PSALMS 18

READING CYCLE THREE(see “Guide
to Good Bible Reading“)

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR’S INTENT AT
PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary which means
that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of
us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are
priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3).
Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above.
Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original
author’s intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has
one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

 

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 18:1-3
 ¹“I
love You, O Lord, my strength.”
 ²The Lord
is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
 My God, my rock, in whom I take
refuge;
 My shield and the
horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
 ³I
call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be
praised,
 And I am saved
from my enemies.

18:1-3 The psalmist addresses his God with a
series of powerful titles and allusions (same poem in 2 Samuel 22). In the
midst of life’s stresses he knew the unchanging character of the God of
creation and redemption. Notice the personal element in the “my”
pronouns.

1. my strength – BDB 305, KB 304, noun
only here and probably accidently omitted in 2 Sam. 22:2

2. my rock (twice) – two different Hebrew roots

a. BDB 700 I – cf. Ps. 31:3; 42:9; 71:3

b. BDB 849 – cf. Deut. 32:4,15,30

3. my fortress – BDB 845 II, KB 622, cf. Ps. 31:3; 71:3; 91:2;
144:2

4. my deliverer – BDB 812, KB 930, Piel participle, cf. Ps. 40:17; 70:5; 144:2

5. my God (El) in whom I take refuge – BDB 340, KB 337,
Qal imperfect, cf. Ps. 2:12; 5:11; 7:1;
11:1; 16:1; 25:20; 31:1; 37:40; 57:1; 61:3; 64:10; 71:1; 118:8-9; 141:8;
143:9; 144:2; Pro. 30:5

6. my shield – BDB 171, KB 545 I, cf. Ps. 3:3; 7:10; 18:30,35;
28:7; 33:20; 59:11; 84:11; 115:9-11; 119:114; 144:2; Pro. 2:7; 30:5

7. the horn of my salvation

a. “horn” (BDB 901) – an idiom of power or strength,
cf. Ps. 75:10

b. “horn” may mean “hill,” cf. Isa. 5:1; if so,
it is similar imagery to fortress or stronghold (NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 991)

8. my stronghold – BDB 960 I, KB 640, cf. Ps. 9:9; 46:7,11;
48:3; 59:9,16,17; 62:2,6; 94:22; 144:2

9. the Lord who is worthy to be praised
– BDB 237, KB 248, Pual participle,
cf. Ps. 48:1; 96:4; 145:3

The accumulative effect of these words of safety, protection, and security
is powerful and emotional. Life in a fallen world is hard, unfair, and
unpredictable but then there is our God who is exactly the opposite!

18:1 “love” This word (BDB 933, KB
1216, Qal imperfect) is the same Hebrew
root (רחם) as “womb,” but before we read too
much into this, the same root also means “vulture”! Be careful
of etymology as the only source for meaning. Context determines meaning!

The Qal stem of this verb is found only
here and refers to man’s love for God. The Piel stem is much more
common and is used of God’s compassion for covenant humanity (cf. Exod.
33:19; Deut. 13:17; 30:3; Isa. 14:1; 27:11; 30:18; 49:10,13; 54:8,10;
55:7; 60:10).

This verb is not paralleled in 2 Samuel 22 and
BDB thinks it may have been added, possibly when the psalm became
liturgical for the community.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 18:4-6
 ⁴The
cords of death encompassed me,
 And
the torrents of ungodliness terrified me.
 ⁵The cords of Sheol
surrounded me;
 The snares
of death confronted me.
 ⁶In
my distress I called upon the Lord,
 And cried to my God for help;
 He heard my voice out of His temple,
 And my cry for help before Him came
into His ears.

18:4-5 The psalmist describes his distress
in vivid, parallel, poetic language.

1. the cords (i.e., snares, cf. Pro. 13:14; 14:27) of death
encompassed me – BDB 67, KB 79, Qal perfect,
cf. Ps. 116:3; it is possible that “cords,” following 2 Samuel
22, should be understood as “waves,” which forms a good parallel
to the next line of poetry. The NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 482, mentions that the
DSS (IQH [i.e., Dead Sea Scroll MS] 3:28; 5:39) uses the verb for
thanking God for deliverance from

a. “pangs of death”

b. “rivers of Belial”

This also fits the context here.

