Psalms 18:50 - Exposition

Great deliverance giveth he to his king ; literally, he magnifies salutations to his king. The primary reference seems to be to the gracious message which God sent to David by Nathan when he had brought the tabernacle into Jerusalem, and purposed to build a "house" worthy of it (see 2 Samuel 7:8-16 ). God had then "saluted" David as "his servant" ( Psalms 18:5 ), and sent him a message of the most gracious character, even promising the kingdom to him and to his seed "for ever" ( Psalms 18:13 , Psalms 18:16 ). And showeth mercy to his anointed, to David . No doubt David is primarily intended, both by the "king" of the first clause, and by the "anointed" of the second; but the combination of the two, and the immediate mention of the "seed" which is to reign "for ever," carry the passage beyond the psalmist individually, and give to the conclusion of the psalm, at any rate, a semi-Messianic character. As Hengstenberg says, "Psalms of this kind are distinguished from those which may more strictly be called Messianic, only by this—that in the latter the Messiah exclusively is brought into view, while here he is presented to our notice only as a member of the seed of David".