Salmi 18

1 Salmo di Davide, servitor del Signore, il qual pronunzio’ le parole di questo cantico al Signore, nel giorno che il Signore l’ebbe riscosso dalla mano di tutti I suoi nemici, e dalla mano di Saulle; dato al capo de’ Musici. Egli adunque disse: O SIGNORE, mia forza, io ti amerò affettuosamente.

2 (H18-1) Il Signore è la mia rocca, e la mia fortezza, e il mio liberatore, Il mio Dio, la mia rupe; io spererò in lui; Il mio scudo, e il corno della mia salute, il mio alto ricetto.

3 (H18-2) Io invocai il Signore, a cui si deve ogni lode; E fui salvato da’ miei nemici.

4 (H18-3) Doglie di morte mi avevano circondato, E torrenti di scellerati mi avevano spaventato.

5 (H18-4) Legami di sepolcro mi avevano intorniato, Lacci di morte mi avevano incontrato.

6 (H18-5) Nella mia distretta io invocai il Signore, E gridai all’Iddio mio; Ed egli udì la mia voce dal suo Tempio, E il mio grido pervenne davanti a lui a’ suoi orecchi.

7 (H18-6) Allora la terra fu scossa, e tremò; E i fondamenti de’ monti furono smossi E scrollati; perciocchè egli era acceso nell’ira.

8 (H18-7) Un fumo gli saliva per le nari, Ed un fuoco consumante per la bocca; Da lui procedevano brace accese.

9 (H18-8) Ed egli abbassò i cieli, e discese; E vi era una caligine sotto a’ suoi piedi.

10 (H18-9) E cavalcava sopra Cherubini, e volava; Ed era portato a volo sopra l’ale del vento.

11 (H18-10) Egli aveva poste delle tenebre per suo nascondimento; Egli avea d’intorno a sè il suo padiglione, Oscurità d’acque, nubi dell’aria.

12 (H18-11) Le sue nubi si dileguarono per lo splendore che scoppiava davanti a lui, Con gragnuola e brace accese.

13 (H18-12) E il Signore tuonò nel cielo, E l’Altissimo diede fuori la sua voce, Con gragnuola e brace accese.

14 (H18-13) Ed avventò le sue saette, e disperse coloro; Egli lanciò folgori, e li mise in rotta.

15 (H18-14) E per lo tuo sgridare, o Signore, E per lo soffiar del vento delle tue nari, I canali delle acque apparvero, E i fondamenti del mondo furono scoperti.

16 (H18-15) Egli da alto distese la mano e mi prese, E mi trasse, fuori di grandi acque.

17 (H18-16) Egli mi riscosse dal mio potente nemico, E da quelli che mi odiavano; perciocchè erano più forti di me.

18 (H18-17) Essi erano venuti incontro a me nel giorno della mia calamità; Ma il Signore fu il mio sostegno;

19 (H18-18) E mi trasse fuori al largo; Egli mi liberò, perciocchè egli mi gradisce.

20 (H18-19) Il Signore mi ha fatta retribuzione secondo la mia giustizia; Egli mi ha renduto secondo la purità delle mie mani;

21 (H18-20) Perciocchè io ho osservate le vie del Signore, E non mi sono empiamente rivolto dall’Iddio mio;

22 (H18-21) Perciocchè io ho tenute davanti a me tutte le sue leggi, E non ho rimossi d’innanzi a me i suoi statuti.

23 (H18-22) E sono stato intiero inverso lui, E mi son guardato dalla mia iniquità.

24 (H18-23) E il Signore mi ha renduto secondo la mia giustizia, Secondo la purità delle mie mani nel suo cospetto.

25 (H18-24) Tu ti mostri pietoso inverso l’uomo pio, Intiero inverso l’uomo intiero.

26 (H18-25) Tu ti mostri puro col puro, E procedi ritrosamente col perverso;

27 (H18-26) Perciocchè tu sei quel che salvi la gente afflitta, Ed abbassi gli occhi altieri;

28 (H18-27) Perciocchè tu sei quel che fai risplendere la mia lampana; Il Signore Iddio mio allumina le mie tenebre;

29 (H18-28) Perciocchè per la tua virtù io rompo tutta una schiera; E per la virtù dell’Iddio mio salgo sopra il muro.

30 (H18-29) La via di Dio è intiera; La parola del Signore è purgata col fuoco; Egli è lo scudo di tutti coloro che sperano in lui.

