judgment and righteous intervention flow.
• "Selah": This word (סֶלָה) is typically understood as a musical or liturgical instruction found frequently in the Psalms. It likely calls for a pause for reflection, a musical interlude, or perhaps emphasizes the significance of the preceding statement. In Psalm 3:4, it punctuates the declaration of God's direct and powerful answer to prayer, inviting the reader to meditate on the profound truth of divine attentiveness.

Words-group Analysis:

• "I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me": This phrase highlights the profound cause-and-effect relationship between human desperation expressed in prayer and divine action. It's a powerful testimony to God's responsiveness, showcasing His interactive nature with His covenant people. It dismisses the notion of an unfeeling or distant deity.
• "he answered me from his holy hill": This emphasizes the source of the divine response – God's supreme authority and holy dwelling place. It signifies that the answer is not a random occurrence but a deliberate act stemming from God's sacred, powerful, and sovereign throne, demonstrating His ultimate control over all circumstances.

Psalm 3 4 Bonus section

• The personal nature of the verb "answered me" highlights the intimate relationship God desires with His children. David experiences God's presence and power personally, even when many abandoned him.
• "His holy hill" contrasts the transient, unstable power of Absalom's rebellion with the eternal, unwavering sovereignty of God's reign from His celestial throne. Even when the earthly king (David) was dislodged, the Divine King remained firmly on His "holy hill."
• The "Selah" at the end of the verse could prompt the reader to pause and marvel at God's amazing grace and faithfulness in answering a desperate prayer, thereby building faith and trust in the Hearer of prayer.

Psalm 3 4 Commentary

Psalm 3:4 is a vibrant expression of prayer's efficacy rooted in a covenantal relationship with God. Despite dire circumstances where human help was none, David did not despair but channeled his anguish into an intense cry to YHWH, the ever-faithful God. The declaration "he answered me" is a confident affirmation, indicating not just an audible reply, but a real, discernible divine action—perhaps peace in the midst of turmoil, renewed strength, or an inner assurance of eventual deliverance. This answer emanates "from his holy hill," a theological shorthand for God's heavenly dwelling and His chosen place of manifestation on Earth, Mount Zion. It reinforces that God's authority and ability to act are supreme and not confined by earthly limitations or political rebellions. This verse assures believers that their desperate cries are never ignored by a God who is both immanently near enough to hear and transcendently powerful enough to answer decisively from His seat of ultimate power. It provides a foundational hope: genuine prayer reaches the divine throne and receives a tangible, faithful response.