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Psalm Eighteen
New King James Version (NKJV)
YLT
1To the Overseer. -- By a servant of Jehovah, by David, who hath spoken
to Jehovah the words of this song in the day Jehovah delivered him from the
hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he saith: --
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 18
To the chief Musician, cf15I a Psalm of David. This
is the same with that in 2 Samuel 22:1, with some variations,
omissions, and alterations:
the servant of the Lord; not only by creation,
nor merely by regeneration, but by office, as king of Israel, being put into it
by the Lord, and acting in it in submission and obedience to him; just as the
apostles under the New Testament, on account of their office, so style
themselves in their epistles:
who spake unto the Lord the words of this song; that is, who
delivered and sung this song in so many express words, in public, before all
the congregation of Israel, to the honour and glory of God:
in the day [that] the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his
enemies, and from the hand of Saul, Not that this psalm was
composed and sung the selfsame day that David was delivered from Saul, and set
upon the throne; for it seems to have been written in his old age, at the close
of his days; for immediately after it, in the second book of Samuel, it
follows, "now these be the last words of David", 2 Samuel 23:1, but the sense is, that
whereas David had many enemies, and particularly Saul, who was his greatest
enemy, the Lord delivered him from them all, and especially from him, from him
first, and then from all the rest; which when he reflected upon in his last
days, he sat down and wrote this psalm, and then sung it in public, having
delivered it into the hands of the chief musician for that purpose. There are
two passages cited out of it in the New Testament, and applied to Christ; Psalm 18:2, in Hebrews 2:13, and Psalm 18:49 in Romans 15:9; and there are many things in
it that very well agree with him; he is eminently the "servant" of
the Lord as Mediator; he was encompassed with the snares and sorrows of death
and hell, and with the floods of ungodly men, when in the garden and on the
cross God was his helper and deliverer, as man; and he was victorious over all
enemies, sin, Satan, the world, death and hell; as the subject of this psalm is
all along represented: and to Christ it does most properly belong to be the
head of the Heathen, whose voluntary subjects the Gentiles are said to be, Psalm 18:43; and which is expressed in much
the same language as the like things are in Isaiah 55:4; which is a clear and undoubted
prophecy of the Messiah; to which may be added, that the Lord's Anointed, the
King Messiah, and who is also called David, is expressly mentioned in Psalm 18:50; and which is applied to the
Messiah by the JewsF17Echa Rabbati, fol. 50. 2. & Midrash Tillim
in Tzeror Hammor, fol. 47. 3. as Psalm 18:32 is paraphrased of him by the
Targum on it;
and he said; the following words:
Psalm 18:1 I
will love You, O Lord,
my strength.
YLT
1I love Thee, O Jehovah, my
strength.
I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. These words
are not in twenty second chapter of Second Samuel: the psalm there begins with Psalm 18:2. The psalmist here expresses his
love to the Lord, and his continuance in it; that Jehovah the Father was, is,
and ever will be the object of Christ's love, is certain; and which has
appeared by his readiness in the council and covenant of grace to do his will;
by his coming down from heaven to earth for that purpose; by his delight in it,
it being his meat and drink to do it; and by his sufferings and death, which
were in compliance with, and obedience to it, John 14:31; and as in David, so in all
regenerate ones, there is love to God; Jehovah is loved by them in all his
persons; Jehovah the Father is loved, and to be loved, for the perfections of
his nature, because of the works of his hands, of creation and providence; and
particularly because of his works of special grace and goodness, and especially
because of his love wherewith he has loved his people, 1 John 4:19. Jehovah the Son is loved, and
to be loved, above all creatures and things whatever, sincerely and heartily,
fervently and constantly; because of the loveliness of his person, the love of
his heart, and his works of grace and redemption; all of him is lovely; and he
is to be loved, and is loved, in his person, offices, relations, people, word,
and ordinances: Jehovah the Spirit is loved, and to be loved, because of his person
and perfections, and operations of grace; as a sanctifier, comforter, the
spirit of adoption, the earnest and pledge of eternal glory. The word here used
signifies the most intimate, tender, and affectionate love; it often designs
mercy and bowels of mercy; so Aben Ezra interprets it of seeking mercy of God:
the reasons are as follow in this verse and Psalm 18:2, because "the Lord is my
strength"; so he was to Christ as man, who as such was the man of his
right hand, the Son of Man, whom he made strong for himself, to do his work,
and for his glory, Psalm 80:17; he promised to strengthen him,
and he did, Psalm 89:21; and so he is the strength of
all his saints, even Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit; he is the strength of
their hearts both in life and at death; he is the strength of their graces, who
strengthens that which he has wrought for them, and in them; he strengthens
them to do their duty, to bear the cross, and every affliction, and against
every enemy of their souls; and this renders him very lovely and amiable to
them.
Psalm 18:2 2 The Lord is my rock and
my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My
shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
YLT
2Jehovah [is] my rock, and
my bulwark, And my deliverer, My God [is] my rock, I trust in Him: My shield,
and a horn of my salvation, My high tower.
The Lord is my rock,.... To whom the saints
have recourse for shelter and safety, for supply, support, and divine
refreshment; and in whom they are secure, and on whom they build their hopes of
eternal life and happiness, and so are safe from all enemies, and from all
danger. Christ is called a Rock on all these accounts, Psalm 61:2;
and my fortress; or garrison; so the saints are kept in and
by the power of God as in a garrison, 1 Peter 1:5;
and my deliverer: out of all afflictions, and from all
temptations, and out of the hands of all enemies; from a body of sin and death
at last, and from wrath to come;
my God; the strong and mighty One, who is able to save, and who is the
covenant God and Father of his people;
my strength, in whom I will trust; as Christ did, and to
whom these words are applied in Hebrews 2:13; and as his people are enabled
to do even under very distressing and discouraging circumstances, Job 13:15;
my buckler; or shield; who protects and defends them from their enemies, and
preserves them from the fiery darts of Satan;
and the horn of my salvation; who pushes, scatters,
and destroys their enemies, and saves them; a metaphor taken from horned
beasts; so Christ, the mighty and able Saviour, is called, Luke 1:69;
and my high tower; such is the
name of the Lord, whither the righteous run and are safe, Proverbs 18:10; and where they are above
and out of the reach of every enemy; see Isaiah 33:16; in 2 Samuel 22:3, it is added, "and my
refuge, my Saviour, thou savest me from violence". These various epithets
show the fulness of safety in Jehovah, the various ways he has to deliver his
people from their enemies, and secure them from danger; and the psalmist
beholding and claiming his interest in him under all these characters, rendered
him exceeding lovely and delightful to him; and each of them contain a reason
why he loved him, and why, in the strength of grace, he determined to love him.
God may be regarded in all these characters by Christ as man.
Psalm 18:3 3 I will call upon the Lord, who is
worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.
YLT
3The `Praised One' I call
Jehovah, And from my enemies I am saved.
I will call upon the Lord,.... In prayer, for fresh
mercies, and further appearances of himself, and discoveries of his grace and
favour;
who is worthy to be praised; for the
perfections of his nature, the works of his hands, his providential goodness,
and more especially for his covenant grace and blessings in Christ. The Targum
is,
"in
praise, or with an hymn, I pray before the Lord;'
agreeably
to the rule the apostle gives, Philemon 4:6; and this prayer was a prayer
of faith, as follows;
so shall I be saved from mine enemies: which was
founded upon past experience of God's goodness to him in distress, when he
called upon him, as the next words show.
Psalm 18:4 4 The pangs of death
surrounded me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
YLT
4Compassed me have cords of
death, And streams of the worthless make me afraid.
The sorrows of death compassed me,.... These words and the
following, in this verse and Psalm 18:5, as they respect David, show the
snares that were laid for his life, the danger of death he was in, and the
anxiety of mind he was possessed of on account of it; and as they refer to
Christ, include all the sorrows of his life to the time of his death, who was a
man of sorrows and acquainted with grief personally, and bore and carried the
sorrows and griefs of all his people; and may chiefly intend his sorrows in the
garden, arising from a view of the sins of his people, which he was about to
bear upon the cross; and from an apprehension of the wrath of God, and curse of
the law, which he was going to sustain for them, when his soul was περιλυπος, encompassed about
with sorrow, even unto death, Matthew 26:38; when his sorrow was so
great, and lay so heavy upon him, that it almost pressed him down to death, he
could scarce live under it; and may also take in the very pains and agonies of
death; he dying the death of the cross, which was a very painful and
excruciating one; see Psalm 22:14; The Hebrew word for
"sorrows" signifies the pains and birth throes of a woman in travail;
and is here fitly used of the sufferings and death of Christ; through which he
brought forth much fruit, or many sons to glory. The Targum is,
"distress
has encompassed me, as a woman that sits upon the stool, and has no strength to
bring forth, and is in danger of dying.'
In 2 Samuel 22:5, it is "the waves"
or "breakers of death compassed me"; and the word there used is
rendered in Hosea 13:13; "the breaking forth of
children"; moreover the same word signifies "cords"F18חבלי מות "funes
mortis", Musculus, Montanus, Vatablus, Gejerus, Michaelis; so Ainsworth,
Hammond. , as well as pains and sorrows; and the allusion may be to malefactors
being bound with cords when led to execution, and put to death; and may here
signify the power of death, under which the Messiah was held for a while, but
was loosed from it at his resurrection; to which sense of the word, and to the
words here, the Apostle Peter manifestly refers, Acts 2:24;
and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; meaning
either the multitude of them, as Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Roman soldiers, and
people of the Jews, who all gathered together against him; so the Targum renders
it, "a company of wicked men"; or the variety of sufferings he
endured by them; as spitting upon, buffering, scourging, &c. The word
rendered "ungodly men is Belial"; and signifies vain,
worthless, and unprofitable men; men of no figure or account; or lawless ones,
such as have cast off the yoke of the law, are not subject to it; persons very
wicked and profligate. The word in the New Testament seems to be used for
Satan, 2 Corinthians 6:15; where it is so rendered
in the Syriac version, and he may be designed here; and by the floods of Belial
may be meant, not so much the temptations of Satan in the wilderness, as his
violent and impetuous attacks upon Christ in the garden, when being in an agony
or conflict with him, his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood, Luke 22:44. The Septuagint render the word,
"the torrents of iniquity troubled me"; which was true of Christ,
when all the sins of his people came flowing in upon him, like mighty torrents,
from all quarters; when God laid on him the iniquity of them all, and he was
made sin for them; and in a view of all this "he began to be sore
amazed", Mark 14:33; compare with this Psalm 69:1. Arama interprets Belial of the
evil imagination in David, who had a war in himself.