31 (H18-30) Perciocchè chi è Dio, fuor che il Signore? E chi è Rocca, fuor che l’Iddio nostro?

32 (H18-31) Iddio è quel che mi cinge di prodezza, E che ha appianata la mia via.

33 (H18-32) Egli rende i miei piedi simili a quelli delle cerve, E mi fa star ritto in su i miei alti luoghi.

34 (H18-33) Egli ammaestra le mie mani alla battaglia; E colle mie braccia un arco di rame è rotto.

35 (H18-34) Tu mi hai ancora dato lo scudo della tua salvezza; E la tua destra mi ha sostenuto, E la tua benignità mi ha accresciuto.

36 (H18-35) Tu hai allargati i miei passi sotto di me; E le mie calcagna non son vacillate.

37 (H18-36) Io ho perseguitati i miei nemici, e li ho aggiunti; E non me ne son tornato indietro, finchè non li abbia distrutti.

38 (H18-37) Io li ho rotti, e non son potuti risorgere; Mi son caduti sotto i piedi.

39 (H18-38) E tu mi hai cinto di prodezza per la guerra; Ed hai abbattuti sotto di me quelli che si levavano contro a me.

40 (H18-39) Ed hai fatto voltar le spalle a’ miei nemici davanti a me; Ed io ho distrutti quelli che mi odiavano.

41 (H18-40) Essi gridarono, ma non vi fu chi li salvasse; Gridarono al Signore, ma egli non rispose loro.

42 (H18-41) Ed io li ho tritati, come polvere esposta al vento; Io li ho spazzati via, come il fango delle strade.

43 (H18-42) Tu mi hai scampato dalle brighe del popolo; Tu mi hai costituito capo di nazioni; Il popolo che io non conosceva mi è stato sottoposto.

44 (H18-43) Al solo udir degli orecchi si son ridotti sotto la mia ubbidienza; Gli stranieri si sono infinti inverso me.

45 (H18-44) Gli stranieri son divenuti fiacchi, Ed hanno tremato di paura, fin dentro a’ lor ripari.

46 (H18-45) Viva il Signore, e benedetta sia la mia Rocca; E sia esaltato l’Iddio della mia salute;

47 (H18-46) Iddio che mi dà il modo di far le mie vendette, E che mi sottomette i popoli.

48 (H18-47) Che mi scampa da’ miei nemici, Ed anche mi solleva d’infra quelli che mi assaltano, E mi riscuote dall’uomo violento.

49 (H18-48) Perciò, o Signore, io ti celebrerò fra le genti, E salmeggerò al tuo Nome;

50 (H18-49) Il quale rende magnifiche le vittorie del suo re, Ed usa benignità inverso Davide suo unto, E inverso la sua progenie in perpetuo.

Salmi 18 Commentary

Chapter 18

David rejoices in the deliverances God wrought for him. (1-19) He takes the comfort of his integrity, which God had cleared up. (20-28) He gives to God the glory of all his mighty deeds. (29-50)

Verses 1-19 The first words, "I will love thee, O Lord, my strength," are the scope and contents of the psalm. Those that truly love God, may triumph in him as their Rock and Refuge, and may with confidence call upon him. It is good for us to observe all the circumstances of a mercy which magnify the power of God and his goodness to us in it. David was a praying man, and God was found a prayer-hearing God. If we pray as he did, we shall speed as he did. God's manifestation of his presence is very fully described, ver. ( 7-15 ) . Little appeared of man, but much of God, in these deliverances. It is not possible to apply to the history of the son of Jesse those awful, majestic, and stupendous words which are used through this description of the Divine manifestation. Every part of so solemn a scene of terrors tells us, a greater than David is here. God will not only deliver his people out of their troubles in due time, but he will bear them up under their troubles in the mean time. Can we meditate on ver. 18, without directing one thought to Gethsemane and Calvary? Can we forget that it was in the hour of Christ's deepest calamity, when Judas betrayed, when his friends forsook, when the multitude derided him, and the smiles of his Father's love were withheld, that the powers of darkness prevented him? The sorrows of death surrounded him, in his distress he prayed, ( Hebrews 5:7 ) . God made the earth to shake and tremble, and the rocks to cleave, and brought him out, in his resurrection, because he delighted in him and in his undertaking.

