Psalm 18:1–2

Footnotes

1. 1 A number of translations (e.g., , , ) assign the words “he said” to the superscription, in which case the entire psalm is in first person. Other translations (e.g., ) include the introductory “he said” at the beginning of v. 1.
2. 2 The verb רָחַם (rakham) elsewhere appears in the Piel (or Pual) verbal stem with the basic meaning, “have compassion.” The verb occurs only here in the basic (Qal) stem. The basic stem of the verbal root also occurs in Aramaic with the meaning “love” (see 2:1068–69; 1467 רָחַם; G. Schmuttermayr, “rhm: eine lexikalische Studie,” 51 [1970]: 515–21). Since this introductory statement does not appear in the parallel version in 2 Sam 22:1–51, it is possible that it is a later addition to the psalm, made when the poem was revised for use in worship.
3. 3 Heb “my strength.” “Strength” is metonymic here, referring to the Lord as the one who bestows strength to the psalmist; thus the translation “my source of strength.”
4. 4 My high ridge. This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
5. 5 My stronghold. David often found safety in such strongholds. See 1 Sam 22:4–5; 24:22; 2 Sam 5:9, 17; 23:14.
6. 6 Or “in whom.”
7. 7 Take shelter. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11–12; 31:17–20; 34:21–22).
8. 8 Heb “the horn of my salvation”; or “my saving horn.” Though some see “horn” as referring to a horn-shaped peak of a hill, or to the “horns” of an altar where one could find refuge, it is more likely that the horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (cf. Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). In the ancient Near East powerful warrior-kings would sometimes compare themselves to a goring bull that uses its horns to kill its enemies. For examples, see P. Miller, “El the Warrior,” 60 (1967): 422–25, and R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 135–36. Ps 18:2 uses the metaphor of the horn in a slightly different manner. Here the Lord himself is compared to a horn. He is to the psalmist what the horn is to the ox, a source of defense and victory.
9. 9 Or “my elevated place.” The parallel version of this psalm in 2 Sam 22:3 adds at this point, “my refuge, my savior, [you who] save me from violence.”