Psalm 18:5 5 The sorrows of Sheol
surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.
YLT
5Cords of Sheol have
surrounded me, Before me have been snares of death.
The sorrows of hell compassed me about,.... Or
"the cords of the grave"F19חבלי שאול "funes sepulchri", Musculus, Gejerus. ,
under the power of which he was detained for awhile; the allusion may be to the
manner of burying among the Jews, who wound up their dead bodies in linen
clothes; so that they were as persons bound hand and foot; and thus were they
laid in the grave; see John 11:44; and so was Christ, till he was
raised from the dead, when he showed himself to have the keys of hell and
death, and to be no more under their power, or be held by them;
the snares of death prevented me; or "met" or
"got before me"F20קדמוני
"praeoccupaverunt me", V. L. "anteverterunt me", Vatablus;
"occurrerunt", Cocceius. the sense is, he was taken in them: this
phrase designs the insidious ways and methods which the enemies of Christ took
to ensnare him, and take away his life, and in which they succeeded; see Matthew 26:4.
Psalm 18:6 6 In my distress I called
upon the Lord,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him,
even to His ears.
YLT
6In mine adversity I call
Jehovah, And unto my God I cry. He heareth from His temple my voice, And My cry
before Him cometh into His ears.
In my distress I called upon the Lord,.... The great
Jehovah, the everlasting I AM, who is the most High in all the earth, and who
is able to save, Hebrews 5:7;
and cried unto my God; as Jesus did, Matthew 27:46; so the members of Christ,
when in distress, as they often are, through sin and Satan, through the hidings
of God's face, a variety of afflictions, and the persecutions of men, betake
themselves to the Lord, and call upon their God: a time of distress is a time
for prayer; and sometimes the end God has in suffering them to be in distress
is to bring them to the throne of his grace; and a great privilege it is they
have that they have such a throne to come to for grace and mercy to help them
in time of need, and such a God to sympathize with them, and help them; and
their encouragement to call upon him, and cry unto him, is, that he is Jehovah,
omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent; who knows their wants, is able to help
them, and is a God at hand to do it;
He heard my voice out of his temple; that is, out of heaven
his dwelling place; for the temple at Jerusalem was not built in David's time;
and it may be observed, that the prayer of the psalmist, or whom he represents,
was a vocal one, and not merely mental; and hearing it intends a gracious
regard unto it, an acceptance of it, and an agreeable answer: for it follows,
and my cry came before him, even into his ears; God did not cover
himself with a cloud, that his prayer could not pass through; but it was
admitted and received; it came up before him with acceptance; it reached his
ears, and even entered into them, and was delightful music to them: see John 11:41.
Psalm 18:7 7 Then the earth shook and
trembled; The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, Because He
was angry.
YLT
7And shake and tremble doth
the earth, And foundations of hills are troubled, And they shake -- because He
hath wrath.
Then the earth shook and trembled,.... As it did quickly
after Christ called upon the Lord, and cried to his God upon the cross, Matthew 27:50; and so some time after, when
his people were praying together, the place where they were assembled was
shaken, Acts 4:31; as a token of God's presence
being with them: and the shaking and trembling of the earth is often used as a
symbol of the presence of God, and of the greatness of his majesty; as when he
brought the children of Israel through the Red sea, went before them in the
wilderness, and descended on Mount Sinai, which mountain then moved and quaked
exceedingly; see Psalm 104:32; and it is easy to observe,
that in this, and other parts of this majestic account of the appearance of God
on the behalf of the person the subject of this psalm, and against his enemies,
there are manifest allusions to the giving of the law on Mount Sinai; though it
may be this shaking of the earth, and what follows, are to be understood in a
figurative sense;
the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken; and design
the shaking of the earth and heavens, prophesied of in Haggai 2:6; and which is explained in Hebrews 12:26; of the removing the
ordinances of the ceremonial law, that Gospel ordinances might remain unshaken;
for in 2 Samuel 22:8; the words are, "the
foundations of heaven moved and shook"; and the shaking and moving of the
earth and mountains may denote the abolition and destruction of kingdoms and
nations; and first of the civil polity of the Jews, and of their ecclesiastical
state, which quickly ensued upon the death of Christ; and next of the ruin of
Rome Pagan, and then of Rome Papal; which are both signified by an earthquake,
and by the removal of mountains, Revelation 6:12;
because he was wroth; with the people of the
Jews, for disbelieving and rejecting the Messiah; for setting themselves, and
taking counsel together against him, and putting him to death; for these things
God was angry with them, and wrath came upon them to the uttermost, and their
nation, city, and temple were destroyed, Psalm 2:1; and with the Pagan empire and
antichristian powers, Revelation 6:16.
Psalm 18:8 8 Smoke went up from His
nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it.
YLT
8Gone up hath smoke by His
nostrils, And fire from His mouth consumeth, Coals have been kindled by it.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,.... This,
with what follows, describes a storm of thunder; the "smoke" designs
thick black clouds, gathered together; "fire" intends lightning; and
"coals of fire", hot thunderbolts; and the whole is borrowed from,
and is an allusion to what was at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai, Exodus 19:16; The majesty of God is here
set forth in much such language as is the leviathan in Job 41:19; the "smoke of his
nostrils" seems to intend the indignation of God against the enemies of
David, of Christ, and of his people, and the punishment be will inflict upon
them, Isaiah 65:5. The Targum interprets it of
the pride and insolence of Pharaoh;
and fire out of his mouth devoured; God is a wall of fire
round about his people, and a consuming one to his and their enemies. This
expresses the wrath of God upon the Jewish nation, and his sending the Roman
armies to burn their city, Matthew 22:7;
coals were kindled by it; the Jews being as dry
trees, were fit fuel for the fire of divine wrath, and so presently became as
coals of fire; so the antichristian party, upon the pouring out of the fourth
vial, will be scorched with heat, and blaspheme the name of God, Revelation 16:8.
Psalm 18:9 9 He bowed the heavens also,
and came down With darkness under His feet.
YLT
9And He inclineth the
heavens, and cometh down, And thick darkness [is] under His feet.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down,.... To
execute wrath and vengeance on wicked men; which is always the sense of these
phrases when they go together; see Psalm 144:6; The Targum is, "he bowed
the heavens, and his glory appeared"; that is, the glory of his power, and
of his mighty hand of vengeance; for not his grace and mercy, but his
indignation and wrath, showed themselves; for it follows,
and darkness was under his feet; the Targum
is, "a dark cloud", expressive of the awfulness of the dispensation
to wicked men; who are not allowed to see the face of God, are debarred his
presence, and denied, communion with him, and to whom everything appears awful
and terrible, Psalm 97:2.
Psalm 18:10 10 And He rode upon a cherub,
and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind.
YLT
10And He rideth on a cherub,
and doth fly, And He flieth on wings of wind.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly,.... The
Targum renders it in the plural number, "cherubim"; and so the
Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions; and by whom may be meant, either the
angels, who are as horses and chariots, on whom Jehovah rides, and who art he
makes use of as executioners of his wrath and vengeance, Zechariah 6:5; and to whom wings are
assigned as a token of swiftness, Isaiah 6:2; or rather the ministers of the
Gospel, who are the living creatures in Revelation 4:7; and answer to the
"cherubim" in Ezekiel's visions; and whom God made use of, especially
after the death of Christ, and when the Gospel was rejected by the Jews, to
carry it into the Gentile world, which was done by them with great speed and
swiftness; and MaimonidesF21Moreh Nevochim. par. 1. c. 49. gives a
caution, not to understand the phrase, "he did fly", as of God, but
of the cherub;
yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind; which may
design the speedy help and assistance God gave to his Son, and gives to his
people; and the swift destruction of their enemies; see Psalm 104:3; the words in 2 Samuel 22:11, with only the variation of
a letter in one word, are, "and he was seen upon the wings of the
wind"; which were both true; nor need a various reading be supposed, the
psalmist using both words at different times, suitable to his purpose, and
which both express his sense. Wings are ascribed to the winds by the Heathen
poets, and they are represented as winged on ancient monumentsF23Vide
Cuperi Apotheos. Homeri, p. 178. Wings are given to the south wind by Ovid,
Metamorph. l. 1. Fab. 7. and by Juvenal, Satyr. 5. v. 10. and by Virgil,
Aeneid. 8. v. 430. and who also speaks of wings of lightning, Aeneid. 5. v.
319. .
Psalm 18:11 11 He made darkness His
secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters And thick
clouds of the skies.
YLT
11He maketh darkness His
secret place, Round about Him His tabernacle, Darkness of waters, thick clouds
of the skies.
He made darkness his secret place,.... Which, and the dark
waters in the next clause, are the same with the thick clouds in the last, in
which Jehovah is represented as wrapping himself, and in which he lies hid as
in a secret place; not so as that he cannot see others, as wicked men imagine, Job 22:13; but as that he cannot be beheld
by others; the Targum interprets it,
"he
caused his Shechinah to dwell in darkness;'
his pavilion round about him were dark waters, and
thick clouds of the skies; these were as a tent or tabernacle, in
which he dwelt unseen by men; see Job 36:29; all this may design the dark
dispensation of the Jews, after their rejection and crucifixion of Christ; when
God departed from them, left their house desolate, and them without his
presence and protection; when the light of the Gospel was taken away from them,
and blindness happened unto them, and they had eyes that they should not see,
and were given up to a judicial darkness of mind and hardness of heart; which
were some of the dark, deep, and mysterious methods of divine Providence, with
respect to which God may be said to be surrounded with darkness, dark waters,
and thick clouds; see Romans 11:7.
