Psalms 18

I love you, LORD. You are my strength.

1I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.

NoteWhere the King James prints "LORD" in capital letters, the Hebrew has God's personal name, four consonants usually written YHWH. By the time the psalms were being read aloud in synagogues, that name was not spoken; readers substituted the ordinary word for "Lord," and English translations have followed the substitution ever since. This same poem appears, with small differences of wording, as 2 Samuel 22.

2The LORD is my rock, my fort, and my rescuer. My God is my rock, and I go to him for safety. He is my shield, the horn that saves me, and my high, safe tower.

2The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

Note"Buckler" is an old English word for a small round shield carried on the arm. "The horn of my salvation" uses the horn of a bull or ram as a stock image for strength and the power to attack, the way we might say "muscle." The string of images here is military architecture: a rock is a crag or cliff too steep for attackers, a fortress a walled refuge, a high tower a lookout keep.

3I will call on the LORD, who deserves to be praised, and I will be saved from my enemies.

3I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

4The ropes of death wrapped around me. Torrents of destruction filled me with fear.

4The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

NoteThe Hebrew word behind "ungodly men" is *belial*, a term meaning something like worthlessness, ruin, or destruction. Older translators took it as a description of wicked people; most modern ones take it as a name for destruction or the underworld itself, so the line becomes "torrents of destruction." The image is floodwater sweeping a person off his feet.

5The ropes of the grave tangled around me. The traps set by death were right in front of me.

5The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.

Note"Hell" here translates *Sheol*, the Hebrew word for the grave or the underworld, the place all the dead were thought to go, good and bad alike. It is not the place of punishment that the English word "hell" suggests to a modern reader. Also, "prevented" in 1611 English meant "came before" or "confronted," not "stopped."

6When I was in trouble, I called to the LORD. I cried out to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry for help reached his ears.

6In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

Note"His temple" can mean either the sanctuary in Jerusalem or God's dwelling in heaven; the Hebrew word covers both, and the poem does not settle which is meant. The verses that follow describe him coming down from the sky, which pulls toward the heavenly sense.

7Then the earth rocked and shook. The foundations of the mountains trembled and shook, because he was angry.

7Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.

8Smoke rose from his nose, and fire came out of his mouth and burned things up. Glowing coals blazed from him.

8There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

NoteIn Hebrew, anger is described physically as heat in the nose or a burning nose, the idiom in verse 7 translated "he was wroth" literally says his nose burned. Verse 8 keeps that image going with smoke rising from the nostrils.

9He bent the heavens down and came down, with thick darkness under his feet.

9He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.

NoteThe sky is pictured as something solid enough to be bent, a spread canopy or dome that God pushes down and steps through to come to earth.

10He rode on a cherub and flew. He soared on the wings of the wind.

10And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

NoteA cherub in the Hebrew Bible is not a chubby winged baby; that image is a much later European invention. Cherubim were powerful composite creatures, part animal and part human, carved with outstretched wings over the ark in the sanctuary and pictured as bearers of God's throne. Here one serves as a mount, paired in the next line with the wind itself.

11He made the darkness his hiding place. Around him, like a tent, were dark waters and thick storm clouds.

11He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

12Out of the brightness in front of him, his thick clouds swept forward, with hailstones and burning coals.

12At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.

13The LORD also thundered from heaven. The Most High let his voice be heard, with hailstones and burning coals.

13The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

Note"The Highest" translates *Elyon*, "Most High," an old title for God. Thunder as a god's voice was standard storm imagery in the ancient Near East.

14He shot out his arrows and scattered my enemies. He hurled bolts of lightning and sent them running in confusion.

14Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.

NoteThe arrows and the lightning are the same thing: "arrows" is a poetic term for lightning bolts, and the two halves of the line say it twice, which is how Hebrew poetry normally works. "Discomfited" in older English means thrown into panic and routed, not mildly embarrassed.

15Then the bottoms of the seas could be seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare, at your sharp command, LORD, at the blast of breath from your nose.

15Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

NoteThis assumes the ancient picture of the world: dry land resting on foundations, with sea channels beneath. Drain the water away and you would see the bottom of the sea and the pillars the world stands on. The storm strips the world back to its bare structure.

16He reached down from above and took hold of me. He pulled me out of deep waters.

16He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

17He saved me from my powerful enemy, and from those who hated me, because they were too strong for me.

17He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.

18They came at me on the day disaster struck me, but the LORD was the one who held me up.

18They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.

Note"Prevented" again in its old sense: they got there first, confronted him, met him head-on.

19He also brought me out into a wide, open place. He rescued me because he was pleased with me.

19He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

NoteBeing brought into "a large place" is a standard Hebrew idiom for rescue. Distress is imagined as being hemmed in, squeezed, cornered; safety is open ground with room to move.

20The LORD paid me back for doing what was right. Because my hands were clean, he repaid me.

20The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

Note"Clean hands" is legal language for innocence, hands not stained by wrongdoing, a person against whom no charge stands. It is not about ritual washing.

21For I have kept to the LORD's ways, and I have not done evil by turning away from my God.