2. the torrents of Belial (BDB 116, cf. Nah. 1:15; 2 Cor. 6:15)
terrified me – BDB 129, KB 147, Piel imperfect;
the verb is used often in Job (cf. Job 3:5;
9:34; 13:11,21; 15:24; 18:11; 33:7). In 2 Sam. 22:5 “Belial” is
translated “destruction,” which shows it can be non-personal

3. the cords of Sheol (see
Special Topic:
THE DEAD, WHERE ARE THEY? ) surround
me – BDB 685, KB 738, Qal perfect,
cf. Ps. 17:11; 22:12,16; 49:5; 88:17; 118:10-12

4. the snares of death confronted me – BDB 869, KB 1068, Piel
perfect, cf. Ps. 18:18; Job 30:27

As “my” was prominent in Ps. 18:1-3, now “me” as the
object of attack is prominent in Ps. 18:4-5. Every human is fearful of
death until they have a personal faith encounter with the God of life and
love (cf. 1 John 4:7-21)! Satan does not control death but he does magnify
the fear of death.

18:6 Psalm 18:6 is the psalmist’s response to
his sense of impending death (i.e., “distress,” BDB 856 II, cf.
Job 15:24; 38:23; Ps. 66:14; 119:143).

1. I called upon the Lord – BDB
894, KB 1128, Qal imperfect

2. I cried to my God – BDB 1002, KB 1443, Piel imperfect

His prayers are answered.

1. He heard my voice out of His temple

2. He heard my cry for help before it came into His ears (cf. Ps.
6:8-9; 28:2,6)

Notice the parallelism of lines 1 and 2 then lines 3 and 4. This
synonymous parallelism is characteristic of Hebrew poetry (see
Introductory Article). The God of protection is also the God who responds
to prayer!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 18:7-15
 ⁷Then
the earth shook and quaked;
 And
the foundations of the mountains were trembling
 And were shaken, because He was
angry.
 ⁸Smoke
went up out of His nostrils,
 And
fire from His mouth devoured;
 Coals
were kindled by it.
 ⁹He
bowed the heavens also, and came down
 With
thick darkness under His feet.
 ¹⁰He
rode upon a cherub and flew;
 And
He sped upon the wings of the wind.
 ¹¹He
made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him,
 Darkness of waters, thick clouds of
the skies.
 ¹²From
the brightness before Him passed His thick clouds,
 Hailstones and coals of fire.
 ¹³The Lord
also thundered in the heavens,
 And
the Most High uttered His voice,
 Hailstones
and coals of fire.
 ¹⁴He
sent out His arrows, and scattered them,
 And
lightning flashes in abundance, and routed them.
 ¹⁵Then the channels of
water appeared,
 And the
foundations of the world were laid bare
 At
Your rebuke, O Lord,
 At the blast of the breath of Your
nostrils.

18:7-15 This strophe describes God’s
response to the psalmist’s prayer. God arouses Himself for action (i.e.,
[1] holy war imagery or [2] rises from His throne)!

1. in Ps. 18:7 the distress of the faithful follower causes Divine
anger (BDB 354, KB 351, Qal perfect,
see
Special Topic:
GOD DESCRIBED AS HUMAN). This burning anger (earthquake imagery,
cf. Isa. 29:6) is characterized in Ps. 18:8 (i.e., thunderstorm imagery,
cf. Deut. 33:26; Isa. 29:6). It is possible this imagery reflects Exod.
19:18-19 (i.e., giving of the Mosaic covenant at Mt. Sinai).