Psalm 18:12 12 From the brightness before
Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.
YLT
12From the brightness
over-against Him His thick clouds have passed on, Hail and coals of fire.
At the brightness that was before him, The lightning
that came out of the thick clouds; which may denote, either the coming of
Christ to take vengeance on the Jewish nation, which was swift and sudden,
clear and manifest; or the spreading of the Gospel in the Gentile world, in
which Christ, the brightness of his Father's glory, appeared to the illumination
of many; see Matthew 24:27; and both may be intended, as
the effects following show;
his thick clouds passed; that is, passed away;
the gross darkness, which had for so many years covered the Gentile world, was
removed when God sent forth his light and truth; and multitudes, who were
darkness itself, were made light in the Lord;
hail stones and coals of fire; the same
Gospel that was enlightening to the Gentiles, and the savour of life unto life
unto them, was grievous, like hail stones, and tormenting, scorching,
irritating, and provoking, like coals of fire, and the savour of death unto
death, to the Jews; when God provoked them, by sending the Gospel among the
Gentiles, and calling them: or these may design the heavy, awful, and consuming
judgments of God upon them, which are sometimes signified by hail storms; see Revelation 8:7. In 2 Samuel 22:13, it is only, "through
the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled".
Psalm 18:13 13 The Lord thundered from
heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire.[a]
YLT
13And thunder in the heavens
doth Jehovah, And the Most High giveth forth His voice, Hail and coals of fire.
The Lord also thundered in the heavens,.... By his
apostles and ministers, some of which were Boanergeses, sons of thunder, whose
ministry was useful to shake the consciences of men, and bring them to a sense
of themselves, Mark 3:17;
and the Highest gave his voice; the same with thunder;
for thunder is often called the voice of the Lord, Job 37:5; compare with this Psalm 68:11; the Targum interprets it,
"he lifted up his word"; the same effects as before follow,
hail stones and coals of fire; See Gill on Psalm 18:12.
Psalm 18:14 14 He sent out His arrows and
scattered the foe, Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.
YLT
14And He sendeth His arrows
and scattereth them, And much lightning, and crusheth them.
Yea, he sent out his arrows,.... By which
thunderbolts, cracks of thunder, and flashes of lightning, seem to be meant;
see Psalm 77:17; comparable to arrows shot, and
sent out of a bow; and may denote, either the doctrines of the Gospel, which
were sharp in the hearts of Christ's enemies, and are either the means of
subduing them to him, or of destroying them, being the savour of death unto
death; or however, like arrows, give great pain and uneasiness where they
stick, and grievously distress and torment; as does the fire which comes out of
the mouth of the two witnesses, Revelation 11:5. The Targum is,
"he
sent his word as arrows;'
or
else the judgments of God are meant, as famine, pestilence, and the sword,
which God sent unto, and spent upon the Jewish nation, Deuteronomy 32:23;
and scattered them; among the nations of the world, where they
have been dispersed ever since;
and he shot out lightnings; or "many
lightnings", so the Targum:
and discomfited them; troubled, terrified, and
distressed them.
Psalm 18:15 15 Then the channels of the
sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered At Your rebuke, O Lord, At the blast
of the breath of Your nostrils.
YLT
15And seen are the streams of
waters, And revealed are foundations of the earth. From Thy rebuke, O Jehovah,
From the breath of the spirit of Thine anger.
Then the channels of water were seen,.... Or,
"of the sea"; as in 2 Samuel 22:16. There seems to be an
allusion to the drying up of the sea when the Israelites passed through it.
Aben Ezra interprets this of the discovery of the secrets of enemies, and of
their deep schemes and counsels, which they seek to hide, but are made known by
him who sees all things in the dark; and so the following clause;
and the foundations of the world were discovered; but it rather
seems to intend the utter extirpation and ruin of the Jewish nation, both in
their civil and ecclesiastic state, the foundation of which was rooted up and
laid bare; unless with Jerom we understand this of the ministers of the word,
in whom the doctrines of grace were channelled, and who were as fountains of
water; and of the foundation of the apostles and prophets made known in the
Gospel: but the former sense is best; since it follows,
at thy rebuke, O Lord; at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils; for the
destruction of the Jews was the effect of divine wrath and vengeance: so ends
the account of the wonderful appearance of God in favour of the person the
subject of this psalm, and against his enemies; the deliverance wrought for him
is next described.
Psalm 18:16 16 He sent from above, He
took me; He drew me out of many waters.
YLT
16He sendeth from above -- He
taketh me, He draweth me out of many waters.
He sent from above,.... Either his hand, as in Psalm 144:7; he exerted and displayed his
mighty power in raising Christ from the dead; or he sent help from his
sanctuary; as in Psalm 20:2; and helped and strengthened him
in a day of salvation; or when he wrought out the salvation of his people; or
"he sent his word", as in Psalm 107:20; his word of command, to take
up his life again, as he had given it to lay it down, John 10:18. The Targum is, he sent his
prophets; but it may be much better supplied, he sent his angels, or an angel;
as he did at his resurrection, who rolled away the stone from the sepulchre, as
a token of his justification and discharge: so Jarchi interprets it, he sent
his angels; and Aben Ezra supplies it thus,
"he
sent his word or his angel:'
unless
the sense should be, as Cocceius suggests, he sent a cloud from above, which
was done at Christ's ascension, and which received him out of the sight of the
apostles, Acts 1:9. Since it follows,
he took me; that is, up to heaven; thither Christ was carried in a cloud,
one of God's chariots, he sent for him; and where he is received, and will be
retained until his second coming; though rather the sense is, he took me by the
hand:
he drew me out of many waters. This is said either in
allusion to Moses, who had his name from his being drawn out of the water, Exodus 2:10; and who was an eminent type of
Christ; and this is the only place where the Hebrew word is made use of from
whence he had his name; or else to a man plunged in water ready to be drowned;
see Psalm 69:1. By these "many
waters" may be meant the many afflictions, sorrows, and sufferings from
which Christ was freed, when raised from the dead, and highly exalted and
crowned with glory and honour; and the torrent of sins which flowed in upon him
at the time he was made sin for his people, from which he was justified when
risen; and so will appear a second time without sin unto salvation; and the
wrath of God, the waves and billows of which went over him, and compassed him
about as water, at the time of his sufferings; from which he was delivered when
he was shown the path of life, and entered into the presence of God, and sat at
his right hand, where are joys and pleasures for evermore; and also his grand
enemy Satan, with his principalities and powers, who came in like a flood upon
him; but he destroyed him and spoiled them; and particularly the floods of
ungodly men, spoken of in Psalm 18:4; seem to be here designed;
compare with this Psalm 144:7; "so many waters"
signify many people and nations, Revelation 17:15; and accordingly the
Targum is,
"he
delivered me from many people.'
This
was true of Christ when risen and ascended; he was then separate from sinners,
and made higher than the heavens; and this sense is confirmed by the following
words, where what is expressed figuratively here is there literally explained.
Psalm 18:17 17 He delivered me from my strong
enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me.
YLT
17He delivereth me from my
strong enemy, And from those hating me, For they have been stronger than I.
He delivered me from my strong enemy,.... Which, as
it may respect David, may be understood of Goliath the Philistine champion, who
was a man of war from his youth; or Saul, king of Israel; and, as it may
respect David's antitype, may design either the chief priests, Scribes, and
Pharisees, who were men of power and influence; or more especially Satan, the
strong man armed, with all his principalities and powers; or, likewise death,
the last enemy, from whose pains and cords he was loosed when raised from the
dead, and when he was delivered from every other strong enemy;
and from them which hated me; from the old serpent the
devil, between whom and him there has been a lasting enmity; and from the
world, the people of the Jews, particularly the Pharisees, who bore an
implacable hatred to Christ;
for they were too strong for me; as Goliath and Saul were
too strong for David of himself, so Christ's enemies were too strong for him;
not as God, for he is the mighty God, the Almighty, and stronger than the
strong man armed, but as man; for in his human nature he had a sinless
weakness, which showed itself in his agonies in the garden; or a natural
weakness, through which he was crucified; and this weak nature of Christ Satan
attacked, and got an advantage over, and brought it to the dust of death, which
is meant by his bruising his heel, though by it he got a broken head. But
though Christ's enemies were too strong for him, considered merely as man, they
not being, at least many of them, flesh and blood, but principalities and
powers; yet being helped by his Father, and supported by his divine nature, he
overcame them, and was delivered from them.
Psalm 18:18 18 They confronted me in the
day of my calamity, But the Lord was my support.
YLT
18They go before me in a day
of my calamity And Jehovah is for a support to me.
They prevented me in the day of my calamity,.... Referring
to the times of his distress in the garden and upon the cross; the time of his
sufferings and death, which was a dark and cloudy day, as the wordF24ביום אידי "in the day of my
cloudy calamity", Ainsworth; "nomen" איד
"proprie signifient vaporem vel nubem, ut Gen. vii. 6. hinc per metaphoram
transfertur ad obscuras ac terrificas calamitatum nebulas, Prov. i. 26.",
Gejerus. used suggests, both in a literal and in a spiritual sense; and when
the day and hour was come, fixed and determined by the will of God, then his
enemies, though not before, met him, laid hold on him, were too mighty for him,
condemned, crucified, and insulted him;
but the Lord was my stay; or staff, on whom he
leaned, relied, and depended, believing he would help him; and by whom he was
supported and upheld, Isaiah 42:1. The Targum is,
"the
Word of the Lord was my stay.'
Psalm 18:19 19 He also brought me out
into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.
YLT
19And He bringeth me forth to
a large place, He draweth me out, because He delighted in me.
