6 In my distress I called upon Jehovah, And cried unto my God: He heard my voice out of his temple, And my cry before him came into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations also of the mountains quaked And were shaken, because he was wroth.
8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, And fire out of his mouth devoured: Coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down; And thick darkness was under his feet.
10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; Yea, he soared upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his hiding-place, his pavilion round about him, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, Hailstones and coals of fire.
13 Jehovah also thundered in the heavens, And the Most High uttered his voice, Hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; Yea, lightnings manifold, and discomfited them.
15 Then the channels of waters appeared, And the foundations of the world were laid bare, At thy rebuke, O Jehovah, At the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He sent from on high, he took me; He drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, And from them that hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
18 They came upon me in the day of my calamity; But Jehovah was my stay.
19 He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20 Jehovah hath rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, And have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his ordinances were before me, And I put not away his statutes from me.
23 I was also perfect with him, And I kept myself from mine iniquity.
24 Therefore hath Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
25 With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful; With the perfect man thou wilt show thyself perfect;
26 With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; And with the perverse thou wilt show thyself froward.
27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; But the haughty eyes thou wilt bring down.
28 For thou wilt light my lamp: Jehovah my God will lighten my darkness.
29 For by thee I run upon a troop; And by my God do I leap over a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect: The word of Jehovah is tried; He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in him.
31 For who is God, save Jehovah? And who is a rock, besides our God,
32 The God that girdeth me with strength, And maketh my way perfect?
33 He maketh my feet like hinds' `feet': And setteth me upon my high places.
34 He teacheth my hands to war; So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.
35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation; And thy right hand hath holden me up, And thy gentleness hath made me great.
36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.
37 I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them; Neither will I turn again till they are consumed.
38 I will smite them through, so that they shall not be able to rise: They shall fall under my feet.
39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40 Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me, That I might cut off them that hate me.
41 They cried, but there was none to save; Even unto Jehovah, but he answered them not.
42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the mire of the streets.
43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; Thou hast made me the head of the nations: A people whom I have not known shall serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me; The foreigners shall submit themselves unto me.
45 The foreigners shall fade away, And shall come trembling out of their close places.
46 Jehovah liveth; and blessed be my rock; And exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, And subdueth peoples under me.
48 He rescueth me from mine enemies; Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me; Thou deliverest me from the violent man.
49 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the nations, And will sing praises unto thy name.
50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king, And showeth lovingkindness to his anointed, To David and to his seed, for evermore. Psalm 19 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Psalms 18
Commentary on Psalms 18 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
PSALM 18
Ps 18:1-50. "The servant of the Lord," which in the Hebrew precedes "David," is a significant part of the title (and not a mere epithet of David), denoting the inspired character of the song, as the production of one entrusted with the execution of God's will. He was not favored by God because he served Him, but served Him because selected and appointed by God in His sovereign mercy. After a general expression of praise and confidence in God for the future, David gives a sublimely poetical description of God's deliverance, which he characterizes as an illustration of God's justice to the innocent and His righteous government. His own prowess and success are celebrated as the results of divine aid, and, confident of its continuance, he closes in terms of triumphant praise. 2Sa 22:1-51 is a copy of this Psalm, with a few unimportant variations recorded there as a part of the history, and repeated here as part of a collection designed for permanent use.
1. I will love thee—with most tender affection.
2, 3. The various terms used describe God as an object of the most implicit and reliable trust.
rock—literally, "a cleft rock," for concealment.
strength—a firm, immovable rock.
horn of my salvation—The horn, as the means of attack or defense of some of the strongest animals, is a frequent emblem of power or strength efficiently exercised (compare De 33:17; Lu 1:69).
tower—literally, "high place," beyond reach of danger.
3. to be praised—for past favors, and worthy of confidence.
4. sorrows—literally, "bands as of a net" (Ps 116:3).
floods—denotes "multitude."
5. death—and hell (compare Ps 16:10) are personified as man's great enemies (compare Re 20:13, 14).
prevented—encountered me, crossed my path, and endangered my safety. He does not mean he was in their power.
6. He relates his methods to procure relief when distressed, and his success.
temple—(Compare Ps 11:4).
7, 8. God's coming described in figures drawn from His appearance on Sinai (compare De 32:22).
8. smoke out … his nostrils—bitter in His wrath (compare Ps 74:1).
by it—that is, the fire (Ex 19:18).
9. darkness—or, a dense cloud (Ex 19:16; De 5:22).