2. YHWH’s response is characterized in the imagery of a thunderstorm
in Ps. 18:9-15.

a. bowed the heavens (cf. Isa. 64:1). The REB revocalizes the phrase
and has, “He parted the heavens.” This same imagery is reflected
in Isa. 34:4; Rev. 6:12-14.

b. came down with thick darkness

c. darkness of waters

d. thick clouds of the skies

e. brightness before Him

f. hailstones and coals of fire

g. thundered in the heavens

h. lightning flashes

i. channels of water

In many ways this description alludes to the Shekinah cloud of
glory during the wilderness wandering period, both hiding and revealing
YHWH (cf. Exod. 13:21-22; 19:19-20,24; 16:10; 19:9,16; 24:15-18;
40:34-38).

18:7 “the earth shook and quaked”
The interpretive question is, “Is this literal or figurative?”

1. literal – their imagery of an earthquake as a sign of God’s
coming presence, Exod. 19:18; Ps. 68:7-8

2. figurative – a personification of “the earth”

a. the earth brought forth – Gen. 1:12,24

b. the earth swallowed them – Exod. 15:12; Num. 16:34

c. the earth spewed out – Lev. 18:25,28; 20:22

d. the earth opened its mouth – Num. 16:32; 26:10; Deut. 11:6;
Ps. 106:17

e. the earth as a witness – Deut. 4:26; 30:19; 31:28; 32:1

f. speak to the earth – Job 12:8; 16:18; Ps. 50:4

g. the earth will rise up against him – Job 20:27

h. the earth cries out – Job 31:38

i. the earth praises YHWH – Ps. 69:34

j. the earth rejoices – Ps. 96:11; 97:1

k. the earth trembled – Jdgs. 5:4; 1 Sam.14:15; Isa. 13:13

l. the earth mourns – Isa. 24:4; 33:9; Hos. 4:3

 

18:8 “fire” See
Special Topic:
Fire.

18:9 “He. . .came down” YHWH lives
in heaven. His presence dwells between the cherubim on the ark of
the covenant, but from time to time the Bible speaks of His coming to
humans in special ways (i.e., theophanies, cf. Exodus 3). Exodus 3:7-8 is
a specific example of YHWH responding to His people’s need and acting on
their behalf. In this context the imagery is described as a violent
thunderstorm.

18:10-11 This describes YHWH in imagery of a
thunderstorm. Rain was important for semi-desert dwellers but storms were
frightening. In Israel’s history after they entered Canaan the Israelites
became influenced by the fertility gods, especially Ba’al, the
storm god, the giver of rain and fertility. However, the true “storm
god” was YHWH (note the imagery of Exodus 19).

18:10 “cherub” Note parallel
imagery in Ps. 104:3. See
Special Topic: Fertility Worship in the ANE.

SPECIAL
TOPIC: CHERUBIM

18:11 “He made darkness His hiding place”
In the OT to see YHWH meant death (cf. Gen. 16:13; 32:30; Exod. 3:6;
33:20; Jdgs. 6:22-23; 13:22; 1 Kgs. 19:13; Isa. 6:5; Acts 7:32). The thick
dark cloud was a way of protecting the Israelites (cf. Exod. 19:9; 20:21;
Deut. 4:11; 5:23).

18:15 “the foundations of the world”
This imagery is expressed as

1. the pillars of the earth – 1 Sam. 2:8; Job 9:6; 38:4-6; Ps.
75:3; 104:5

2. the roots of the mountains – Deut. 32:22; Job 28:9; Jonah
2:6

It is possible that verse 15 is alluding to YHWH’s great act of
deliverance in

a. prose – Exod. 14:21-22,29

b. poetry – Exod. 15:8; Ps. 106:9

 

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 18:16-19
 ¹⁶He
sent from on high, He took me;
 He
drew me out of many waters.
 ¹⁷He
delivered me from my strong enemy,
 And
from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
 ¹⁸They confronted me in
the day of my calamity,
 But
the Lord was my stay.
 ¹⁹He brought me forth
also into a broad place;
 He
rescued me, because He delighted in me.

18:16-19 This strophe describes YHWH’s
deliverance of the psalmist. Also note the “distress” of verse 6
is now clarified as “those who hate me, for they were too mighty for
me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity” (cf. Ps. 59:16-17)!