He brought me forth also into a large place,.... Into
heaven, a place of the glorious liberty of Christ, after his captivity to death
and the grave, whither he ascended leading captivity captive, and of the
children of God; and a spacious place, where there is room enough for Christ
and all his people; here he now is, and will remain till his second coming, and
from hence we expect him; see John 14:2. Compare with this Psalm 31:8;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me; God delivered
David from all his enemies, because he was a man after his own heart, in whom
he delighted; not for any merit and worthiness in him, but of his good will and
pleasure: he delivered Christ because he was his elect, in whom his soul
delighted; and who was daily his delight, rejoicing in his presence before the
world was: and he delivers his church and people, because they are his
Hephzibah, in whom is his delight, Isaiah 62:4; the Father delighted in them,
and therefore chose them to salvation; the Son delighted in them, and gave
himself for them, and ransomed them out of the hands of him that is stronger
than they; the Holy Spirit delighted in them, and therefore regenerates,
renews, and sanctifies them, and seals them up unto the day of redemption.
Psalm 18:20 20 The Lord rewarded me
according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has
recompensed me.
YLT
20Jehovah doth recompense me
According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, He doth
return to me.
The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness,.... Which, if
applied to David, cannot be understood of his own personal righteousness, or of
works of righteousness done by him, for these merit nothing at the hand of God;
no reward, in strict justice, is due to them, or given to them: a man's own
righteousness is imperfect, and by the law of God is not accounted a
righteousness; and it is unprofitable to God, is no gain to him, and so not
rewardable by him; and were it perfect, it is but man's duty, and what God has
a prior right to, and so is not recompensed by him; though it is so far from
being pure and perfect, that it is attended with much sin, and is no other than
rags, and filthy ones, which can never recommend a person to God; it is what
will not bear the sight of God, and can never be called cleanness in his
eyesight: by it no man is justified before him; and though God does, indeed,
reward the works of his people, which are fruits of his grace, yet the reward
is not of debt, but of grace. This, therefore, must be understood of the
righteousness of David's cause, and of his innocence with respect to the things
he was charged with by his enemies; of his righteousness towards Saul; and of
"the cleanness of his hands", in not defiling them with his
blood, when it was in his power to take away his life; therefore God rewarded
him by delivering him out of his hands, and setting him upon the throne, and
causing his kingdom to flourish and prosper; for this respects temporal
blessings, and not eternal glory and happiness; and is something that had been
and was then enjoyed, and not anything future, or in another world: though it
is best of all to apply it to Christ, and understand it of his righteousness,
which he, as Mediator, has wrought out for his people; this is perfect, pure,
and spotless, and entirely agreeable to the law of God; what will bear the
sight of God, is satisfying to his justice, is well pleasing to him, and is
what he accepts of, and imputes to them that believe in Christ, and by which
they are justified from all things. Now, according to this righteousness,
Christ in strict justice has been rewarded in his own person; as he had the
work of man's redemption assigned him, and he agreed to do it, he had a reward
promised him, and which he claimed, when he had glorified his Father and
finished his work; and which he received when he was set down at the right hand
of God, crowned with glory and honour, in consequence of his obedience,
sufferings, and death; see Philemon 2:7; and he is rewarded in his
members according to his righteousness, they being justified by it, and made
heirs of eternal life on account of it, and are or will be glorified with him
for evermore;
according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me; which signifies
the same thing.
Psalm 18:21 21 For I have kept the ways
of the Lord,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
YLT
21For I have kept the ways of
Jehovah, And have not done wickedly against my God.
For I have kept the ways
of the Lord,.... Not those which the Lord himself walks in, his ways of
providence, or of grace; though these are and should be taken notice of and
observed by good men, as the wordF25שמרתי
"observaveram", Tigurine version, Vatablus; "observo",
Junius & Tremellius; "observavi", Gejerus, Michaelis; so
Ainsworth. used will bear to be rendered; but the ways which he has prescribed
and directed men to walk in, the ways of his commandments, in which they should
go; these were, in some measure, kept by David, who often, in the hundred
nineteenth psalm speaks of his keeping the testimonies and statutes, and
commandments of the Lord; as they are by good men, with some degree of
pleasure, they take delight to walk in them; and with some degree of constancy,
they keep walking in them, without turning to the right hand or the left,
though solicited to it; but yet not perfectly, for they have many a slip and
fall in them; wherefore this cannot be a reason of their being rewarded
according to their righteousness: in strict justice, the words better agree
with Christ, who kept the law of God perfectly, did his will completely; he
came from heaven to do it; it was his meat and drink to accomplish it; and he
always did the things which pleased his father, wherefore he rewarded him;
and have not wickedly departed from my God; which was, in
some sense, true of David; not as by disbelieving the power and providence, the
promises, truth, and faithfulness of God, and his covenant interest in him;
which to do would have been a wicked departure from God; see Hebrews 3:12; nor by forsaking the house
and worship of God; though he was driven from thence by wicked men, yet sore
against his will, and which during his exile he frequently laments and
complains of; nor by sinning wilfully and presumptuously, only through error,
inadvertency, infirmity, and temptation: but when it is observed, how much
unbelief, which is a partial departing from the living God, and how many there
are that neglect private and public worship, and what a proneness there is to
sin and wickedness, and how much there is of the will in sinful actions, in the
best of men; it is right and best to understand this of Christ, who never was
guilty of sin, nor committed any wickedness in departing from God in the least:
as man, God was his God, and he always believed his interest in him, and
claimed it even when he forsook him on the cross; nor did he quit his service,
desert his cause, nor depart from the work and business he enjoined him, till
it was finished.
Psalm 18:22 22 For all His judgments were
before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me.
YLT
22For all His judgments [are]
before me, And His statutes I turn not from me.
For all his judgments were
before me,.... That is, the precepts of the law of God, which David had a
respect unto, loved, took delight and pleasure in, and so had them all in his
sight, and made them the rule of his actions; and the law of God is delighted
in by regenerate persons, after the inward man; and though it is abolished as a
covenant of works, it is a rule of walk and conversation to the saints; and as
such they keep it in view, and regard it impartially, not only some of its
precepts, but all. This in the highest and fullest sense was done by Christ,
who was made under the law, in whose heart it was, and who came to fulfil it,
and has completely fulfilled it;
and I did not put away his statutes from me; in 2 Samuel 22:23; it is read, "and as
for his statutes, I did not depart from them"; the sense is the same; this
may have respect to the ceremonial law, and the ordinances of it, which David
abode by, very strictly observed, renewed, and put in order; and which Christ,
his antitype, never departed from, but conformed unto throughout the whole of
his life; witness his circumcision, keeping of the passover, attendance on the
synagogue and temple worship; nor did he put them away until they had their
full accomplishment in him; when there was a disannulling of them because of
their weakness and unprofitableness.
Psalm 18:23 23 I was also blameless
before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity.
YLT
23And I am perfect with him,
And I keep myself from mine iniquity.
I was also upright before
him,.... In heart and conversation, being sincere and faithful; so
David was in the sight of God; but this is much more true of Christ, in whom
there was no unrighteousness nor guile, neither in his heart, nor in his lips;
he was of perfect integrity, and faithful in all things to him that appointed
him;
and I kept myself from mine iniquity; which some
interpret of original sin, in which David was born, which dwelt in him, and
prompted him to sin; but rather it refers to the taking away of Saul's life,
which he might be tempted to do, as being his enemy that sought his life; and
which he was put upon and urged to by some about him, and yet did it not. But
it is best here also to apply these words to Christ; for though he had no
iniquity of his own, yet he had the iniquities of his people on him, as their
surety, and which he calls "mine", Psalm 40:12. But though he bore them, he
did not commit any of them; though he was made sin, he knew none; and though he
was tempted by Satan to the most enormous iniquities, as destroying himself and
worshipping the devil, he kept himself from the evil one, that he could not
touch him: the sense is, that he kept himself from committing any sin, which
cannot be said of any mere man; and so far as good men are kept from sin, they
are kept by the power of God, and not by themselves. All these things show,
that the righteousness of Christ was a perfect, sinless one, entirely agreeable
to the laws, statutes, and judgments of God; was pure in the sight of God, and
rewardable in strict justice. Hence it is repeated as follows:
Psalm 18:24 24 Therefore the Lord has
recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my
hands in His sight.
YLT
24And Jehovah doth return to
me, According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands,
Over-against his eyes.
Therefore hath the Lord
recompensed me according to my righteousness,.... Having proved and
supported this proposition by the above reasons, it is repeated, for
confirmation's sake;
according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight; this phrase,
"in his eyesight", is here added, to show that the righteousness of
Christ was clean, pure, and spotless in the sight of God; in the eye of divine
justice: hence those that are clothed with it are holy and unblamable, and
irreprovable in his sight, Colossians 1:22.
Psalm 18:25 25 With the merciful You will
show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
YLT
25With the kind Thou showest
Thyself kind, With a perfect man showest Thyself perfect.
