22:21 The Lord repaid 1 me for my godly deeds; 2
he rewarded 3 my blameless behavior. 4
22:22 For I have obeyed the Lord’s commands; 5
I have not rebelled against my God. 6
22:23 For I am aware of all his regulations, 7
and I do not reject his rules. 8
22:24 I was blameless before him;
I kept myself from sinning. 9
22:25 The Lord rewarded me for my godly deeds; 10
he took notice of my blameless behavior. 11
22:26 You prove to be loyal 12 to one who is faithful; 13
you prove to be trustworthy 14 to one who is innocent. 15
22:27 You prove to be reliable 16 to one who is blameless,
but you prove to be deceptive 17 to one who is perverse. 18
22:28 You deliver oppressed 19 people,
but you watch the proud and bring them down. 20
22:29 Indeed, 21 you are my lamp, 22 Lord.
The Lord illumines 23 the darkness around me. 24
22:30 Indeed, 25 with your help 26 I can charge 27 against an army; 28
by my God’s power 29 I can jump over a wall. 30
22:31 The one true God acts in a faithful manner; 31
the Lord’s promise is reliable; 32
he is a shield to all who take shelter in him.
22:32 Indeed, 33 who is God besides the Lord?
Who is a protector 34 besides our God? 35
22:33 The one true God 36 is my mighty refuge; 37
he removes 38 the obstacles in my way. 39
22:34 He gives me the agility of a deer; 40
he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain. 41
22:35 He trains 42 my hands for battle; 43
my arms can bend even the strongest bow. 44
22:36 You give me 45 your protective shield; 46
your willingness to help enables me to prevail. 47
22:37 You widen my path; 48
my feet 49 do not slip.
22:38 I chase my enemies and destroy them;
I do not turn back until I wipe them out.
22:39 I wipe them out and beat them to death;
they cannot get up;
they fall at my feet.
22:40 You give me strength for battle; 50
you make my foes kneel before me. 51
22:41 You make my enemies retreat; 52
I destroy those who hate me.
22:42 They cry out, 53 but there is no one to help them; 54
they cry out to the Lord, 55 but he does not answer them.
22:43 I grind them as fine as the dust of the ground;
I crush them and stomp on them like clay 56 in the streets.
22:44 You rescue me from a hostile army; 57
you preserve me as a leader of nations;
people over whom I had no authority are now my subjects. 58
22:45 Foreigners are powerless before me; 59
when they hear of my exploits, they submit to me. 60
22:46 Foreigners lose their courage; 61
they shake with fear 62 as they leave 63 their strongholds. 64
22:47 The Lord is alive! 65
My protector 66 is praiseworthy! 67
The God who delivers me 68 is exalted as king! 69
22:48 The one true God completely vindicates me; 70
he makes nations submit to me. 71
22:49 He delivers me from my enemies; 72
you snatch me away 73 from those who attack me; 74
you rescue me from violent men.
22:50 So I will give you thanks, O Lord, before the nations! 75
I will sing praises to you. 76
22:51 He gives his chosen king magnificent victories; 77
he is faithful to his chosen ruler, 78
to David and to his descendants forever!”
1 tn In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not imperfect.
2 tn Heb “according to my righteousness.” As vv. 22-25 make clear, David refers here to his unwavering obedience to God’s commands. He explains that the Lord was pleased with him and willing to deliver him because he had been loyal to God and obedient to his commandments. Ancient Near Eastern literature contains numerous parallels. A superior (a god or king) would typically reward a subject (a king or the servant of a king, respectively) for loyalty and obedience. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 211-13.
3 tn The unreduced Hiphil prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, in which case the psalmist would be generalizing. However, both the preceding and following contexts (see especially v. 25) suggest he is narrating his experience. Despite its unreduced form, the verb is better taken as a preterite. For other examples of unreduced Hiphil preterites, see Pss 55:14a; 68:9a, 10b; 80:8a; 89:43a; 107:38b; 116:6b.
4 tn Heb “according to the purity of my hands he repaid to me.” Hands suggest activity and behavior.
5 tn Heb “for I have kept the ways of the
6 tn Heb “I have not acted wickedly from my God.” The statement is elliptical, the idea being, “I have not acted wickedly and, in so doing, departed from my God.”
7 tn Heb “for all his regulations are before me.” The term מִשְׁפָּטָו (mishpatav, “his regulations”) refers to God’s covenantal requirements, especially those which the king is responsible to follow (cf Deut 17:18-20). See also Pss 19:9 (cf vv. 7-8); 89:30; 147:20 (cf v. 19), as well as the numerous uses of the term in Ps 119.
8 tn Heb “and his rules, I do not turn aside from it.” Ps 18:22 reads, “and his rules I do not turn aside from me.” The prefixed verbal form is probably an imperfect; David here generalizes about his loyalty to God’s commands. The
9 tn Heb “from my sin,” that is, from making it my own in any way. Leading a “blameless” life meant that the king would be loyal to God’s covenant, purge the government and society of evil and unjust officials, and reward loyalty to the
10 tn Heb “according to my righteousness.” See v. 21.