10. cherub—angelic agents (compare Ge 3:24), the figures of which were placed over the ark (1Sa 4:4), representing God's dwelling; used here to enhance the majesty of the divine advent. Angels and winds may represent all rational and irrational agencies of God's providence (compare Ps 104:3, 4).
did fly—Rapidity of motion adds to the grandeur of the scene.
11. dark waters—or, clouds heavy with vapor.
12. Out of this obscurity, which impresses the beholder with awe and dread, He reveals Himself by sudden light and the means of His terrible wrath (Jos 10:11; Ps 78:47).
13. The storm breaks forth—thunder follows lightning, and hail with repeated lightning, as often seen, like balls or coals of fire, succeed (Ex 9:23).
14. The fiery brightness of lightning, in shape like burning arrows rapidly shot through the air, well represents the most terrible part of an awful storm. Before the terrors of such a scene the enemies are confounded and overthrown in dismay.
15. The tempest of the air is attended by appropriate results on earth. The language, though not expressive of any special physical changes, represents the utter subversion of the order of nature. Before such a God none can stand.
16-19. from above—As seated on a throne, directing these terrible scenes, God—
sent—His hand (Ps 144:7), reached down to His humble worshipper, and delivered him.
many waters—calamities (Job 30:14; Ps 124:4, 5).
18. prevented—(Ps 18:3).
19. a large place—denotes safety or relief, as contrasted with the straits of distress (Ps 4:1). All his deliverance is ascribed to God, and this sublime poetical representation is given to inspire the pious with confidence and the wicked with dread.
20-24. The statements of innocence, righteousness, &c., refer, doubtless, to his personal and official conduct and his purposes, during all the trials to which he was subjected in Saul's persecutions and Absalom's rebellions, as well as the various wars in which he had been engaged as the head and defender of God's Church and people.
23. upright before him—In my relation to God I have been perfect as to all parts of His law. The perfection does not relate to degree.
mine iniquity—perhaps the thought of his heart to kill Saul (1Sa 24:6). That David does not allude to all his conduct, in all relations, is evident from Ps 51:1, &c.
25-27. God renders to men according to their deeds in a penal, not vindictive, sense (Le 26:23, 24).
merciful—or, "kind" (Ps 4:3).
26. froward—contrary to.
27. the afflicted people—that is, the humbly pious.
high looks—pride (Ps 101:5; 131:1).
28. To give one light is to make prosperous (Job 18:5, 6; 21:17).
thou—is emphatic, as if to say, I can fully confide in Thee for help.
29. And this on past experience in his military life, set forth by these figures.
30-32. God's perfection is the source of his own, which has resulted from his trust on the one hand, and God's promised help on the other.
tried—"as metals are tried by fire and proved genuine" (Ps 12:6). Shield (Ps 3:3). Girding was essential to free motion on account of the looseness of Oriental dresses; hence it is an expressive figure for describing the gift of strength.
33-36. God's help farther described. He gives swiftness to pursue or elude his enemies (Hab 3:19), strength, protection, and a firm footing.
35. thy gentleness—as applied to God—condescension—or that which He gives, in the sense of humility (compare Pr 22:4).
36. enlarged my steps—made ample room (compare Pr 4:12).
37-41. In actual conflict, with God's aid, the defeat of his enemies is certain. A present and continued success is expressed.
39. that rose up against me—literally, "insurgents" (Ps 3:1; 44:5).
40. given me the necks—literally, "backs of the necks"; made them retreat (Ex 23:27; Jos 7:8).
42. This conquest was complete.
43-45. Not only does He conquer civil foes, but foreigners, who are driven from their places of refuge.
44. submit, &c.—(compare Margin)—that is, show a forced subjection.
46. The Lord liveth—contrasts Him with idols (1Co 8:4).
47, 48. avengeth me—His cause is espoused by God as His own.
48. liftest me up—to safety and honors.
49, 50. Paul (Ro 15:9) quotes from this doxology to show that under the Old Testament economy, others than the Jews were regarded as subjects of that spiritual government of which David was head, and in which character his deliverances and victories were typical of the more illustrious triumphs of David's greater Son. The language of Ps 18:50 justifies this view in its distinct allusion to the great promise (compare 2Sa 7:12). In all David's successes he saw the pledges of a fulfilment of that promise, and he mourned in all his adversities, not only in view of his personal suffering, but because he saw in them evidences of danger to the great interests which were committed to his keeping. It is in these aspects of his character that we are led properly to appreciate the importance attached to his sorrows and sufferings, his joys and successes.