21For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22For all his decisions were in front of me, and I did not push his rules aside.

22For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.

Note"Judgments" and "statutes" are the standard terms for the body of law Israel understood as given by God: case rulings and standing decrees. Keeping them "before me" means keeping them constantly in view, the way one keeps written instructions in front of one's eyes.

23I was also honest and blameless before him, and I kept myself from doing wrong.

23I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

24So the LORD repaid me for doing what was right, because my hands were clean in his sight.

24Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

25To the person who is faithful and kind, you show yourself faithful and kind. To the person who is honest, you show yourself honest.

25With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;

26To the person who is pure, you show yourself pure. But to the person who is crooked, you show yourself too clever for him.

26With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

Note"Froward" is an old English word for crooked, twisted, perverse. The Hebrew is a deliberate play on words: the same root is used of the person and of God's response, so the line says God deals with the twisted in a twisted way, meaning something like outmaneuvering them, matching cunning with cunning.

27For you save people who are beaten down, but you bring down those who look at others with proud eyes.

27For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.

28For you keep my lamp burning. The LORD my God turns my darkness into light.

28For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

NoteA household lamp was a small clay dish of oil with a wick, and keeping one alight through the night was the mark of a living, occupied house. "My lamp" stands for a person's life and, by extension, the survival of his family line.

29With your help I can charge at a whole troop of soldiers. With my God I can climb over a wall.

29For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.

NoteThe Hebrew of the first half is ambiguous: the word can mean a raiding party of soldiers or a wall or rampart, so the line reads either "I can charge a troop" or "I can run at a barrier." Either way it pairs with scaling a city wall, the two hardest things a soldier had to do in ancient warfare.

30As for God, his way is perfect. The LORD's word has been tested and proven true. He is a shield to everyone who goes to him for safety.

30As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

Note"Tried" here means tested, in the sense of metal put through fire to burn off the impurities and prove it genuine.

31For who is God except the LORD? Who is a rock except our God?

31For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?

32It is God who wraps me in strength and makes my way clear and straight.

32It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

NoteTo "gird" is to tie a belt tightly around the waist, hitching up the long robe so you can run or fight. Girding someone with strength means equipping them for action, putting on their war belt for them.

33He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and he sets me firmly on the high places.

33He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.

NoteA hind is a female deer, proverbially sure-footed on steep ground. "My high places" here means mountain heights and commanding ground held by an army; it is not the same as the hilltop worship sites elsewhere called high places.

34He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

34He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.

NoteThe metal is bronze, not steel, which was not yet in use. A composite war bow had to be bent by main force to string it, so bending a bronze-fitted bow is a boast about sheer physical strength, not about snapping a weapon in half.

35You have given me the shield that saves me. Your right hand has held me up, and your gentleness has made me great.

35Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.

NoteThe right hand is the sword hand and the strong hand throughout the Hebrew Bible, so "your right hand" is shorthand for God's effective power.

36You have made a wide path for my steps, so that my feet did not slip.

36Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.

37I chased my enemies and caught up with them. I did not turn back until they were finished.

37I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.

38I struck them down so they could not get up. They fell under my feet.

38I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.

39For you wrapped me in strength for the fight. You brought those who attacked me down under me.

39For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

40You also made my enemies turn their backs and run, so that I could destroy those who hated me.

40Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.

NoteThe Hebrew idiom is literally "you gave me my enemies' neck": that is, you made them turn and run so I saw the backs of their necks. The related picture of a victor setting his foot on a defeated enemy's neck is a common one in ancient art.

41They cried for help, but no one saved them. They cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.

41They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.

42Then I ground them up as fine as dust blown by the wind. I threw them out like mud in the streets.

42Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.

43You saved me from the fighting among the people, and you made me the head of the nations. A people I never knew will serve me.

43Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.

Note"Heathen" translates *goyim*, simply "the nations", peoples other than Israel. The English word has picked up a sneer that the Hebrew does not carry. The same word appears in verse 49.

44As soon as they hear about me, they obey me. Foreigners bow down to me.

44As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.

Note"Strangers" means foreigners, people of other nations. The Hebrew verb translated "submit themselves" carries a suggestion of cringing or of feigned, unwilling obedience, submission given because there is no choice.

45Foreigners lose their courage, and they come out of their hideouts shaking with fear.

45The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.

Note"Close places" are fortified strongholds, walled positions people shut themselves inside. The picture is enemies forced to come out of their defenses.

46The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock! May the God who saves me be lifted high.

46The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

47He is the God who pays back those who wrong me, and who brings nations down under me.

47It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.

48He rescues me from my enemies. You lift me up above those who attack me. You save me from violent men.

48He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

49So I will thank you, LORD, among the nations, and I will sing praises to your name.

49Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.

50He gives great rescue to his king. He shows loyal love to the one he chose and anointed, to David and to his descendants forever.

50Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.

Note"Anointed" translates *mashiach*, the word that comes into English as "messiah" and into Greek as "christ." It means smeared with oil, referring to the ceremony in which oil was poured on the head of a new king to mark him as chosen for office. Here it is the reigning king himself. "Seed" is the ordinary Hebrew word for offspring or descendants.