11 tn Heb “according to my purity before his eyes.”
12 tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 26-30 draw attention to God’s characteristic actions. Based on his experience, the psalmist generalizes about God’s just dealings with people (vv. 26-28) and about the way in which God typically empowers him on the battlefield (vv. 29-30). The Hitpael stem is used in vv. 26-27 in a reflexive resultative (or causative) sense. God makes himself loyal, etc. in the sense that he conducts or reveals himself as such. On this use of the Hitpael stem, see GKC 149-50 §54.e.
13 tn Or “to a faithful follower.” A חָסִיד (khasid, “faithful follower”) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
14 tn Or “innocent.”
15 tc Heb “a warrior of innocence.” The parallel text in Ps 18:25 reads, probably correctly, גֶּבֶר (gever, “man”) instead of גִּבּוֹר (gibor, “warrior”).
16 tn Or “blameless.”
17 tc The translation follows two medieval Hebrew
18 tn The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (’iqqesh) has the basic nuance “twisted; crooked,” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse. It appears frequently in Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20) and life styles (2:15; 28:6). A righteous king opposes such people (Ps 101:4). Verses 26-27 affirm God’s justice. He responds to people in accordance with their moral character. His response mirrors their actions. The faithful and blameless find God to be loyal and reliable in his dealings with them. But deceivers discover he is able and willing to use deceit to destroy them. For a more extensive discussion of the theme of divine deception in the OT, see R. B. Chisholm, “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 11-28.
19 tn Or perhaps “humble” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT; note the contrast with those who are proud).
20 tc Heb “but your eyes are upon the proud, you bring low.” Ps 18:27 reads “but proud eyes you bring low.”
21 tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.
22 tc Many medieval Hebrew
23 tc The Lucianic Greek recension and Vulgate understand this verb to be second person rather than third person as in the MT. But this is probably the result of reading the preceding word “
24 tn Heb “my darkness.”
25 tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.
26 tn Heb “by you.”
27 tn Heb “I will run.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 30 indicate the subject’s potential or capacity to perform an action. Though one might expect a preposition to follow the verb here, this need not be the case with the verb רוּץ (ruts; see 1 Sam 17:22). Some emend the Qal to a Hiphil form of the verb and translate, “I put to flight [literally, “cause to run”] an army.”
28 tn More specifically, the noun refers to a raiding party or to a contingent of troops (see HALOT 177 s.v. II גְדוּד). The picture of a divinely empowered warrior charging against an army in almost superhuman fashion appears elsewhere in ancient Near Eastern literature. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 228.
29 tn Heb “by my God.”
30 tn David uses hyperbole to emphasize his God-given military superiority.
31 tn Heb “[As for] the God, his way is blameless.” The term הָאֵל (ha’el, “the God”) stands as a nominative (or genitive) absolute in apposition to the resumptive pronominal suffix on “way.” The prefixed article emphasizes his distinctiveness as the one true God (see BDB 42 s.v. II אֵל 6; Deut 33:26). God’s “way” in this context refers to his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 103:7; 138:5; 145:17).
32 tn Heb “the word of the
33 tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.
34 tn Heb “rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor of protection.
35 tn The rhetorical questions anticipate the answer, “No one.” In this way the psalmist indicates that the
36 tn Heb “the God.” See the note at v. 31.
37 tc 4QSama has מְאַזְּרֵנִי (mÿ’azzÿreni, “the one girding me with strength”) rather than the MT מָעוּזִּי (ma’uzzi, “my refuge”). See as well Ps 18:32.
38 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav consecutive here carries along the generalizing tone of the preceding line.
39 tn Heb “and he sets free (from the verb נָתַר, natar) [the] blameless, his [Kethib; “my” (Qere)] way.” The translation follows Ps 18:32 in reading “he made my path smooth.” The term תָּמִים (tamim, “smooth”) usually carries a moral or ethical connotation, “blameless, innocent.” However, in Ps 18:33 it refers to a pathway free of obstacles. The reality underlying the metaphor is the psalmist’s ability to charge into battle without tripping (see vv. 33, 36).
40 tc Heb “[the one who] makes his feet like [those of] a deer.” The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
41 tn Heb “and on my high places he makes me walk.” The imperfect verbal form emphasizes God’s characteristic provision. The psalmist compares his agility in battle to the ability of a deer to negotiate rugged, high terrain without falling or being injured. Habakkuk uses similar language to describe his faith during difficult times. See Hab 3:19.
42 tn Heb “teaches.”
43 tn The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enabling. Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.
44 tn Heb “and a bow of bronze is bent by my arms.” The verb נָחֵת (nakhet) apparently means “to pull back; to bend” here (see HALOT 692 s.v. נחת). The bronze bow referred to here was probably laminated with bronze strips, or a purely ceremonial or decorative bow made entirely from bronze. In the latter case the language is hyperbolic, for such a weapon would not be functional in battle.
