David's thanksgiving for deliverance from his enemies This magnificent hymn is substantially identical with Psalms 18. The chief variations are pointed out in the notes, and some general remarks on the difference of the two texts will be found in Additional Note III., p. 235. It was written, as th... [ Continue Reading ]
The title 1. Compare the inscriptions which introduce Moses" songs in the historical narrative (Exodus 15:1; Deuteronomy 31:30). This inscription seems to have been taken by the compiler of Samuel and the compiler of the Psalter from a common source probably one of the prophetic histories of David'... [ Continue Reading ]
Introductory invocation of Jehovah 2. _The_Lord _is my rock_ The opening address to God, found in Psalms 18, "Fervently do I love thee O Jehovah my strength," is wanting here.... [ Continue Reading ]
The imagery, by which David describes so emphatically all that Jehovah had been to him as a Deliverer from his enemies, is derived from the experiences of his warlike life, and particularly of his flight from Saul. The CLIFF (1 Samuel 23:25; 1 Samuel 23:28) where he had escaped from Saul, the STRONG... [ Continue Reading ]
_The God of my rock_ = my strong God: but it is better to alter the vowel points and read as in the Ps., "my God, my Rock." The title Rock is frequently used to describe the strength, faithfulness, and unchangeableness of God. See Deuteronomy 32:4; Deuteronomy 32:37; 1 Samuel 2:2; Psalms 28:1, &c. _... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will call … so shall I be saved_ Better, I CALLED … AND I WAS SAVED. The tenses are frequentative, describing David's _habitual_experience of God's readiness to answer prayer. This verse presents "the theme of the Psalm.... [ Continue Reading ]
_waves_ Psalms 18:4 reads _cords_as in 2 Samuel 22:6; E. V _sorrows_. _ungodly men_ Heb. _Belial_. See note on 1 Samuel 1:16. The parallelism points to the meaning _destruction_, physical mischief, instead of the ordinary meaning _wickedness_, moral mischief.... [ Continue Reading ]
The Psalmist's perils. His cry for help 5, 6. FOR BREAKERS OF DEATH HAD COMPASSED ME, torrents of destruction were affrighting me, cords of Sheol had surrounded me, snares of death had encountered me. The perils to which he had been exposed are described as waves and floods which threatened to... [ Continue Reading ]
_the sorrows of hell_ The word may no doubt mean _pangs_, as it is translated in the Sept. (ὠδῖνες, cp. Acts 2:24); but is better explained of the CORDS or NETS of the hunter. _Hell_is _Sheôl_(Gr. _Hades_), the mysterious unseen world, ready to seize and swallow up its victim. See note on 1 Samuel 2... [ Continue Reading ]
_called … cried_ This rendering represents a difference of words found in the Heb. of Psalms 18:6, but not here. It is however supported by the Sept. and is probably the true reading. _out of his temple_ The palace temple of heaven, where He sits enthroned. Cp. Psalms 11:4. _and my cry_did enter _... [ Continue Reading ]
_shook and trembled_ The paronomasia of the original may be preserved by translating, AND THE EARTH DID SHAKE AND QUAKE. _the foundations of heaven_ The mountains on which the vault of heaven seems to rest: cp. "the pillars of heaven" (Job 26:11): or perhaps the universe is regarded as a vast build... [ Continue Reading ]
The manifestation of Jehovah for the discomfiture of David's enemies Earthquake and storm are regarded as the visible manifestations of Divine Power: and therefore God's interposition for the deliverance of His servant from the perils that surrounded him is described as accompanied by terrible phen... [ Continue Reading ]
SMOKE AROSE IN HIS NOSTRIL, and fire from his mouth did devour: hot coals came burning from him. The startling boldness of the language will be intelligible if the distinctive character of Hebrew symbolism is borne in mind. It is no "gross anthropomorphism," for the Psalmist did not intend that... [ Continue Reading ]
_He bowed the heavens_ The dark canopy of storm cloud, which is the pavement under His feet (Nahum 1:3), lowers as He descends to judgment. God is said to _come down_when He manifests His power in the world (Genesis 11:7; Genesis 18:21; Isaiah 64:1). _Darkness_symbolizes the mystery and terror of Hi... [ Continue Reading ]
