Psalm 18

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 18:6

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 18:7

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 18:8

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 18:9

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 18:10

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 18:11

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 18:12

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 18:13

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 ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 18:14

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 18:15

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... read more

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