1. He sent from on high, He took me, cf. Ps. 144:7

2. He drew me out of many waters, cf. Ps. 32:6

3. He delivered me from my strong enemy

4. He delivered me from those who hate me

5. He brought me forth into a broad place, an idiom for freedom, cf.
Ps. 4:1; 31:8; 118:5

6. He secured me, because He delighted in me, cf. 2 Sam. 22:20; Ps.
37:23; 41:11; 147:11

 

18:16 “He drew me out of many waters”
This root, משׁה (BDB 602, KB 642) is found only (1) here
[and the parallel in 2 Sam. 22:17] and (2) in the account of Moses’ rescue
in Exod. 2:10. It became the popular etymology of the name “Moses.”

The “many waters” can be understood in two ways.

1. a contextual metaphor of trouble/problems/attacks (cf. Ps. 32:6;
46:1-3; 69:1-2; 124:1-5; 144:5-8; Isa. 43:2

2. an allusion to the Genesis account of YHWH defeating the waters of
chaos (cf. Ps. 74:13-14; 89:9-10; 104:6-7; Isa. 51:9-10, see the Jerome
Biblical Commentary, p. 578, and my note at Gen. 1:2, “the deep”
at www.freebiblecommentary.org
in Genesis 1-11)

 

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 18:20-24
 ²⁰The
Lord has rewarded me according to my
righteousness;
 According
to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.
 ²¹For I have kept the
ways of the Lord,
 And have not wickedly departed from
my God.
 ²²For
all His ordinances were before me,
 And
I did not put away His statutes from me.
 ²³I
was also blameless with Him,
 And
I kept myself from my iniquity.
 ²⁴Therefore
the Lord has recompensed me according to my
righteousness,
 According
to the cleanness of my hands in His eyes.

18:20-24 Notice the inclusio of Ps.
18:20 compared to Ps. 18:24. This strophe should not be understood as the
psalmist claiming sinlessness or perfection. Theologically he is asserting
his “blamelessness” (see
Special Topic: Blameless, Innocent,
Guiltless, Without Reproach).

Notice the parallelism of each pair.

1. according to my righteousness

2. according to the cleanness of my hands

3. I have kept the ways of the Lord

4. I have not wickedly departed from my God

5. all His ordinances were before me (for #5 and #6 see
Special Topic:
Terms for God’s Revelation)

6. I did not put away His statutes from me

7. I was blameless with Him

8. I kept myself from my iniquity

 

SPECIAL
TOPIC: BLAMELESS, INNOCENT, GUILTLESS, WITHOUT REPROACH

18:20 “He has recompensed me” This
verb (BDB 996, KB 1427) is repeated at the
close of the strophe (cf. Ps. 18:24). There are consequences for unbelief,
but, thank God, there are benefits for a faithful follower! These are
spelled out in the next strophe (Ps. 18:25-29).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 18:25-29
 ²⁵With
the kind You show Yourself kind;
 With
the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
 ²⁶With the pure You show
Yourself pure,
 And with
the crooked You show Yourself astute.
 ²⁷For
You save an afflicted people,
 But
haughty eyes You abase.
 ²⁸For
You light my lamp;
 The
Lord my God illumines my darkness.
 ²⁹For by You I can run
upon a troop;
 And by my
God I can leap over a wall.

18:25-29 These are the wonderful, divine
consequences which follow a faithful believer.

1. “With the kind (BDB 339), You show Yourself kind” (BDB
338, KB 336, Hithpael imperfect; this
verse and the parallel in 2 Sam. 22:26 are the only places in the OT that
the verb form of this special covenant noun, hesed, occurs; see
Special Topic:
Lovingkindness). Notice that “with” (עם) introduces Ps.
18:25-26, while “for” (יכ) introduces Ps. 18:27-29.