With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful,.... The
merciful man is the good, gracious, holy, and godly man, as the wordF26חסיד "benigno", Vatablus, Junius &
Tremellius; "bono", Gejerus, some in Vatablus; "qui bonitati
studet", Tigurine version; "pio", Munster, Cocceius, Michaelis;
"gracious saint", Ainsworth. here used signifies, and is sometimes
rendered; one that has received grace and mercy from the Lord, and has
principles of grace and goodness wrought in him, and is kind and merciful to
others, both to their souls and bodies; and to such men God shows himself
merciful: not that they are first merciful to others, and then he is so to
them, for it is just the reverse; nor is their mercifulness the cause or
condition of his, for he has mercy on whom he will have mercy; but to such he
shows fresh mercy, and bestows more grace upon them; they find grace and mercy
with him now, and will do hereafter; see Matthew 5:7. This may be applied to Christ,
all whose ways are mercy and truth; he saw the estate his people would come
into; he pitied their case, and became their surety in eternity; he betrothed
them to himself in loving kindness and tender mercies; and undertook to feed
the flock of slaughter, even the poor of the flock; having, through his
merciful lovingkindness, assumed human nature, he went about doing good to the
souls and bodies of men; he healed the diseased and fed the hungry, and had
compassion on the ignorant, and them that were out of the way; and, as a
merciful high priest, he bore the sins and sorrows of his people; and in his
love and pity redeemed them, and continues to sympathize with them in all their
afflictions and temptations; and though no mercy was shown him while he was
suffering for them, for God spared him not, but awoke the sword of justice
against him, and used him with the utmost rigour and severity; yet satisfaction
being made, he did not leave him in the grave, nor suffer his holy, good, and
merciful One to see corruption; but raised him from the dead, prevented him
with the blessings of his goodness, and set upon his head a crown of honour and
glory;
with an upright man thou wilt show thyself upright; an upright
man, as the wordF1תמים
"perfecto", Pagninus, Montanus; so Ainsworth. used signifies, is a
perfect man, not absolutely, but comparatively; not in himself, but in Christ;
perfect with a perfection of parts, but not of degrees; he is one that is
upright in heart, sincere and without hypocrisy; an Israelite indeed, whose
faith, hope, and love, are undisguised; he is a man of integrity, a faithful
man, faithful to God, his cause and interest, his word and ordinances, and is
faithful with the saints; he walks, uprightly according to the rule of God's
word, and by faith in Christ; and to such upright men God shows himself
upright, or faithful, by keeping his covenant with them, fulfilling his
promises to them, and not suffering one good thing to fail he has given them
reason to expect from him. This may also be interpreted of Christ, who is in
the highest and fullest sense perfect, upright, and sincere, and faithful to
him that appointed him; and as he has been faithful in all his covenant
engagements with his Father, so his Father has been faithful to him in making
good all he promised him; both with respect to his own glory, and the happiness
of his people; see Isaiah 53:10.
Psalm 18:26 26 With the pure You will
show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
YLT
26With the pure Thou showest
Thyself pure, And with the perverse showest Thyself a wrestler,
With the pure thou wilt
show thyself pure,.... None of Adam's posterity are pure by nature; they are all
defiled with sin; and though some are pure in their own eyes, they are far from
being cleansed from their filthiness; such only are pure who are sanctified by
the Spirit of God, have clean hearts created in them, and whose hearts are
purified by faith in the blood of Christ; who are justified by Christ's
righteousness, and are washed from their sins in his blood; and who, in
consequence of such grace, love, pureness of heart, speak a pure language, hold
the mystery of faith in a pure conscience, and with a pure conversation, and
live soberly, righteously, and godly: and whereas God is a pure and holy Being,
his perfections, works, and word, are pure; he shows himself to be so to such
persons, by providing for the honour of his purity and holiness in their
redemption, sanctification, and salvation; by making all things to be pure to
them; by granting them his presence, and blessing them with the vision of
himself here and hereafter; see Matthew 5:8; this may likewise be
understood of Christ, who, in his human nature, is pure from all sin, both
original and actual: he indeed took upon him the sins of his people, and bore
them, and made satisfaction for them, and brought in everlasting righteousness;
which being done, God has showed himself pure to him, by justifying,
acquitting, and discharging him from all such sins; by accepting his
righteousness, and imputing it to those for whom he wrought it;
and with the froward thou wilt show thyself froward; or "thou
wrestlest"F2תתפתל
"eluctaris", Junius & Tremellius; "colluctaris", Aben
Ezra; "reluctaris", Gejerus; "certas", Schmidt. , or wilt
contend with them until they are destroyed: the same word is here used which
Naphtali has his name from, Genesis 30:8. The froward are such as are
of perverse dispositions, and of stubborn and obstinate tempers, and whose ways
are crooked and distorted; and such were the people of the Jews in the times of
Moses, and of Christ, Deuteronomy 32:5; and who seem here to be
designed; even the Jews in Christ's time, who were just the reverse of the
above characters, were cruel and unmerciful, faithless and hypocritical, filthy
and pure, disbelieved the Messiah, rejected and crucified him, were contrary to
God, and to all men; and therefore God walked contrary to them, as he
threatened, Leviticus 26:27; the same as showing
himself froward to them; for God is not froward and perverse in himself, nor in
his ways, which are all equal, just, and pure: and though there is one and the
same word used in our version, yet there are two different words in the Hebrew
text; the same word that is used of the froward is not used of God; that which
is used of God, as before observed, signifies wrestling, and designs God's
contending with the people of the Jews, in a way of wrath and fury, which came
upon them to the uttermost, and issued in their entire ruin as a people and
nation; the words here had their fulfilment in the destruction of Jerusalem.
Psalm 18:27 27 For You will save the
humble people, But will bring down haughty looks.
YLT
27For Thou a poor people
savest, And the eyes of the high causest to fall.
For thou wilt save the
afflicted people,.... As the people of God commonly are; they are afflicted with
sin, and the corruption of their own hearts, and with Satan and his
temptations, and with the world, its reproaches, and persecutions; but God in
his own time saves them out of them, if not here, yet hereafter. This is
particularly and eminently true of the Christians who lived between the
crucifixion of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem; who were greatly
afflicted and persecuted by the Jews, but were in a remarkable manner saved a
little before the destruction of Jerusalem, by being directed to go out of it
to a place called PellaF3Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 3. c. 5. ; so that
not one Christian suffered in it;
but wilt bring down high looks; or proud men, whom God
humbles; these he abhors, resists, sets himself against, scatters and destroys.
The Jews were a very proud people, and behaved in an insolent and insulting
manner towards Christ and his followers; but the high looks of the chief
priests, Scribes, and Pharisees, were brought down to a purpose, when their
city, temple, and nation, were destroyed; see Isaiah 2:11.
Psalm 18:28 28 For You will light my
lamp; The Lord
my God will enlighten my darkness.
YLT
28For Thou -- Thou lightest
my lamp, Jehovah my God enlighteneth my darkness.
For thou wilt light my
candle,.... Or lampF4נרי
"lucernam meam", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator, &c. : in 2 Samuel 22:29, it is, "Thou art
my lamp, O Lord"; which may either design outward prosperity, and the
flourishing condition of David's kingdom; or internal spiritual light, and an
increase of it, by giving fresh supplies of the oil of grace, to cause the lamp
to burn more clearly; or rather the prosperous estate of Christ's kingdom; and
may be the same with the lamp ordained for the Messiah, Psalm 132:17;
the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness; or
"cause light to shine in my darkness"F5So Gussetius,
Comment. Ebr. p. 495. ; that is, bring me out of darkness into light; either
out of adversity to prosperity, or from walking in darkness to the enjoyment of
the light of his countenance; and is true of Christ, not only of the prosperity
of his kingdom and interest, but of him personally; who though, when on the
cross, was in darkness of soul, being forsaken by his God; yet, when raised
from the dead, he was received up to heaven, and set down at the right hand of
God, and was made full of joy with his countenance, Acts 2:28.
Psalm 18:29 29 For by You I can run
against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall.
YLT
29For by Thee I run -- a
troop! And by my God I leap a wall.
For by thee I have run
through a troop,.... Or, "I have run to a troop": to meet oneF6ארוץ גדוד "occurram
turmae", so some in Vatablus. with courage and intrepidity, as some
interpret itF7Apud Kimchi in loc. ; or, as othersF8Apud
Aben Ezra in loc. , "I have run after a troop": that is, pursued
after one, as David pursued after the troops of the Amalekites who burnt
Ziklag, 1 Samuel 30:8; to which Jarchi refers this
passage; or rather, "I have broke a troop", or "through
one"F9"Conteram", Pagninus; "perfregi",
Vatablus; "perrupi", Musculus; "perrumpo", Tigurine
version, Castalio; so Ainsworth. ; for the word, as some Jewish writersF11Kimchi
& Ben Melech. observe, comes from a root which signifies to
"break" in pieces, and is fitly used for the destroying or cutting in
pieces a troop of the enemy; and is true of Christ, when he engaged with the
troops of hell, and broke the squadrons of the infernal fiends, and spoiled or
disarmed principalities and powers, and triumphed over them on the cross, and made
a show of them openly, when he dragged them at his chariot wheels, and led
captivity captive;
and by my God have I leaped over a wall; which refers
to the scaling of walls, and taking of fortified places; and so the Targum,
"By the word of my God I will subdue fortified towns"; so
Apollinarius has it, passed over a tower, or took it; which was literally true
of David, in many instances. Jarchi applies this to his taking the fortress of
Zion from the Jebusites: a learned writerF12Delaney's Life of King
David, vol. 1. p. 62. thinks this refers to his leaping over the city wall, and
slipping through the city watch, when Michal let him down through a window: it
may be applied to Christ, who broke down the middle wail of partition, the
ceremonial law, which stood between Jew and Gentile; or rather it may design
the many difficulties which were in the way of the salvation of his people,
which he surmounted and got over with great strength and swiftness; such as
fulfilling the law, satisfying justice, bearing sin, and making atonement for
it, undergoing a shameful and an accursed death, and grappling with numerous
enemies, whom he conquered; and he is said to do all this by his God; because,
as man and Mediator, he was strengthened and assisted by him.
Psalm 18:30 30 As for
God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is
a shield to all who trust in Him.
YLT
30God! perfect [is] His way,
The saying of Jehovah is tried, A shield [is] He to all those trusting in Him.
