Psalms 18:17

17 He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, because they were too strong for me.

Psalms 18:17 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 18:17

He delivered me from my strong enemy
Which, as it may respect David, may be understood of Goliath the Philistine champion, who was a man of war from his youth; or Saul, king of Israel; and, as it may respect David's antitype, may design either the chief priests, Scribes, and Pharisees, who were men of power and influence; or more especially Satan, the strong man armed, with all his principalities and powers; or, likewise death, the last enemy, from whose pains and cords he was loosed when raised from the dead, and when he was delivered from every other strong enemy;

and from them which hated me;
from the old serpent the devil, between whom and him there has been a lasting enmity; and from the world, the people of the Jews, particularly the Pharisees, who bore an implacable hatred to Christ;

for they were too strong for me;
as Goliath and Saul were too strong for David of himself, so Christ's enemies were too strong for him; not as God, for he is the mighty God, the Almighty, and stronger than the strong man armed, but as man; for in his human nature he had a sinless weakness, which showed itself in his agonies in the garden; or a natural weakness, through which he was crucified; and this weak nature of Christ Satan attacked, and got an advantage over, and brought it to the dust of death, which is meant by his bruising his heel, though by it he got a broken head. But though Christ's enemies were too strong for him, considered merely as man, they not being, at least many of them, flesh and blood, but principalities and powers; yet being helped by his Father, and supported by his divine nature, he overcame them, and was delivered from them.

Psalms 18:17 In-Context

15 Then the ocean floor could be seen. The foundations of the earth were laid bare at your stern warning, O LORD, at the blast of the breath from your nostrils.
16 He reached down from high above and took hold of me. He pulled me out of the raging water.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, because they were too strong for me.
18 On the day when I faced disaster, they confronted me, but the LORD came to my defense.
19 He brought me out to a wide-open place. He rescued me because he was pleased with me.
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