John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 18:5
The sorrows of hell compassed me about ,.... Or "the cords of the grave" F19 חבלי 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... read more
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