As for God, his way is perfect,.... Or "without
spot"F13תמים αμωμος,
Sept. "impolluta", V. L. so Syriac. Aethiop. , as the Septuagint
render the word; without any just charge of inequality, or unrighteousness;
such is God's way of providence, though sometimes his methods of providence are
cavilled at by wicked men, and murmured at by his own people: they are at a
loss, at times, to reconcile promises and providences together, and to account
for the justice and equity of them; these ways of his are unsearchable, and not
to be traced out by them; but when his judgments will be made manifest, the
wisdom, goodness, and righteousness of them will be clearly discerned, and they
will be admired; for they are all of a piece, and perfectly consistent with the
attributes of God: and such also is his way of grace, and method of salvation;
it is agreeable to all his perfections, and according to his purposes, counsel,
and covenant; this being resolved on in his breast, contrived by his wisdom,
and concluded on in the covenant, has been effected and finished by his son;
and his inward way of working upon the heart, though at present imperfect, will
be completed; he is a rock, and his work is perfect, and all his ways are
judgment: whatever way or method he contrives and enters upon, whether in
providence or grace, he pursues and brings to an issue; for he is an
omnipotent, omniscient, and unchangeable Being, and neither frustrates, nor is
he frustrated; nor is there any insincerity, unrighteousness, and
unfaithfulness in him; nor can he act contrary to himself, and the perfections
of his nature: the way also which he prescribes to others is perfect and plain,
whether the path of doctrine or of duty; the path of truth is plain to the
enlightened understanding, and the way of holiness is such, in which men,
though fools, shall not err; see Proverbs 8:8;
the word of the Lord is tried; as silver in a furnace,
and is clear of all dross, of error, and falsehood; is free from human
mixtures, and without any impurity and unholiness; nor is God's word of promise
chargeable with unfaithfulness; all his promises being yea and amen in Christ,
and have been tried and proved by the saints in all ages; and have been found
true, faithful, constant, and invariable;
he is a buckler to all those that trust in him; not in man,
nor in themselves; in their own righteousness, or in any creature or creature
enjoyment or performance; but in the providence and power of God, in his grace
and mercy, in his word, and especially in his Son; in his person, blood, and
righteousness; to such he is a buckler or shield: his power is all around them,
his favour encompasses them, and his truth, or faithfulness in his word, is
their shield and buckler: and so is his Son, who is both a sun and shield to
them; and such are his precious blood, his spotless righteousness, and stoning
sacrifice; which, being held up by faith, repel the fiery darts of Satan.
Psalm 18:31 31 For who is God,
except the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?
YLT
31For who [is] God besides
Jehovah? And who [is] a rock save our God?
For who is God save
the Lord?.... Or Jehovah: there is but one God, and Jehovah is he; there
is none besides him, nor any like him: there are many that are called gods, nominal
deities, who are not by nature gods; fictitious ones, the idols of the
Gentiles, made of gold, silver, brass, wood, and stone; but there is but one
true God: there are gods, in an improper sense, as civil magistrates; but there
is none really and truly so but the Lord; which is to be understood, not of
Jehovah the Father, to the exclusion of the Son and Spirit; for the Son is
Jehovah, and the Spirit is Jehovah; both are so called, as well as the Father,
and all three one God;
or who is a rock save our God? to have
recourse to for shelter and protection; or to trust to, and build upon, for
eternal life and salvation. False gods are rocks; but not like ours, our
enemies themselves being judges, Deuteronomy 32:31; so Apollo at Delphos is
called the Delphian rockF14
δελφις πετρα, Sophoclis Oedipus, v. 472. : the words seem to be
taken from, or at least there is in them a reference to, 1 Samuel 2:2.
Psalm 18:32 32 It is
God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect.
YLT
32God! who is girding me
[with] strength, And He maketh perfect my way.
It is God that girdeth me with strength,.... For battle, as in Psalm 18:39; with strength of body and
fortitude of mind; both which are from the Lord, and were in David; and were
acknowledged by him as bestowed on him by the Lord; and which confirms what he
had before said of him: or with spiritual strength, with strength in his soul,
against sin, Satan, and the world; and to do the will and work of God: saints
are girt by the Lord with the whole armour of God, and among the rest with the
girdle of truth; and are prepared and ready to every good work; see 1 Samuel 2:4. Hannah's song is again
referred to: in 2 Samuel 22:33, the words are, "God is
my strength and power"; they are true of Christ, the man of God's
right hand, whom he promised to strengthen, and whom he has made strong for
himself, Psalm 80:17;
and maketh my way perfect; or safe, or prosperous.
God removed every impediment and obstacle out of his way, and made it plain and
easy, as Jarchi observes; and succeeded him, and gave him victory over his
enemies; this has been verified in Christ, who has conquered sin, Satan, the
world, death, and the grave: for this is not to be understood of the way and
course of David's life and conversation, which was not perfect and unspotted,
but had many blemishes and imperfections in it, which he often owns, confesses,
and bewails.
Psalm 18:33 33 He makes my feet like the feet
of deer, And sets me on my high places.
YLT
33Making my feet like hinds,
And on my high places causeth me to stand.
He maketh my feet like
hind's feet,.... As light and swift as theirs, as the Targum; that is, either
to flee, when there was a necessity for it, as Kimchi observes; or rather to
pursue after the enemy, to run through a troop, and leap over a wall, as
before; see 1 Chronicles 12:8; the same phrase is used
in Habakkuk 3:19; and may be understood in a
spiritual sense of that readiness and cheerfulness with which the saints run
the ways of God's commandments, when their hearts are enlarged with his love
and grace; and may very well be applied to Christ, who is often compared to a
roe, or a young hart, for swiftness; who readily and at once engaged to come
and do the will of God, and whose coming in the flesh, at the appointed time,
was swift; and who made haste to do the work of God, in which he took the
utmost pleasure; and who is a speedy and present help to his people in time of
trouble; see Song of Solomon 2:8;
and setteth me upon my high places; the towers and
fortresses, and strong and fortified places, where he was safe from his
enemies; and: in a spiritual sense, may design the everlasting love of God, the
covenant of grace, its blessings and promises; and Christ himself, with the
fulness of grace in him, on which believers may be said to be set, when their
faith is directed to them, and they live and dwell upon them; see Habakkuk 3:19; and, the words were
fulfilled in Christ, when God highly exalted him at his right hand, and set him
above all principalities and powers, and made him higher than the heavens.
Psalm 18:34 34 He teaches my hands to
make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
YLT
34Teaching my hands for
battle, And a bow of brass was brought down by my arms.
He teacheth my hands to
war,.... From whence it appears, that war, in some cases, is lawful;
and that all the skilfulness and art in training men for war, in the use of
armour, in marshalling of armies, in forming sieges, &c. is all from God;
see Psalm 144:1; and so is all that spiritual
skill, in making use of the whole armour of God against every enemy, sin,
Satan, and the world; and even the wisdom and skill, counsel and instruction,
which Christ as man and Mediator had, when it was the hour and power of
darkness; when he was engaged with principalities and powers, and got the
victory over them, were from the Lord: see Psalm 16:7;
so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms; that is, the
bow of an enemy falling into his hands, which might be literally true of David.
It is in the Hebrew text, "a bow of brass"; and so Apollinarius
renders it; which Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret strong iron, that is, steel;
and so the Targum; see Job 20:24; Satan is an archer; his
temptations are darts, and fiery ones; and his strong bow may be said to be
broken by the arms of faith, when his temptations, under the influence of
divine grace, are repelled and rendered ineffectual; and especially his bow was
broken by Christ, not only in the wilderness, when he was vanquished by him;
but in the garden, and on the cross, when Satan could find nothing in him, and
get no other advantage over him, but to bruise his heel; when he himself had
his head broke, his works ruined, and he himself destroyed. Some render the
words, "mine arms have bent a bow of steel": that is, such skill and
strength were given him that he was able to bend, draw, and shoot a bow or
steel: the Targum is, "and hath strengthened mine arm as a bow of
brass", or "steel"; and so the Syriac and Arabic versions; and
to the same purpose the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Ethiopic versions; or it
may be rendered, "my arms have bent", or "made to descendF15ונחתה "ut current", Cocceius; so Michaelis;
"ut descendat vel deprimatur", Gejerus; vid. Gussetii Comment. Ebr.
p. 507. so Jarchi. , a bow of brass"; for when a bow is bent, the horns or
corners of it are made to descend towards a man.
Psalm 18:35 35 You have also given me the
shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has
made me great.
YLT
35And Thou givest to me the
shield of Thy salvation, And Thy right hand doth support me, And Thy lowliness
maketh me great.
Thou hast given me the
shield of thy salvation,.... Meaning either temporal salvation, which was a shield to him
when he had no outward one, as when he fought with Goliath; and was what
preserved him in all his battles at other times: or spiritual salvation, which
is of the Lord, of his contriving, effecting:, and applying, and in which his
glory is concerned; interest in which is a free gift of his, as are the
knowledge, application, and possession of it; and this is as a shield, which
saves from sin, from all sin, and the damning power of it; keeps off the curses
of the law, secures from wrath to come, and repels Satan's temptations; the
words may be applied to Christ, who, though he was not saved from dying, yet
was preserved in the day of salvation, and was not suffered to see corruption in
the grave, and was quickly delivered from the power and dominion of it;
and thy right hand hath holden me up; Christ may be
said to be the right hand of God, being as dear to him as his right hand; and
being exalted at it; and because by him he communicates all good things to his
people, and with him upholds and sustains them; or else it designs the mighty
power of God, which is often signified by it, Psalm 20:6; and may be understood of the
sustentation of David, both in a providential way, with respect to his being,
the preservation of it, the supplies of life, and support in times of trouble
and distress; and in a spiritual sense, maintaining the principle of grace in
him, furnishing him with fresh supplies of grace, and bearing him up under and
through every temptation and exercise; so upholding him that he stood firm in
the true grace of God, in the exercise of it implanted, and in the doctrine of
grace, so as to go forward in the ways of God, and follow hard after him, and
so as not to fall and utterly perish; and which is true of all the saints; see Psalm 63:8. The words may be interpreted of
Christ, who, as man and Mediator, as God's righteous servant, was upheld by
him, so that he failed not, nor was he discouraged; the hand of the Lord was
established with him, and his arm also strengthened him, Isaiah 42:1; this clause is not in 2 Samuel 22:36;
and thy gentleness hath made me great; David was
very mean and low by his birth and occupation, and while persecuted by Saul;
but God of his grace and goodness, of his sovereign good will and pleasure,
raised him to an high estate, set him on the throne of Israel, and gave him
honour among and above the kings of the earth; so Kimchi interprets the word
for "gentleness" by "goodness" or "merciful"
kindness; R. Jonah by "providence"; and R. Isaac explains it
"thy help and good will"; and all shows that his greatness was
not owing to his merits, but to the providential goodness of God; and his
special grace and mercy in Christ Jesus made him still greater, even a child of
God, an heir of God, a joint heir with Christ, a King and a Priest unto God;
gave him a right unto and a meetness for a crown of glory, an everlasting
kingdom, an eternal inheritance, as it does all the saints. The words may be
rendered, "thy humility hath made me great"F16ענותך "mansuetudo tua", Pagninus, Montanus,
Musculus, Gejerus; "thy meekness", Ainsworth; ענוה
"sumitur pro humilitate seu mansuetudine", Zeph. ii. 3. Gejerus. ;
which may be understood either of God's humbling himself to look upon him in
his low estate, and to raise him to such honour and dignity as he did, both in
a temporal and spiritual sense; see Psalm 113:6; or of the humility which he
had in himself from God, as Aben Ezra interprets it; of which grace God is the
author; it is a fruit of the Spirit; which he takes great notice of, gives more
grace to them that have it, and exalts them, as he did David, who was mean and
low in his own eyes. The Septuagint, and those versions which follow that,
render it "thy discipline" or "correction": and so may
design the gentleness and lenity of God in chastising his people, which is
always in measure and in judgment, and for their good; whereby he increases
grace in them, and trains them up for, and brings them to his kingdom and
glory. The Chaldee paraphrase is, "by thy word thou hast increased
me"; it may not be improperly interpreted of Christ, who was very low in
his estate of humiliation on earth, but is now highly exalted, and crowned with
glory and honour; who first endured great sufferings, and then entered into his
glory.
