Psalms 18:14

14 And he sent out his ¹arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and ²routed them.

Psalms 18:14 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 18:14

Yea, he sent out his arrows
By which thunderbolts, cracks of thunder, and flashes of lightning, seem to be meant; see ( Psalms 77:17 Psalms 77:18 ) ( 144:6 ) ; comparable to arrows shot, and sent out of a bow; and may denote, either the doctrines of the Gospel, which were sharp in the hearts of Christ's enemies, and are either the means of subduing them to him, or of destroying them, being the savour of death unto death; or however, like arrows, give great pain and uneasiness where they stick, and grievously distress and torment; as does the fire which comes out of the mouth of the two witnesses, ( Revelation 11:5 Revelation 11:10 ) . The Targum is,

``he sent his word as arrows;''

or else the judgments of God are meant, as famine, pestilence, and the sword, which God sent unto, and spent upon the Jewish nation, ( Deuteronomy 32:23 ) ;

and scattered them;
among the nations of the world, where they have been dispersed ever since;

and he shot out lightnings;
or "many lightnings", so the Targum:

and discomfited them;
troubled, terrified, and distressed them.

Psalms 18:14 In-Context

12 Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.

14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.

15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

16 He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 7:13; Psalms 64:7; Psalms 77:17; Psalms 144:6; Deuteronomy 32:23, 42; Habakkuk 3:11
• 2. Exodus 14:24; Joshua 10:10