2. “With the blameless (BDB 1071, cf. Ps. 18:23) You show
Yourself blameless” (BDB 1070, KB 1752, Hithpael imperfect,  see
Special Topic: Blameless,
Innocent, Guiltless, Without Reproach)

3. “With the pure (BDB 140, KB 162, Niphal participle, cf. Isa. 52:11) You show Yourself pure”
(BDB 140, KB 162, Hithpael imperfect).
Notice the antithetical parallelism of Ps. 18:26 and 27.

4. “With the crooked (BDB 786 I) You show Yourself twisted (BDB
836, KB 990, Hithpael imperfect).
“Crooked” is the opposite of righteous, which denoted that which
was straight, see
Special Topic:
Righteousness.

5. “For You save (BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil imperfect) an afflicted people.” Poor or
afflicted people are contrasted with wicked people.
See
Special Topic: Salvation (OT).

6. “But haughty eyes (BDB 926, KB 1202, Qal participle, cf. Isa. 2:11; 5:15) You abase”
(BDB 1050, KB 1631, Hiphil imperfect).
Notice the antithetical parallelism of Ps. 18:27 (2 Samuel 22 parallel is
slightly different).

The strophe affirms the basic biblical truth that one reaps what he/she
sows (cf. Job 34:11; Ps. 28:4; 62:12; Pro. 24:12; Eccl. 12:14; Jer. 17:10;
32:19; Matt. 16:27; 25:31-46; Rom. 2:6; 14:12; 1 Cor. 3:8; 2 Cor. 5:10;
Gal. 6:7-10; 2 Tim. 4:14; 1 Pet. 1:17; Rev. 2:23; 20:12; 22:12).

18:28-29 The form of Ps. 18:25-27 is altered
in Ps. 18:28-29. The psalmist makes several assertions about YHWH’s
actions.

1. For You light (BDB 21, KB 24, Hiphil imperfect)
my lamp (BDB 632, 2 Samuel 22:29 has “You are my Lamp.”

2. YHWH my God illumines (BDB 618, KB 667, Hiphil imperfect, synonymous parallelism for verbs) my darkness (objects are antithetical
parallelism, i.e., lamp vs. darkness).

3. For by You I can run (i.e., defeat) upon a troop (BDB 151 I, i.e.,
military unit). Some English translations take גדוד
(BDB 151) in the sense of “bank” and translate a phrase which
parallels “leap over a wall” (cf. REB, NIB). The LXX (i.e., A
New English Translation of the Septuagint, 2007) has a totally
different phrase, “because in you I shall be rescued from a pirate’s
nest.” The 1970 translation of the LXX has the traditional
translation. The UBS Text Project gives the word “troop” an
“A” rating (high probability). The parallel in 2 Samuel 22 also has it.

The AB thinks “troop,” which is found only here, should be
“sinew,” גד, which would also parallel the next line
(p. 114).

4. By my God I can leap over a wall. Numbers 3 and 4 are not
synonymous but are two different ways to show the power of God’s
empowering.

 

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 18:30-36
 ³⁰As
for God, His way is blameless;
 The
word of the Lord is tried;
 He is a shield to all who take
refuge in Him.
 ³¹For
who is God, but the Lord?
 And who is a rock, except our God,
 ³²The God who girds me
with strength
 And makes my
way blameless?
 ³³He
makes my feet like hinds’ feet,
 And
sets me upon my high places.
 ³⁴He
trains my hands for battle,
 So
that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
 ³⁵You
have also given me the shield of Your salvation,
 And Your right hand upholds me;
 And Your gentleness makes me great.
 ³⁶You enlarge my steps
under me,
 And my feet have
not slipped.

18:30-36 This strophe explains why the
psalmist gives YHWH the titles of Ps. 18:2. His actions bring the titles!

1. His way is blameless (lit. “complete” or “perfect,”
BDB 1071, cf. Ps. 18:23,30,32).

2. His word/promise (BDB 57, used 19 times in Psalm 119) is tried or
tested (BDB 864, KB 1057, Qal passive
participles, cf. 2 Samuel 22:31; Psalm 119:140; Proverbs 30:5). See
videos on “The Trustworthiness of God’s Word” on www.freebiblecommentary.org, sermons from
Lakeside Baptist Church, Dallas, TX.