Psalm 18:36 36 You enlarged my path under
me, So my feet did not slip.
YLT
36Thou enlargest my step
under me, And mine ankles have not slidden.
Thou hast enlarged my
steps under me,.... Which is opposed to those straitened circumstances in which
the psalmist was, Psalm 18:4; and is expressive of deliverance
from his enemies, by whom he was surrounded, besieged, and shut up; see Psalm 31:8; and of freedom of walking at
large, without being straitened for room, or interrupted by others, Proverbs 4:12; and of safety in standing;
all which is true in a spiritual sense of believers in Christ, who being
delivered by him out of the hands of their enemies, serve the Lord without fear
in righteousness and holiness; walk at liberty by faith in Christ, and up and
down in the name of the Lord their God; and have their feet established upon
the Rock of ages, that sure and large foundation, Christ, from which there is
no danger of slipping and falling; as follows;
that my feet did not slip; so as to fall and
perish; for sometimes the steps of the saints are well nigh slipped; yea, in
some sense they stumble; slip, and fall, but not so as to be utterly cast down
and perish eternally; the bottom on which they are is so broad, and the
foundation so sure, that it is not possible they should. The words will bear to
be applied to Christ, who was in very pressed and straitened circumstances, when
beset with the bulls of Bashan, encompassed with dogs, and enclosed with the
assembly of the wicked; and was in slippery places, when he sunk in deep mire
where there is no standing, Psalm 22:12; but now being delivered from
all this, he is brought, as in Psalm 18:19, into a large place, into
heaven, and made higher than the heavens, and is set down at the right hand of
God, from whence he can never be moved.
Psalm 18:37 37 I have pursued my enemies
and overtaken them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
YLT
37I pursue mine enemies, and
overtake them, And turn back not till they are consumed.
I have pursued mine
enemies, and overtaken them,.... Which may refer to David's pursuing the
Amalekites, who overtook them and recovered all they had carried away, 1 Samuel 30:8; so Kimchi explains it;
neither did I turn again till they were consumed; for not a man
escaped, save four hundred young men that rode on camels and fled, Psalm 18:17.
Psalm 18:38 38 I have wounded them, So
that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet.
YLT
38I smite them, and they are
not able to rise, They fall under my feet,
I have wounded them, that
they were not able to rise,.... Which was not only true of the
Amalekites, but of all with whom David engaged in war;
they are fallen under my feet; either dead, or become
subject and tributaries to him; as the Philistines, Moabites, Syrians, and
Edomites; see 2 Samuel 8:1. This, with Psalm 18:37, may very well be accommodated
to David's antitype, and be expressive of the entire victory he has obtained
over all his and his people's enemies; he wounded the heads over many
countries, Psalm 110:6. Satan and his principalities
and powers, whose head is broke, whose works are destroyed; yea, he himself,
which had the power of death, so as not to be able to rise more against Christ,
who has led captivity captive: he has also finished and made an end of sin, and
overcome the world; nor did he turn back from this work he engaged in until he
had made a complete conquest; and moreover he has likewise made his people more
than conquerors, through him, over these same enemies; so that the words are
also applicable to them.
Psalm 18:39 39 For You have armed me with
strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against
me.
YLT
39And Thou girdest me [with]
strength for battle, Causest my withstanders to bow under me.
For thou hast girded me
with strength unto battle,.... See Psalm 18:32; that natural strength, courage
and valour, which David had, were from the Lord; and so is the Spirit of power,
love, and of a sound mind, which believers have; and likewise that strength
which Christ, as man, had and used in his combat with the powers of darkness;
see Psalm 80:17;
thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me; as the
psalmist ascribes his strength, so he attributes his success to the Lord; who
likewise subdues the sins of his people, and all other enemies of theirs, and
who also makes the enemies of his Son his footstool, Psalm 110:1.
Psalm 18:40 40 You have also given me the
necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me.
YLT
40As to mine enemies -- Thou
hast given to me the neck, As to those hating me -- I cut them off.
Thou hast also given me
the necks of mine enemies,.... Either to slay them, or to trample or
put a yoke upon them; or rather the sense is, thou hast made them to fly before
me, to turn their necks or backs unto me, as the word is used in Joshua 7:8; and it is expressive of an
utter rout and vanquishing of them;
that I might destroy them that hate me; they not
being able to face him and stand against him.
Psalm 18:41 41 They cried out, but there
was none to save; Even to the Lord, but He did not answer
them.
YLT
41They cry, and there is no
saviour, On Jehovah, and He doth not answer them.
They cried, but there
was none to save them,.... It is in 2 Samuel 22:42; "they looked";
that is, they looked round about, here and there, to see if there were any near
at hand to help and deliver them; they cried in their distress, and because of
the anguish of their spirits, and for help and assistance, but in vain; they
cried, as Jarchi thinks, to their idols, as Jonah's mariners cried everyone to
their god; and, if so, it is no wonder there was none to save; for such are
gods that cannot save: but it follows,
even unto the Lord,
but he answered them not; as Saul, for instance, 1 Samuel 28:6; so God deals with wicked
men, often by way of righteous retaliation; see Proverbs 1:28.
Psalm 18:42 42 Then I beat them as fine
as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets.
YLT
42And I beat them as dust
before wind, As mire of the streets I empty them out.
Then did I beat them
small, as the dust before the wind,.... They being given up
by God, and he not answering to their cries; the phrase denotes the utter ruin
and destruction of them, and represents their case as desperate and
irrecoverable; being, as it were, pounded to dust, and that driven away with
the wind: just as the destruction of the four monarchies is signified by the
iron, clay, brass, silver, and gold, being broken to pieces, and made like the
chaff of the summer threshing floor, and carried away with the wind, so that no
place is found for them any more, Daniel 2:35;
I did cast them out as the dirt of the streets; expressing
indignation and contempt: in 2 Samuel 22:43; it is, "I did stamp
them as the mire of the street, and did, spread them abroad"; which
also denotes the low and miserable condition to which they were reduced, and
the entire conquest made of them, and triumph over them; see Isaiah 10:6; compare with this 2 Samuel 12:31.
Psalm 18:43 43 You have delivered me from
the strivings of the people; You have made me the head of the nations; A people
I have not known shall serve me.
YLT
43Thou dost deliver me From
the strivings of the people, Thou placest me for a head of nations, A people I
have not known do serve me.
Thou hast delivered me
from the strivings of the people,.... In 2 Samuel 22:44, it is read "my
people", meaning the people of Israel; either Saul and his men, who
contended with David, and sought his life; or rather the tribes of Israel, who,
after Saul's death, refused to acknowledge David as their king, but afterwards came
and anointed him in Hebron. The words may very well be interpreted of the
contentions of the Scribes and Pharisees with Christ, and of the opposition
from sinners, which he for a while endured, but is now delivered from them all;
and thou hast made me the
head of the Heathen; which, if understood of David, refers to the Philistines,
Syrians, Moabites, and Edomites, being subdued by him, and becoming tributaries
to him, 2 Samuel 8:1. But it best agrees with
Christ, who is the head of his chosen ones among the Gentiles; the political
head, King, and Governor of them, the Heathen being given him for his
inheritance and possession; and which appeared in the first ages of Christianity,
when the Gospel was first preached to the Gentiles by the apostles; and still
continues, and will be more clearly seen in the latter day, when the Lord shall
be King over all the earth. Christ was made the head of the Heathen, by the
appointment and designation of his Father; and, in fact, was so when multitudes
from among the Gentiles were converted and brought to the obedience of him. In 2 Samuel 22:44 it is, "thou hast kept
me to be head of the Heathen"; which does not seem so much to
intend the designation and constitution of him as such, but the continuation of
him; and denotes the stability of his government in the Gentile world, of which
there will be no end;
a people whom I have not known shall serve me; by whom are
meant the Gentiles, who were not the people of God, were without Christ and
without God, and without hope in the world: not that there are any people that
can be unknown to Christ, as he is the omniscient God; nor were these unknown
to him, in such sense as reprobates, nominal professors, and foolish virgins,
are said not to be known by him, Matthew 7:23. For these people among the
Heathen, who are or shall be brought to serve the Lord, are such who were the
objects of his love and delight from everlasting; were in his Father's choice
and in his own, and in the gift of his Father to him, and in the covenant of
his grace; and therefore must be known by him; moreover, they are the purchase
of his blood; and the sheep he knows, for whom he has laid down his life, and
of whom he has such an exact and particular knowledge, that he can and does
call them by name. But the sense is, these seemed not to be taken notice of and
cared for by Christ; they were not owned and acknowledged by him as his people;
the Jews were distinguished from all others; they only had the law, the word of
God, and his ordinances; the Gentiles were suffered to walk in their own ways;
they were neglected, and the times of their ignorance were overlooked and
disregarded; so that they were treated as a people that were not known for many
hundreds of years: but here it is predicted, that when the Gospel should come
among them, and they be called by it, they should "serve" the Lord in
righteousness and true holiness, with reverence and godly fear, from a
principle of love, in his name and strength, and to his glory; see Isaiah 55:4.