Verses 20-28 Those that forsake the ways of the Lord, depart from their God. But though conscious to ourselves of many a false step, let there not be a wicked departure from our God. David kept his eye upon the rule of God's commands. Constant care to keep from that sin, whatever it be, which most easily besets us, proves that we are upright before God. Those who show mercy to others, even they need mercy. Those who are faithful to God, shall find him all that to them which he has promised to be. The words of the Lord are pure words, very sure to be depended on, and very sweet to be delighted in. Those who resist God, and walk contrary to him, shall find that he will walk contrary to them, ( Leviticus 26:21-24 ) . The gracious recompence of which David spoke, may generally be expected by those who act from right motives. Hence he speaks comfort to the humble, and terror to the proud; "Thou wilt bring down high looks." And he speaks encouragement to himself; "Thou wilt light my candle:" thou wilt revive and comfort my sorrowful spirit; thou wilt guide my way, that I may avoid the snares laid for me. Thou wilt light my candle to work by, and give me an opportunity of serving thee. Let those that walk in darkness, and labour under discouragements, take courage; God himself will be a Light to them.

Verses 29-50 When we praise for one mercy, we must observe the many more, with which we have been compassed all our days. Many things had contributed to David's advancement, and he owns the hand of God in them all, to teach us to do likewise. In verse Verse 32 , and the following verses, are the gifts of God to the spiritual warrior, whereby he is prepared for the contest, after the example of his victorious Leader. Learn that we must seek release being made through Christ, shall be rejected. In David the type, we behold out of trouble through Christ. The prayer put up, without reconciliation Jesus our Redeemer, conflicting with enemies, compassed with sorrows and with floods of ungodly men, enduring not only the pains of death, but the wrath of God for us; yet calling upon the Father with strong cries and tears; rescued from the grave; proceeding to reconcile, or to put under his feet all other enemies, till death, the last enemy, shall be destroyed. We should love the Lord, our Strength, and our Salvation; we should call on him in every trouble, and praise him for every deliverance; we should aim to walk with him in all righteousness and true holiness, keeping from sin. If we belong to him, he conquers and reigns for us, and we shall conquer and reign through him, and partake of the mercy of our anointed King, which is promised to all his seed for evermore. Amen.

Chapter Summary

To the chief Musician, [a Psalm] of David. This is the same with that in 2 Samuel 22:1, with some variations, omissions, and alterations:

the servant of the Lord; not only by creation, nor merely by regeneration, but by office, as king of Israel, being put into it by the Lord, and acting in it in submission and obedience to him; just as the apostles under the New Testament, on account of their office, so style themselves in their epistles:

who spake unto the Lord the words of this song; that is, who delivered and sung this song in so many express words, in public, before all the congregation of Israel, to the honour and glory of God:

in the day [that] the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, Not that this psalm was composed and sung the selfsame day that David was delivered from Saul, and set upon the throne; for it seems to have been written in his old age, at the close of his days; for immediately after it, in the second book of Samuel, it follows, "now these be the last words of David," 2 Samuel 23:1: but the sense is, that whereas David had many enemies, and particularly Saul, who was his greatest enemy, the Lord delivered him from them all, and especially from him, from him first, and then from all the rest; which when he reflected upon in his last days, he sat down and wrote this psalm, and then sung it in public, having delivered it into the hands of the chief musician for that purpose. There are two passages cited out of it in the New Testament, and applied to Christ; Psalm 18:2, in Hebrews 2:13, and Psalm 18:49 in Romans 15:9; and there are many things in it that very well agree with him; he is eminently the "servant" of the Lord as Mediator; he was encompassed with the snares and sorrows of death and hell, and with the floods of ungodly men, when in the garden and on the cross God was his helper and deliverer, as man; and he was victorious over all enemies, sin, Satan, the world, death and hell; as the subject of this psalm is all along represented: and to Christ it does most properly belong to be the head of the Heathen, whose voluntary subjects the Gentiles are said to be, Psalm 18:43; and which is expressed in much the same language as the like things are in Isaiah 55:4; which is a clear and undoubted prophecy of the Messiah; to which may be added, that the Lord's Anointed, the King Messiah, and who is also called David, is expressly mentioned in Psalm 18:50; and which is applied to the Messiah by the Jews {q} as Psalm 18:32 is paraphrased of him by the Targum on it;

and he said; the following words:

{q} Echa Rabbati, fol. 50. 2. & Midrash Tillim in Tzeror Hammor, fol. 47. 3.