3. He is a shield (BDB 171, cf. Ps. 18:2)

4. He is a rock (BDB 849, cf. Ps. 18:2)

5. He girds (BDB 25, KB 28, Piel participle,
cf. Ps. 18:39) me with strength (BDB 298, synonym of BDB 305 in Ps. 18:2)

6. He makes my way blameless (BDB 1071, cf. Ps. 18:23,30,32)

7. He makes my feet secure (BDB 763, KB 840, Hiphil imperfect) like hinds’ feet (i.e., sure-footed deer
who can walk safely in rugged, rocky places, cf. Hab. 3:19)

8. He trains/equips/teaches me for battle, cf. Ps. 144:1

9. He has given me the shield of His salvation, cf. Ps. 18:2

10. His right hand upholds me, cf. Ps. 63:8; 119:117 (the right hand
is an idiom of powerful action, see SPECIAL
TOPIC: HAND)

11. His gentleness/humility (KB 855 II, cf. 2 Sam. 22:36; also note
Pro. 15:33; 18:12; 22:4) makes me great

12. He enlarges (BDB 931, KB 1210, Hiphil imperfect)
my steps (i.e., parallels 18:19a; Ps. 4:1; 12:5; 31:8; 118:5). NIDOTTE,
vol. 1, p. 317 has a good insight, “What is certain is that whereas
spaciousness signifies salvation, narrowness symbolizes trouble and
danger.”

13. He enables the psalmist’s feet to not slip (BDB 588, KB 609, Qal
perfect, i.e., stayed on the path, cf. Ps.
18:20-24; see note at Ps. 1:1 for path/way)

 

 

18:31 “For who is God, but the Lord“ This is an allusion to monotheism.
See
Special Topic:
Monotheism.

18:35

NASB, NKJV“gentleness”
NRSV“help”
JPSOA“care”
NASB, JPSOA
footnotes“condescension”
REB, NAB“stoop down”
LXX“instruction”

The Hebrew root is “condescension” (BDB 776, ענה)
or “humility” (BDB 776, ענוה). BDB
supports the second option (NASB), but UBS Text Project gives the first
option a “B” rating (some doubt, cf. NRSV).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 18:37-42
 ³⁷I
pursued my enemies and overtook them,
 And
I did not turn back until they were consumed.
 ³⁸I shattered them, so
that they were not able to rise;
 They
fell under my feet.
 ³⁹For
You have girded me with strength for battle;
 You have subdued under me those who
rose up against me.
 ⁴⁰You
have also made my enemies turn their backs to me,
 And I destroyed those who hated me.
 ⁴¹They cried for help,
but there was none to save,
 Even
to the Lord, but He did not answer them.
 ⁴²Then I beat them fine
as the dust before the wind;
 I
emptied them out as the mire of the streets.

18:37-42 This strophe is the psalmist’s
description of how, by YHWH’s help/empowerment, he defeated his enemies.
Again, it is uncertain who these enemies are, but Ps. 18:41 implies they
were fellow Israelites (i.e., Saul’s army, Absalom, or other rebels).

1. I pursued my enemies

2. I overtook them

3. I did not turn back (but the enemies will, cf. Ps. 18:40)

4. I shattered them

a. they were unable to rise

b. they fell under my feet

5. You have girded (i.e., prepared for action) me with strength for
battle

6. You have subdued (i.e., caused to bow) them

7.  You have made them turn their backs

8. I destroyed those who hated me

9. I beat them fine as the dust

10. I emptied them out as the mire of the streets (cf. 2 Sam. 22:43;
Micah 7:10)

Notice some describe David’s actions and some YHWH’s enabling actions.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 18:43-45
 ⁴³You
have delivered me from the contentions of the people;
 You have placed me as head of the
nations;
 A people whom I
have not known serve me.
 ⁴⁴As
soon as they hear, they obey me;
 Foreigners
submit to me.
 ⁴⁵Foreigners
fade away,
 And come
trembling out of their fortresses.

