Smith DTh Thesis (final).pdf - South African Theological Seminary

Chapter 4: Analysis of Psalms 3-8In terms of modern classifications, Psalm 3 is an individual lament (Gunkeland Begrich 1966:172; USCCB 23 2002; Bratcher 2006b). 24 On the groundsthat a disaster has not actually occurred, some prefer to designate it aprotective psalm (e.g., Mowinckel 1962; Craigie 1998). The psalm’s vividimagery of mounting opposition and hostility towards the psalmist, with animminent military threat, surely constitutes enough of a crisis to warrant thedesignation lament. The psalmist experienced a personal disaster, even if itdid not culminate in a military defeat.Psalm 3 has long been considered as a morning prayer (e.g., Briggs andBriggs 1906:24; Scroggie 1948:56; Leupold 1961:57; Weiser 1962:116;Bratcher and Reyburn 1991:34; Craigie 1998:70; Wilcock 2001:27; Keil andDelitzsch 2002:59; Goldingay 2006:108). It seems likely from verse 5 that thepsalmist penned the words of the psalm in the morning when he awoke safelyfrom a night of danger (Motyer 1994; Wilcock 2001:30). Whether it was everadopted for general liturgical use, that is, for worshippers to use as a morningprayer for protection in Israel’s corporate worship (so Durham 1971; Craigie23 USCCB is an abbreviation for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.24 Some have argued, on the grounds that the individual speaking is the king, that it is bestconsidered a royal psalm (see Eaton 1986; Croft 1987; Sarna 1992; Brettler 1993).92