Arise, O Lord; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
Parallel translations
- WEB Arise, Yahweh! Save me, my God! For you have struck all of my enemies on the cheek bone. You have broken the teeth of the wicked.
- KJV Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
- BSB Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.
- NASB ¶Arise, Lord; save me, my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.
- NLT Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David calls on God to arise and save him, recalling how God has defeated his enemies. Salvation comes by God's powerful intervention, not human strength.
Overview
The vivid images of striking the cheek and breaking teeth picture the enemy rendered powerless to harm or accuse. David appeals to God's past deliverances as ground for present confidence. The prayer 'Arise, Yahweh' looks ahead to the God who acts decisively to save His people, supremely in raising Christ to defeat sin and death.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Ps 58:6Break their teeth, God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, Yahweh.
- Job 29:17I broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the prey out of his teeth.
- Job 16:10They have gaped on me with their mouth. They have struck me on the cheek reproachfully. They gather themselves together against me.
- Ps 59:5You, Yahweh God of Armies, the God of Israel, rouse yourself to punish the nations. Show no mercy to the wicked traitors. Selah.
- Ps 10:12Arise, Yahweh! God, lift up your hand! Don’t forget the helpless.
- Ps 6:4Return, Yahweh. Deliver my soul, and save me for your loving kindness’ sake.
- Ps 44:23Wake up! Why do you sleep, Lord? Arise! Don’t reject us forever.
- Ps 76:9when God arose to judgment, to save all the afflicted ones of the earth. Selah.
- Ps 74:11Why do you draw back your hand, even your right hand? Take it out of your pocket and consume them!
- Ps 12:5“Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says Yahweh; “I will set him in safety from those who malign him.”
- Ps 35:23Wake up! Rise up to defend me, my God! My Lord, contend for me!
- Lam 3:30Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him; let him be filled full with reproach.
- Ps 7:6Arise, Yahweh, in your anger. Lift up yourself against the rage of my adversaries. Awake for me. You have commanded judgment.
- Isa 51:9Awake, awake, put on strength, arm of Yahweh! Awake, as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times. Isn’t it you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the monster?
- Hab 2:19Woe to him who says to the wood, ‘Awake!’ or to the mute stone, ‘Arise!’ Shall this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all within it.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 3:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.