_he rode upon a cherub_ As the Shechinah, or mystic Presence of God in the cloud of glory, rested over the Cherubim which were upon the "Mercy-seat" or covering of the Ark (ch. 2 Samuel 6:2), so in this Theophany God is represented "riding upon a Cherub," as the living throne on which He traverses s... [ Continue Reading ]
More fully in Psalms 18:11: "He made darkness his secret place, his pavilion round about him; even darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies." The darkness of the clouds is the tent in which God shrouds His Majesty. _dark waters_ So Psalms 18:11; but the word here, which is most probably the or... [ Continue Reading ]
_Through the brightness_, &c. OUT OF THE BRIGHTNESS, &C. The lightning flashes which now burst through the dense cloud, are as it were rays of the "unapproachable light" in which He dwells. The text of Psalms 18:12 is fuller and probably more correct: "Out of the brightness before him there passed t... [ Continue Reading ]
_the most High_ The name of God as the Supreme Ruler of the Universe. Cp. Genesis 14:18-22; Deuteronomy 32:8. _uttered his voice_ Thunder is the voice of God. See Job 37:2-5. The repetition of "hailstones and coals of fire" in Psalms 18:13 is probably due to an error of transcription.... [ Continue Reading ]
_scattered them_ "Them" obviously refers to the enemies whose destruction was the object of this divine interposition (2 Samuel 22:4). _discomfited them_ A word denoting _the confusion of a sudden panic_, and used specially of _supernatural_defeat. Cp. Exodus 14:24 (E. V. _troubled_); Joshua 10:10;... [ Continue Reading ]
All nature is pictured as convulsed to its lowest depths; the sea dried up, and the hidden bases of the world laid bare, owning their Lord and Master, as of old at the passage of the Red Sea, when "He rebuked the Red Sea, and it was dried up." See Exodus 15:8; Psalms 104:7; Psalms 106:9; Nahum 1:4.... [ Continue Reading ]
Jehovah's deliverance of his servant for his faithfulness 17. _He sent from above_ HE REACHED FORTH FROM ON HIGH: stretched out His hand and caught hold of the sinking man, and drew him out of the floods of calamity which were engulfing him. Cp. 2 Samuel 22:5; Psalms 144:7. _drew me_ A word found... [ Continue Reading ]
_They prevented me_ THEY ENCOUNTERED ME, the same word as in 2 Samuel 22:6, meaning _to meet with hostile intention. Prevent_is used in a sense which illustrates the transition from the original meaning -to go before" to the modern meaning -to hinder." See the _Bible Word Book_, p. 383. Cp. Milton's... [ Continue Reading ]
_into a large place_ The opposite of the _straits_of peril. Cp. 2 Samuel 22:37; Psalms 31:8. _because he delighted in me_ This was the ground of God's deliverance, and it now becomes the leading thought of the Psalm. Cp. ch. 2 Samuel 15:26; Psalms 22:8; and also Matthew 3:17, where the Greek word fo... [ Continue Reading ]
_according to my righteousness_ This is no vain-glorious boasting of his own merits, but a testimony to the faithfulness of Jehovah to guard and reward His faithful servants. David does not lay claim to a perfect righteousness, but to sincerity and single-heartedness in his devotion to God. Compare... [ Continue Reading ]
The integrity of David's life and its reward 22. _For I have kept_, &c. He goes on to substantiate the assertion of the preceding verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_all his judgments were before me_ God's commandments were continually present to his mind as the rule of life. Cp. Deuteronomy 6:6-9; Psalms 119:30; Psalms 119:102. _and as for his statutes_, &c. In Psalms 18:22, "And his statutes did I not put away from me," in order to sin with less compunction.... [ Continue Reading ]
_upright_ Or _perfect_, as in 2 Samuel 22:31_; 2 Samuel 22:33_. It expresses the sincerity of undivided devotion. As a sacrificial term it signifies _without blemish_, and so the Sept. renders it here ἄμωμος, for which cp. Ephesians 1:4; Colossians 1:22, &c. _have kept myself from mine iniquity_ I... [ Continue Reading ]