45 tn Another option is to translate the prefixed verb with vav consecutive with a past tense, “you gave me.” Several prefixed verbal forms with vav consecutive also appear in vv. 38-44. The present translation understands this section as a description of what generally happened when the author charged into battle, but another option is to understand the section as narrative and translate accordingly.
46 tc Ps 18:35 contains an additional line following this one, which reads “your right hand supports me.” It may be omitted here due to homoioarcton. See the note at Ps 18:35.
47 tn Heb “your answer makes me great.” David refers to God’s willingness to answer his prayer.
48 tn Heb “step.” “Step” probably refers metonymically to the path upon which the psalmist walks. Another option is to translate, “you widen my stride.” This would suggest that God gives him the capacity to run quickly.
49 tn Heb “lower legs.” On the meaning of the Hebrew noun, which occurs only here, see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 112. A cognate Akkadian noun means “lower leg.”
50 tn Heb “you clothed me with strength for battle.”
51 tn Heb “you make those who rise against me kneel beneath me.”
52 tn Heb “and [as for] my enemies, you give to me [the] back [or “neck” ].” The idiom “give [the] back” means “to cause [one] to turn the back and run away.” See Exod 23:27 and HALOT 888 s.v. II ערף.
53 tc The translation follows one medieval Hebrew
54 tn Heb “but there is no deliverer.”
55 tn The words “they cry out” are not in the Hebrew text. This reference to the psalmists’ enemies crying out for help to the
56 tn Or “mud” (so NAB, NIV, CEV). See HALOT 374 s.v. טִיט.
57 tn Heb “from the strivings of my people.” In this context רִיב (riv, “striving”) probably has a militaristic sense (as in Judg 12:2; Isa 41:11), and עַם (’am, “people”) probably refers more specifically to an army (for other examples, see the verses listed in BDB 766 s.v. עַם 2.d). The suffix “my” suggests David is referring to attacks by his own countrymen, the “people” being Israel. However, the parallel text in Ps 18:43 omits the suffix.
58 tn Heb “a people whom I did not know serve me.” In this context the verb “know” (יָדַע, yada’) probably refers to formal recognition by treaty. People who were once not under the psalmist’s authority now willingly submit to his rulership to avoid being conquered militarily (see vv. 45-46). The language may recall the events recorded in 2 Sam 8:9-10 and 10:19.
59 tn For the meaning “to be weak; to be powerless” for the verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash), see Ps 109:24. Verse 46, which also mentions foreigners, favors this interpretation. Another option is to translate “cower in fear” (see Deut 33:29; Pss 66:3; 81:15).
60 tn Heb “at a report of an ear they submit to me.” The report of David’s exploits is so impressive that those who hear it submit to his rulership without putting up a fight.
61 tn Heb “wither, wear out.”
62 tc The translation assumes a reading וְיַחְרְגוּ (vÿyakhrÿgu, “and they quaked”) rather than the MT וְיַחְגְּרוּ (vÿyakhgÿru, “and they girded themselves”). See the note at Ps 18:45.
63 tn Heb “from.”
64 tn Heb “prisons.” Their besieged cities are compared to prisons.
65 tn Elsewhere the construction חַי־יְהוָה (khay-yÿhvah) as used exclusively as an oath formula, but this is not the case here, for no oath follows. Here the statement is an affirmation of the
66 tn Heb “my rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor for protection.
67 tn Or “blessed [i.e., praised] be.”
68 tn Heb “the God of the rock of my deliverance.” The term צוּר (tsur, “rock”) is probably accidentally repeated from the previous line. The parallel version in Ps 18:46 has simply “the God of my deliverance.”
69 tn The words “as king” are supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Psalms the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”) when used of God, refers to his exalted position as king (Pss 99:2; 113:4; 138:6) and/or his self-revelation as king through his mighty deeds of deliverance (Pss 21:13; 46:10; 57:5, 11).
70 tn Heb “The God is the one who grants vengeance to me.” The plural form of the noun “vengeance” indicates degree here, suggesting complete vengeance or vindication. In the ancient Near East military victory was sometimes viewed as a sign that one’s God had judged in favor of the victor, avenging and/or vindicating him. See, for example, Judg 11:27, 32-33, 36.
71 tn Heb “and [is the one who] brings down nations beneath me.”
72 tn Heb “and [the one who] brings me out from my enemies.”
73 tn Heb “you lift me up.” In light of the preceding and following references to deliverance, the verb רוּם (rum) probably here refers to being rescued from danger (see Ps 9:13). However, it could mean “exalt; elevate” here, indicating that the
74 tn Heb “from those who rise against me.”
75 sn This probably alludes to the fact that David will praise the
76 tn Heb “to your name.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his divine characteristics as suggested by his name, in this case “
77 tc The translation follows the Kethib and the ancient versions in reading מַגְדִּיל (magdil, “he magnifies”) rather than the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
78 tn Heb “[the one who] does loyalty to his anointed one.”