- Name 64 of 70My Glory, the Lifter Up of Mine Head
- HebrewKevodi umerim roshi
- In plain wordsMy honor, the One who raises my face
- Where to find itPsalm 3:3, as David fled from Absalom
The lifter of my head is what David called God on one of the worst days of his life. In Psalm 3:3 the King James Bible says my glory, and the lifter up of mine head
. It is the picture of God gently raising the bowed face of someone who is ashamed, grieving or beaten down, and giving them back their honor.
Run out of his own city
The title over Psalm 3 tells us exactly when it was written: when David fled from Absalom, his son. To understand the name, you need that story, found in 2 Samuel 15 and 16.
Absalom was handsome, popular and ambitious. For a long time he stood at the city gate, listening to people's complaints and quietly suggesting he would be a better judge than his father. The Bible sums it up bluntly: Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel
(2 Samuel 15:6). Then he had himself proclaimed king in Hebron (2 Samuel 15:10). Even Ahithophel, David's most trusted adviser, joined the revolt (2 Samuel 15:12).
David decided to leave Jerusalem before fighting broke out in the streets. The scene as he left is hard to forget:
And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.
2 Samuel 15:30
A covered head and bare feet were signs of mourning and humiliation. The king of Israel was walking up a hillside, crying, with his face hidden. A little farther on, a man named Shimei from the family of King Saul came out and threw stones and dirt at him, shouting Come out, come out, thou bloody man
(2 Samuel 16:7). David's men wanted to kill Shimei. David refused and said it was possible that God would see his trouble and repay him with good (2 Samuel 16:12).
One small word that turns Psalm 3 around
Psalm 3 opens with the voices David was hearing. Enemies were multiplying, and the worst thing they said was about God:
Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.
Psalm 3:2
That is the cruelest kind of attack, because it tells you God has given up on you. Selah is a word that seems to mark a pause in the music, a moment to stop and think. Then David answers with one small word that changes everything: but.
But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
Psalm 3:3
Remember that David's head was covered. He was staring at the ground as he climbed. Now he says God is going to raise it.
Shield, glory and a raised head in Hebrew
Psalm 3:3 gives God three titles in a row. Each one answers something David had lost.
- Shield is magen, the smaller shield a soldier carried. Most of the nation had gone over to Absalom, so God would be his protection.
- My glory is kevodi, from kavod. The root idea of kavod is weight. A person with "weight" in Israel had honor and importance. David had just lost his crown, his palace and his reputation. He says God is now his weight, his honor.
- The lifter up of mine head is merim roshi. Merim comes from rum, a verb meaning to raise or lift high. Rosh is the ordinary word for head. So it means "the One who keeps lifting my head."
In the ancient world, as now, a bowed head showed shame, grief or defeat. People who have failed often cannot look you in the eye. Think of a coach crouching beside a player who just lost the big game, tipping the player's face up and saying, "Look at me." David uses that kind of picture for God.
The Bible uses a similar picture with a different Hebrew verb in other places. In Egypt, Joseph told a jailed servant that within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place
(Genesis 40:13). At the very end of 2 Kings, the king of Babylon did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison
(2 Kings 25:27). In both cases, lifting someone's head meant bringing them out of disgrace and back into honor.
More KJV verses about a lifted head
I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.
Psalm 3:5
This may be the most surprising verse in the psalm. With an army hunting him, David slept through the night and woke up safe. Sustained means held up and kept going.
And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.
Psalm 27:6
In another psalm, David uses the same picture of a raised head, and he connects it with joy and singing.
They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
Psalm 34:5
Lightened means their faces were made bright. When people look toward God, the shame drains out of their faces.
When your head is down
Shame is heavy. It might come from something you did: a failure everyone heard about, a broken promise, a bad choice at a party. It might come from something done to you, which was never your fault. Either way, you can end up walking through school, work or church with your eyes on the floor, sure that everyone knows.
David's trouble was partly his own fault. Years before, his sin with Bathsheba had set off a chain of family pain (2 Samuel 12:10). He could not claim to be perfect. Yet God still lifted his head. That is good news for anyone who feels they do not deserve it. God does not stand far off yelling "Chin up!" He comes close and does the lifting Himself.
This name also tells you where real honor comes from. It is not your follower count, your grades, your job title or what people say about you. On the day David lost every one of those things, he said God was his glory, and that was enough.
- Name what has been making you hang your head, and tell it to God plainly.
- If someone hurt you, tell a safe adult or friend. Carrying it alone keeps your head down.
- Pray Psalm 3:3 out loud before you sleep, the way David did on the run.
- Look for someone whose eyes are on the floor this week. A kind word can lift a head.
My Glory, the Lifter Up of Mine Head, is name 64 of the 70 in the book. The next name also deals with a downcast face: The Health of My Countenance. You can also go back to God My Exceeding Joy, or see the full list of names of God in the Bible.
