Psalm 18:21-35 chanted in the Sarum Use by Sarah, Margaret, and Charlotte James

Themes: David's address of thanks to Jehovah, an accounting of sufferings undergone and prayers made for assistance, magnificent description of divine interposition in behalf of the sufferer and of the deliverance wrought for him, which deliverance was in consideration of his righteousness, and in accord with God’s equitable proceedings. To Jehovah is ascribed the glory of the victory, which is represented as complete by the destruction of all his opponents, whereafter the heathen submit, and for all these things God is glorified. The title: "To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul” (see 2 Samuel 22:1). The strong current of Christian commentators and critics apply this psalm to Christ; and to oppose a whole host of both ancients and moderns would argue great self-confidence. In the main I am of the same mind; and on this principle chiefly I shall proceed to its illustration; still however considering that there are many things in it which concern David, and him only. Drs. Chandler and Delaney have been very successful in their illustration of various passages in it; all the best critics have brought their strongest powers to bear on it; and most of the commentators have labored it with great success; and Bishop Horne has applied the whole of it to Christ. My old Psalter speaks highly in its praise: "This Psalme contenes the sacrement of al chosyn men, the qwilk doand the law of God thurgh the seven fald grace of the Haly Gast fra al temptaciouns, and the pouste of dede and of the devel lesid: this sang thai syng til God; and thankes him and says, I sal luf the Lord, noght a day or twa, bot ever mare: my strength, thurgh quam I am stalworth in thoght." (From the Adam Clarke Commentary, 1831)

In Judaism: This psalm is recited on the seventh day of Passover in some traditions. Verse 32 is recited before Ein Keloheinu, which is a well-known Jewish hymn. On most days, verse 50 is recited at the end of Birkat Hamazon (Blessing of the Food); on all other days, the almost identical verse from 2 Samuel 22 is recited instead. (Wikipedia)

In Christianity: Verse 2b is referenced in Hebrews 2:13: “And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.” Verse 49 is cited in Romans 15:9: “And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.” According to Charles and Emilie Briggs in the International Critical Commentary series, this psalm borrowed material from 2 Samuel 22, which may have been written by David himself, with later additions by multiple editors adapting it for use in public worship. (Wikipedia)

Nine hundred years ago, the Cathedral of Salisbury, England developed a unique form of chant and liturgy known as the “Use of Salisbury,” or “Sarum Use.” Differences from the Roman rite are both melodic (more florid in the Sarum) and textual (Elizabethan English rather than Latin). The best repository of Sarum Use tones is the St. Dunstan's Plainsong Psalter, from which Sarah has sung this psalm. Additional resources on Sarum Use plainsong at https://canticasacra.org.

“Axis axis (Nagarhole, 2010), an unchanged 2010 photo by Yathin S. Krishnappa, is made available at Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en. It was Picture of the Day on 15 March 2015, and Picture of the Year in 2013. The caption reads; Chital (Axis axis) stag attempting to browse on a misty morning in Nagarhole National Park.