Psalm 18:44 44 As soon as they hear of me
they obey me; The foreigners submit to me.
YLT
44At the hearing of the ear
they hearken to me, Sons of a stranger feign obedience to me,
As soon as they hear of me
they shall obey me,.... That is, as soon as they should hear of Christ, through the
preaching of the word, by which faith would come, they should readily and at
once receive, embrace, and profess the Gospel, and yield a cheerful submission
to the ordinances of it; and which has had its accomplishment among the
Gentiles, Acts 28:28;
the strangers shall submit themselves unto me; meaning
either the same persons as before; the Gentiles, who were aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise, who should
submit to Christ, to his Gospel, to his righteousness, and to the sceptre of
his kingdom; though some interpret it of the degenerate Jews, "the sons of
the stranger", as the words may be rendered; who, though called the
children of God, and the children of the kingdom, yet were, as our Lord says,
of their father the devil; and these, some of them, in a flattering and
dissembling way, feigned themselves to be the followers and disciples of
Christ: and, indeed, it looks as if hypocrites were intended, whether among
Jews or Gentiles, or both, since the word here used, and rendered "submit",
signifies to "lie"; and so it is in the metaphrase of Apollinarius;
or, as in the margin of some Bibles, to "yield a feigned obedience";
see Psalm 66:3. There seems to be an allusion
to the conquest of nations, some of the inhabitants of which readily and
heartily submit, but others only feignedly, and through fear, and the force of
superior power they cannot withstand.
Psalm 18:45 45 The foreigners fade away, And
come frightened from their hideouts.
YLT
45Sons of a stranger fade
away, And are slain out of their close places.
The strangers shall fade
away,.... Like the leaves of trees in autumn, when they fall and
perish; to which hypocrites and nominal professors are compared, Judges 1:12;
and be afraid out of their close places; their towers
and fortified places, or the rocks and mountains to which they betake themselves
for shelter; but, as not thinking themselves safe enough, through fear and
dread, come out of them; see Micah 7:17. Some Jewish writersF17R.
Donesh apud Jarchi & Abendana not. in Miclol Yophi in loc. to Apollinar.
Metaphras. interpret the words, they shall halt or be lame; that is, because of
the chains put upon their feet: and so they are expressive of the conquest made
of them. The word in the Arabic language signifies to "come out"; and
may be so rendered here, and "come out": in 2 Samuel 22:46; it is, "they shall
gird themselves", or "come out girt".
Psalm 18:46 46 The Lord lives! Blessed
be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.
YLT
46Jehovah liveth -- and
blessed [is] my rock, And exalted is the God of my salvation.
The Lord liveth, and
blessed be my Rock,.... This, with what follows, is the concluding
part of the psalm, which ends with a celebration of the Divine Being, and with
thankfulness for mercies received from him. The psalmist praises him on account
of what he is in himself, what he was to him, and had done for him: in himself
he is the living God, "the Lord liveth": he has life in himself,
essentially, originally, and independently; and is the fountain and author of
life to all others, even to all creatures that have life, whether rational or
irrational: he is the giver of natural life to all men, and the supporter of
it; and of spiritual and eternal life to his chosen people; and he continues to
live, and ever will; wherefore the saints may conclude that their life in every
sense is safe and secure. Some render the phrase, by way of wish, "may the
Lord live"F18חי יהוה
"vivat Jehova", Musculus, Tigurine version, Piscator, Muis; so some
in Vatablus, Ainsworth. ; but then it must be understood only that he would
show himself more abundantly to be the living God, and that he might be
acknowledged so by others. The next clauses are by way of petition; "and
blessed be my Rock"; on which he was built and established, to which he
betook himself in times of distress, which was his place of defence, and from
whence he had a supply; wherefore he desires he might be blessed, not by
invoking or conferring a blessing on him, neither of which can be; there being
none greater than he to call upon, and he being "Elshaddai", God all
sufficient, and in no need of any; but by declaring his blessedness, by
celebrating his greatness and goodness, and by ascribing blessing and honour
and glory to him;
and let the God of my salvation be exalted; God was the
God of his salvation in a temporal sense, saving him daily from his many
enemies; and in a spiritual sense, being the contriver, author, and applier of
it to him; on which account he would have him be exalted both by himself, and
in the high praises of his people; ascribing the whole of salvation to him, and
giving him all the glory of it. Some render the words, "the God of my salvation
is high"F19ירום "excelsus
est", Gejerus. ; he is the most high God, the high and lofty One that
inhabits eternity, and is above all others. In 2 Samuel 22:47 the words are read,
"and exalted be the God of the Rock of my salvation".
Psalm 18:47 47 It is
God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me;
YLT
47God -- who is giving
vengeance to me, And He subdueth peoples under me,
It is God that avengeth me,.... Or "gives
vengeance unto me", or "for me"F20הנותן
נקמות לי "qui dat
ultiones mihi", Pagninus, Gejerus; so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator,
Musculus, Cocceius, Michaelis. : vengeance only belongs to God, and he repays
it for and in behalf of his people. Private revenge is not to be exercised by
any; public vengeance on delinquents may be exercised by the civil magistrate,
to whom God gives power and authority to exercise it, Romans 13:4; as he did to David, as king of
Israel; though the phrase rather seems to design the victories which he
obtained over his enemies, which were punishments to them, vengeances inflicted
on them; and owing to God; so the acceptable year of the Messiah's coming, and
the time of his people redeemed by him, is called the day of vengeance of our
God, both on his and their enemies, Isaiah 61:2;
and subdueth the people under me; the Edomites, Moabites,
and others, as in 2 Samuel 8:1, or the Gentiles under Christ;
See Gill on Psalm 18:39;
Psalm 18:48 48 He delivers me from my
enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have
delivered me from the violent man.
YLT
48My deliverer from mine
enemies, Above my withstanders Thou raisest me, From a man of violence dost
deliver me.
He delivereth me from mine
enemies,.... From Saul and his men, from Ishbosheth and Abner, from
Absalom, and the conspirators with him; so all believers are delivered out of
the hands of their enemies by Christ, as that they can serve the Lord without
fear; and so Christ himself is delivered from all his enemies, being raised
from the dead, and set at the right hand of God, where he must reign till all
enemies are put under his feet;
yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me; David was
lifted up from a low and mean estate, and placed on the throne of Israel, above
all those that rose up against him, and sought to destroy him; and the saints
are set upon their high places in Christ, where they are out of the reach of
their enemies to do them any harm; and Christ, he is highly exalted at the
right hand of God, above all principality and power, might and dominion, and
every name that is named in this world;
thou hast delivered me from the violent man; either from
Saul, from whom David was delivered; or from Satan the enemy, the son of
wickedness, who shall no more exact upon and afflict the Messiah, Psalm 89:21. The Chaldee paraphrase says,
from Gog; as the saints will be delivered from antichrist, the man of sin, and
son of perdition, who will be destroyed with the breath of Christ's mouth.
Psalm 18:49 49 Therefore I will give
thanks to You, O Lord,
among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name.
YLT
49Therefore I confess Thee
among nations, O Jehovah, And to Thy name I sing praise,
Therefore will I give
thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the Heathen,.... These words are
cited by the apostle, in Romans 15:9; and applied to the conversion
of the Gentiles, which is manifestly prophesied of in some preceding verses of
this psalm: there it is rendered, "I will confess to thee among the
Gentiles"; and designs not confession of sin, nor profession of the truth,
but an acknowledgment of unworthiness, joined with thankfulness for mercies
received; done in the most public manner, not only in the congregation of the
righteous, but before the Heathen conquered by him; owning before them all,
that the victories he had obtained over them were not to be ascribed to his arm
and sword, but to the power of the Lord;
and sing praises unto thy name; which is comely for the
saints to do, and which Jesus Christ himself did, in the great congregation of
his disciples, and among the Gentiles, by his apostles, and others, on the
account of the conversion of them.
Psalm 18:50 50 Great deliverance He gives
to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants
forevermore.
YLT
50Magnifying the salvation of
His king, And doing kindness to His anointed, To David, and to his seed -- unto
the age!
Great deliverance giveth
he to his king,.... Not that is king over him; for he is King of kings and Lord
of lords; but that is made king by him, as David was; who did not usurp the
throne, but was anointed king by the appointment of God, and was placed by him
upon the throne; to whom he gave great deliverance from his enemies, or
"magnified salvations" to him; which were great in kind, and many in
number; and as Christ is, whom God has set as his King on his holy hill of
Sion, against whom the Heathen raged, and kings and princes set themselves; but
he is delivered from them all, and saved from the power of death and the grave,
and ever lives to reign over, protect, and defend his people; in 2 Samuel 22:51, it is, he is "the
tower of salvation for his king", with which compare Proverbs 18:10;
and showeth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for
evermore; which may be understood either of David literally, who was the
Lord's anointed, and to whom God showed mercy in various instances; and then by
his seed is meant the Messiah, who was of his seed according to the flesh; or
of the Messiah, whose name signifies Anointed; and who is often called David, Ezekiel 34:23, Hosea 3:5; and so some of the Jewish
doctorsF21Echa Rabbati, fol. 50. 2. from this verse prove that the
name of the Messiah is David: and by his seed are meant his spiritual seed; all
the elect of God, who are given him as his children, to whom he stands in the
relation of the everlasting Father: and as mercy is kept with him for evermore,
Psalm 89:28; so it is shown to them in
regeneration, in the forgiveness of their sins, and in their everlasting
salvation.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)