18:43-45 This strophe deals with the King of
Israel’s exalted place in YHWH’s plans for the nations. Israel (“the
people” of Ps. 18:43a) was meant to inform the nations and draw them
to faith in YHWH (see
Special Topic: YHWH’s
Eternal Redemptive Plan). But notice that
Israel was “contentious” (cf. Ps. 35:1).

Notice the different phrases that refer to non-Israelites (i.e.,
Gentiles).

1. the King of Israel (cf. Ps. 18:50) was made the head of the
nations

2. the nations are a people who the King had not known but now they
serve (BDB 712, KB 773, Qal imperfect)
him

3. as soon as these nations hear the King they

a. obey (BDB 1033, KB 1570, Niphal imperfect)

b. submit (lit. “lying” or “deceive,” but used in
the sense of “cringe”; possibly “leanness” or their
reduced number and influence. The Hebrew verb
has both senses) — BDB 471, KB 469, Piel imperfect

c. fade away — BDB 615, KB 663, Qal imperfect

d. come trembling — BDB 353, KB 350, Qal imperfect; only here in the OT out of their
fortresses — (possibly “fatness,” BDB 689, or KB 604,
“prison,” cf. Micah 7:17)

Notice all the imperfects (nine) which denote
ongoing action (i.e., continual defeat).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 18:46-50
 ⁴⁶The
Lord lives, and blessed be my rock;
 And exalted be the God of my
salvation,
 ⁴⁷The
God who executes vengeance for me,
 And
subdues peoples under me.
 ⁴⁸He
delivers me from my enemies;
 Surely
You lift me above those who rise up against me;
 You rescue me from the violent man.
 ⁴⁹Therefore I will give
thanks to You among the nations, O Lord,
 And I will sing praises to Your
name.
 ⁵⁰He
gives great deliverance to His king,
 And
shows lovingkindness to His anointed,
 To
David and his descendants forever.

18:46-50 This strophe is the psalmist’s
thanksgiving to YHWH for His character and actions!

Notice the titles and characterizations of YHWH.

1. lives — this is the adjective
(BDB 311) which comes from the verb “to
be” (BDB 217), which is the meaning of YHWH (see
Special Topic:
Names for Deity). He is the ever-living, only-living One! The phrase “as YHWH
lives” is usually an introduction to an oath, but here it introduces
a doxology.

2. my rock — denotes power and stability (cf. Ps. 18:2,31)

3. the God (אלה) of my salvation

4. His acts on the King’s behalf

a. executes vengeance (BDB 668)

b. subdues peoples

c. delivers (cf. Ps. 18:50)

d. lifts him above his enemies

e. rescues him from the violent man

Notice in light of this what the King of Israel will do.

1. give thanks among the nations

2. sing praises to His Name

The King does this because of

1. YHWH’s deliverance

2. YHWH’s lovingkindness to the King and his descendants forever (cf.
2 Samuel 7)

 

18:49 This verse (or 2 Sam. 22:50) is used
by Paul in Rom. 15:9 to show that YHWH’s plan of redemption from the very
beginning included the Gentiles (note Gen. 1:26-27; 12:3; Exod. 19:5-6).

Paul also used Deut. 32:43; Ps. 117:1 and Isa. 11:10. There has always
been an eternal redemptive plan for all humans (see
Special Topic: YHWH’s
Eternal Redemptive Plan).

18:50 “His anointed” See
Special
Topic: Messiah.

▣ “lovingkindness” See
Special Topic:
Lovingkindness.

▣ “forever” See
Special
Topic: Forever.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means
that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of
us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are
priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the
major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be
thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. List the titles of God in Ps. 18:2.

2. God is described as what in Ps. 18:7-15?

3. How would you entitle Ps. 18:16-19?

4. Does Ps. 18:20 teach a “works righteousness”?

5. Where does the title of “rock” as used of God come from?
(Ps. 18:2,31,46 and Deut. 32:4,31)

6. What does Ps. 18:43-45 imply?

 

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