The assertion of 2 Samuel 22:21 is repeated as the conclusion to be drawn from the review of his conduct in 2 Samuel 22:22, and is confirmed in the following verses by a consideration of the general laws of God's moral government.... [ Continue Reading ]
The law of God's dealings with men The truth here enunciated is that God's attitude towards men is regulated by men's attitude towards God (cp. 1 Samuel 2:30; 1 Samuel 15:23); not (though this is also true) that men's conceptions of God are the reflection of their own characters.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the merciful_ Or _pious_: the word includes love to God as well as to man. See note on 1 Samuel 2:9, and cp. Matthew 5:7. _the upright man_ Lit. _the upright hero_: the man who is valiant in maintaining his integrity.... [ Continue Reading ]
_with the pure_, &c. Properly _one who purifies himself_. Cp. 1 John 3:3; Matthew 5:8; Psalms 73:1. _thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury_ Better, PERVERSE. The man who is _froward_, morally distorted and perverse, is given over by God to follow his own perverseness, till it brings him to destruction. C... [ Continue Reading ]
_thine eyes_, &c. THINE EYES ARE AGAINST THE HAUGHTY, WHOM THOU BRINGEST LOW. In Psalms 18:27 a more usual phrase is found: "haughty eyes dost thou bring low." Cp. Isaiah 2:11-12; Isaiah 2:17. _the afflicted people_ The Heb. words for _poor_or _afflicted_and for _humble_are closely connected; and a... [ Continue Reading ]
_For thou_, &c. _For_connects this verse closely with 2 Samuel 22:29, as the confirmation out of his own experience of the principles there enunciated. _my lamp_ Illuminating all his life with the light of prosperity, as the lamp illuminates the house. _Dominus illuminatio mea_was David's motto. Cp.... [ Continue Reading ]
God's faithfulness attested by the Psalmist's experience After celebrating God's goodness in delivering him from all the dangers which threatened his life, David goes on to describe how God had made him victorious over all his enemies.... [ Continue Reading ]
Two memorable events in David's life seem to be here alluded to: the successful pursuit of the predatory "troop" of Amalekites which had sacked Ziklag (1 Samuel 30: in _2Sa 22:8; 2 Samuel 22:15; 2 Samuel 22:23_the same word _troop_is used of the Amalekites): and the capture of Zion, effected with su... [ Continue Reading ]
_tried_ i.e. _refined_: like pure gold, with no taint of earthly dross. Cp. Psalms 12:6; Psalms 119:140; Proverbs 30:5. _a buckler_, &c. A SHIELD TO ALL THEM THAT TAKE REFUGE IN HIM. Cp. 2 Samuel 22:3.... [ Continue Reading ]
The praise of Jehovah the giver of victory 32. FOR WHO IS A STRONG GOD (_El_) SAVE JEHOVAH? and who is a rock, save our God (_Elôhîm_)? Cp. ch. 2 Samuel 7:22; Deuteronomy 32:31; 1 Samuel 2:2. _El_, the name which describes God as _the Mighty One_, is found in Samuel only in 1Sa 2:3; 2 Samuel 22:... [ Continue Reading ]
_my strength_and _power_ Rather, MY STRONG FORTRESS. Psalms 18:32 reads "who girdeth me with strength:" cp. 2 Samuel 22:40. _maketh my way perfect Maketh_is a different word from that similarly translated in Psalms 18:32, and seems to express _the removal of obstacles_which blocked up the path of hi... [ Continue Reading ]
_like hinds" feet_ The hind, like the gazelle, was a type of agility, swiftness, and surefootedness, indispensable qualifications in ancient warfare. Cp. 2 Samuel 2:18; 1 Chronicles 12:8. _setteth me upon my high places_ The metaphor of the hind, bounding unimpeded over the mountain tops, is contin... [ Continue Reading ]
_so that a bow of steel_, &c. AND MINE ARMS BEND A BOW OF BRONZE. The ability to bend a _metal_bow (cp. Job 20:24) was a mark of superior strength. Readers of the Odyssey will recall Ulysses" bow, which none but himself could bend. (Hom. _Od._xxi. 409). Observe how David recognises that the advanta... [ Continue Reading ]
_the shield of thy salvation_ Cp. Ephesians 6:17; Psalms 18:35 adds, "and thy right hand sustained me." _thy gentleness_ This is a rendering of the word used in Psalms 18:35, which means _gentleness_or _condescension_: but the reading here is different, and probably means THY ANSWERING, i.e. thy an... [ Continue Reading ]
