Psalm 28 Overview
Don't be deaf to me!
Psalm 28
Welcome to the Overview of Psalm 28
This page will introduce and provide orientation to Psalm 28 as a whole. It includes the following sections:
Introduction to Psalm 28
Author
David
Book
- Book 1 of the Psalter (Chapters 1–41)
Psalm 28: A Brief Summary
Psalm 28 presents a mix of fears, insistent arguments, confidence and joy. As David fears his own early death, he pleads with God for justice. In his plea for the wicked to get the punishment they deserve, he reminds himself of his own relationship with God. His distress over what the wicked have done fades away as he focuses on his hope, and joy over how YHWH has saved and blessed him.
The shift from fear to hope and joy enables David to also shift from focusing on himself to focusing on his people. He moves from being a person in trouble, who needs God to save his life, to being an anointed leader, who successfully represents his people to God and secures a blessing for them from YHWH. He asks that God hear him, and God answers with ongoing care and blessing for his people, showing he is a successful leader. David received what he sought.
"Don't be deaf to me" This title is a memorable phrase that helps remember the unique character and content of this psalm.
The phrase “Don’t be deaf to me” captures the opening desperation, as David contemplates what is at risk and worries God will not hear him. But it also sets up the reality that God is not deaf and never lets his people down.
Purpose The Purpose was the psalmist's probable intent or reason for writing this psalm.
To pray that YHWH would deal rightly by delivering David from imminent death and repaying the wicked for their deeds.
Content The Content is a concise summary of the whole psalm's content.
Hear my cry for help, lest I die! Bring justice! Blessed be YHWH for he has heard me! He is the one who repays the wicked for their deeds and who protects his people.
Message The Message is the main idea the psalmist probably wanted the audience to remember upon or after hearing the psalm.
YHWH repays the wicked (and the righteous) according to their dealings.
Psalm 28 At-a-Glance
These sections divide the content of the psalm into digestible pieces , and are determined based on information from many of our layers, including Semantics, Poetics, and Discourse. The columns, left to right, contain: the verse numbers; the main title of the section; a brief summary of the content of that section (quote marks indicate the text is taken directly from the English text of the psalm (as per our Close-but-Clear translation); and an icon to visually represent and remember the content. File:Psalm 028 AAG updated
Background Orientation for Psalm 28
Following are the common-ground assumptionsCommon-ground assumptions include information shared by the speaker and hearers. In our analysis, we mainly use this category for Biblical/Ancient Near Eastern background. which are the most helpful for making sense of the psalm.
- YHWH is the just judge of all humankind, and he gives the wicked that which is according to their deeds (Prov 24:12; Rom 2:6; Jer 17:10; Pss 7:8-11; 50:6; 62:12; 67:4).
- YHWH does not heed the prayers of the wicked (Isa 59:1-2), but his ears are attentive to the righteous' cry for help (Ps 34:15; Prov 15:29; Micah 3:4).
- David is in covenant with YHWH. YHWH has promised to David that he would build him a house (=a dynasty) that would last forever (2 Sam 7:11, 16; Ps 61:5-7).
- YHWH chose Israel to be his own people (Exod 19:5). Hence, Israel is regarded as YHWH's possession = "heritage," "inheritance" (SDBH; Pss 33:12; 28:9; 135:4; Deut 4:20, 7:6, 9:29).
Background Situation for Psalm 28
The background situation is the series of events leading up to the time in which the psalm is spoken. These are taken from the story triangle – whatever lies to the left of the star icon. File:Ps 28 Story Behind Background Situation - Updated
Participants in Psalm 28
There are 4 participants/characters in Psalm 28:
| David |
| "YHWH's anointed" |
| YHWH |
| "My rock" |
| "My strength" |
| "My shield" |
| "Saving refuge" |
| The people |
| "YHWH's possession" |
| Enemies |
| "Wicked people" |
| "Evildoers" |
| "those who speak peace with their neighbors but [speak] evil in their hearts" |
- David (the psalmist): Psalm 28 is traditionally attributed to David, and he is named as the author in the superscription. Others have argued that Psalm 28 was written by Jeremiah[1] or Josiah,[2] but these proposals have not gained traction. A number of historical events may have prompted David's lament, e.g., David's flight from Absalom,[3] a time of war,[4] duplicitous behavior from enemies,[5] and even illness or despair.[6] The setting of the psalm remains vague which contributes to the psalm's wide-ranging application. What can be known for certain is that the psalmist cried out to God for help, and God heard the sound of his cries.
- "YHWH's anointed": Scholars have debated whether מְשִׁיחוֹ (his [YHWH’s] anointed) refers to a king or to YHWH’s chosen people. We prefer the view of most scholars that the מָשִׁיחַ refers to a king. David, the speaker, is probably referring to himself at this point. See The Identity of the "Anointed" in Ps 28:8b for a detailed discussion.
- YHWH is referred to as the psalmist's rock, strength, shield, saving refuge, and the strength of his people. Throughout, YHWH is depicted as the one in whom the psalmist can take refuge and find protection (cf. Pss 61:2-4; 62: 6-8; 91:2; 144:1-2; etc.).
- The people referred to in the psalm are most likely Israel because they are described as "YHWH's possession" (Deut 4:20, 9: 26, 29; Exod 34:9; cf. also Barnes 1869, 246).
- Although they are not named, the enemies in this psalm are referred to as "wicked people" and "evildoers". They are also described as "those who speak peace with their neighbors but [speak] evil in their hearts." That is, they pretend to care for the well-being of their neighbors, but they secretly wish harm upon them. Thus, the enemies are duplicitous, masking their true intentions with friendly speech. Their fate is to be destroyed by YHWH. All of the above descriptors most likely refer to the same group of people.[7]
- Neighbor (v. 3) is not a participant in this psalm, but it is used to refer to those who have "some level of association" with the psalmist's enemies.[8] The association may be geographical, circumstantial, social, or even personal.[9]
- In this psalm, the phrase "Those who go down to the Pit" (v. 1) does not represent a participant for it does not function as an agentive subject of a verb. Instead, the phrase represents an outcome which the psalmist wishes to avoid. He recognizes that without God's help he will be unable to escape death. In fact, David employs the same phrase in Ps 30:3 to acknowledge that God has saved him from death: "O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit" (Ps 30:3, ESV. See participant analysis of Ps 88 in which the phrase "those who go down to the Pit" is part of the participant set list).