Psalm 18:2

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 18:1-19

The title gives us the occasion of penning this psalm; we had it before (2 Sam. 22:1), only here we are told that the psalm was delivered to the chief musician, or precentor, in the temple-songs. Note, The private compositions of good men, designed by them for their own use, may be serviceable to the public, that others may not only borrow light from their candle, but heat from their fire. Examples sometimes teach better than rules. And David is here called the servant of the Lord, as Moses... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 18:2

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... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 18:2

The Lord is my rock - read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 18:2

Verse 2 2.Jehovah is my rock, etc. When David thus heaps together many titles by which to honor God, it is no useless or unnecessary accumulation of words. We know how difficult it is for men to keep their minds and hearts stayed in God. They either imagine that it is not enough to have God for them, and, consequently, are always seeking after support and succor elsewhere, or, at the first temptation which assails them, fall from the confidence which they placed in him. David, therefore, by... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 18:1-50

The authorship of David is generally allowed, and indeed has been questioned only by three recent critics—Olshausen, Von Lengerke, and Professor Cheyne. The period at which it was written is declared in the title to be "when the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul"—a date which is quite in accord with the contents of the poem. For while it celebrates his deliverance from perils of various kinds—from a "strong enemy" ( Psalms 18:17 ), from a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 18:1-50

The conqueror's song of praise and hope. It is not our purpose, nor is it our province, in this section of the 'Pulpit Commentary,' to write homilies on specific texts; but rather to deal with this psalm (as we have done with others) as a whole —for it is a unity—and to show how grand a basis it presents for the pulpit exposition of the provisions of "the everlasting covenant" to which allusion is made in the last verse of the psalm. The student and expositor might with advantage refer... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 18:1-50

A retrospect of life. The sailor tells of the perils of the sea; the traveller recounts the varied incidents of his career; and the soldier who has passed through battles and sieges can speak of hairbreadth escapes and moving accidents by flood and field. So it is with human life. We have the power of looking back; we can in imagination revive the past, and as scene after scene rises before us, our heart is thrilled with various emotions. And what we have experienced and recalled, we can... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 18:1-50

The retrospect of a life: a sermon for the close of the year. "In this magnificent hymn the royal poet sketches in a few grand outlines the history of his life. By God's help he had subdued every enemy, and now, in middle life, looking back with devout thankfulness on the past, he sings this great song of praise to the God of his life." Divisions of the psalm: 1 . The introduction, setting forth all that Jehovah is to David ( Psalms 18:1-3 ). 2 . The record of David's sufferings... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 18:2

The Lord is my Rock ; or, my Cliff— my Sela' —an expression used commonly of Petra. And my Fortress (comp. Psalms 144:2 ). Not only a natural stronghold, but one made additionally strong by art. And my Deliverer . A living Protector, not a mere inanimate defence. My God, my Strength ; rather, my Rock , as the same word ( tsur ) is translated in Exodus 17:6 ; Exodus 33:21 , Exodus 33:22 ; Deuteronomy 32:4 , Deuteronomy 32:15 , Deuteronomy 32:18 , ... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 18:2

The Lord is my rock - The idea in this expression, and in the subsequent parts of the description, is that he owed his safety entirely to God. He had been unto him as a rock, a tower, a buckler, etc. - that is, he had derived from God the protection which a rock, a tower, a citadel, a buckler furnished to those who depended on them, or which they were designed to secure. The word “rock” here has reference to the fact that in times of danger a lofty rock would be sought as a place of safety, or... read more

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