_enlarged my steps_, &c. Given me free space for unobstructed motion (cp. 2 Samuel 22:20; Proverbs 4:12), and the power to advance with firm, unwavering steps.... [ Continue Reading ]
David's destruction of his enemies 38. _destroyed them_ In Psalms 18:37, "overtaken them," an echo of Exodus 15:9.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And I have consumed them, and wounded them_ YEA I CONSUMED THEM omitted in Psalms 18:38 AND CRUSHED THEM.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MINE ENEMIES DIDST THOU MAKE TO TURN THEIR BACKS UNTO ME: as for them that hate me, I destroyed them. The first clause means that his enemies were put to flight (Exodus 23:27), not (as the E. V. suggests) that he planted his foot on their necks in token of triumph (Joshua 10:24).... [ Continue Reading ]
_They looked_ They looked for help. Cp. Isaiah 17:7-8. The Sept. and Psalms 18:41 read, _they cried_. There is only the difference of a single letter between the words, as far as the consonants are concerned (ישעו ישועו). _even unto the_Lord] In their extremity even the heathen might cry for mercy... [ Continue Reading ]
_as the dust of the earth_ In Psalms 18:42, "as the dust before the wind." For the metaphor cp. 2 Kings 13:7. _I did stamp them_, &c. In Psalms 18:42, "as the mire of the streets did I empty them out:" I flung them away as worthless refuse. Again the variation is due to the confusion of similar wor... [ Continue Reading ]
The establishment of David's dominion 44. _from the strivings of my people_ The reference seems to be to the civil wars and internal dissensions which had disturbed the early years of David's reign, while Saul's house still endeavoured to maintain its position. Through all these conflicts he had be... [ Continue Reading ]
_shall submit themselves unto me_ SUBMITTED THEMSELVES UNTO ME. The marginal rendering, _yield feigned obedience_, gives the original meaning of the word, which according to its derivation seems to denote the unwilling homage extorted from the vanquished by their conqueror. Cp. Deuteronomy 33:29; Ps... [ Continue Reading ]
_shall fade away_ FADED AWAY: like plants scorched up by the burning sun. Cp. Exodus 18:18 (_marg._). _shall be afraid_ Probably, CAME LIMPING OUT OF THEIR FASTNESSES: a picture of the exhausted defenders of a fort dragging themselves along with difficulty and reluctance to lay down their arms befo... [ Continue Reading ]
Concluding thanksgiving and doxology 47. _The_Lord _liveth_ Life is the essential attribute of Jehovah, Who is the Living God in contrast to the dead idols of the heathen. The experience of David's life was to him a certain proof that God is the living, acting Ruler of the World. Cp. Joshua 3:10.... [ Continue Reading ]
_avengeth me_ For the wrongs inflicted by Saul (1 Samuel 24:12); for the insults of Nabal (1 Samuel 25:39); for the opposition of those who refused to acknowledge him as king (ch. 2 Samuel 4:8). Vengeance is the prerogative of God (Psalms 94:1), and the visible execution of it was anxiously looked f... [ Continue Reading ]
_bringeth me forth_ The opposite of "shutting him up into the hand of his enemies" (Psalms 31:8). Cp. 2 Samuel 22:20_; 2 Samuel 22:37_. _the violent man_ This may mean men of violence in general, but as Saul is named in the title, it is natural to see a definite reference to him in particular. Cp.... [ Continue Reading ]
The celebration of Jehovah's faithfulness to His servant is not to be confined within the narrow limits of Israel. His praise is to be proclaimed among the heathen, who, as they are brought under the dominion of His people, may also be brought to the knowledge of Jehovah. Cp. Psalms 96:3; Psalms 96:... [ Continue Reading ]
_He is the tower of salvation_ So the _Qrî_: cp. Psalms 61:3; Proverbs 18:10: but the _Kthîbh_, the Versions, and Psalms 18:50 read, WHO GIVETH GREAT DELIVERANCE. The difference between the consonants of the words in the original is very trifling (מנדול מנדיל). _to his seed for evermore_ A referenc... [ Continue Reading ]