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Matthew Henry

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 18:13

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

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 18:13

The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice - And then followed the hail and coals of fire. The former verse mentioned the lightning, with its effects; this gives us the report of the thunder, and the increasing storm of hail and fire that attended it. Some think the words hail-stones and coals of fire are entered here by some careless transcribers from the preceding verse; and it is true that they are wanting in the Septuagint and the Arabic, in the parallel place... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 18:13

Verse 13 13.Jehovah thundered. David here repeats the same thing in different words, declaring that God thundered from heaven; and he calls the thunder the yoke of God, that we may not suppose it is produced merely by chance or by natural causes, independent of the appointment and will of God. Philosophers, it is true, are well acquainted with the intermediate or secondary causes, from which the thunder proceeds, namely, that when the cold and humid vapours obstruct the dry and hot exhalations... 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 18:13

The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice. With the lightning came, necessarily, thunder, rolling along the heavens, and seeming like the voice of God (comp. Job 38:4 , Job 38:5 ). Hail stones and coals of fire. The phrase is repeated for the sake of emphasis. The hail and the lightning are represented as conjointly the ministers of the Divine vengeance. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 18:13

The Lord also thundered in the heavens - Thunder is often in the Scriptures described as the voice of God. See the magnificent description in Psalms 29:1-11; compare Job 40:9, “Canst thou thunder with a voice like him?” So 1 Samuel 7:10; 1 Samuel 12:18; Psalms 77:18; Job 37:4.And the Highest gave his voice - God, the most exalted Being in the universe, uttered his voice in the thunder; or, the thunder was his voice.Hail-stones, and coals of fire - Accompanying the thunder. The repetition seems... read more

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