Psalms 18:6

6 In my tribulation I inwardly called the Lord; and I cried to my God. And he heard my voice from his holy temple; and my cry in his sight entered into his ears. (In my trouble I called to the Lord; yea, I cried to my God. And he heard my voice in his holy Temple; yea, my cry came before him, and entered into his ears.)

Psalms 18:6 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 18:6

In my distress I called upon the Lord
The great Jehovah, the everlasting I AM, who is the most High in all the earth, and who is able to save, ( Hebrews 5:7 ) ;

and cried unto my God;
as Jesus did, ( Matthew 27:46 ) ; so the members of Christ, when in distress, as they often are, through sin and Satan, through the hidings of God's face, a variety of afflictions, and the persecutions of men, betake themselves to the Lord, and call upon their God: a time of distress is a time for prayer; and sometimes the end God has in suffering them to be in distress is to bring them to the throne of his grace; and a great privilege it is they have that they have such a throne to come to for grace and mercy to help them in time of need, and such a God to sympathize with them, and help them; and their encouragement to call upon him, and cry unto him, is, that he is Jehovah, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent; who knows their wants, is able to help them, and is a God at hand to do it;

He heard my voice out of his temple;
that is, out of heaven his dwelling place; for the temple at Jerusalem was not built in David's time; and it may be observed, that the prayer of the psalmist, or whom he represents, was a vocal one, and not merely mental; and hearing it intends a gracious regard unto it, an acceptance of it, and an agreeable answer: for it follows,

and my cry came before him, [even] into his ears;
God did not cover himself with a cloud, that his prayer could not pass through; but it was admitted and received; it came up before him with acceptance; it reached his ears, and even entered into them, and was delightful music to them: see ( John 11:41 John 11:42 ) ( Hebrews 5:7 ) .

Psalms 18:6 In-Context

4 The sorrows of death (en)compassed me; and the strands of wickedness have troubled me. (The sorrows of death surrounded me; and the streams of wickedness have flowed over me.)

5 The sorrows of hell (en)compassed me; the snares of death before-occupied me. (The sorrows of Sheol, or of the land of the dead, surrounded me./The sorrows of the grave surrounded me; the snares of death were set for me.)

6 In my tribulation I inwardly called the Lord; and I cried to my God. And he heard my voice from his holy temple; and my cry in his sight entered into his ears. (In my trouble I called to the Lord; yea, I cried to my God. And he heard my voice in his holy Temple; yea, my cry came before him, and entered into his ears.)

7 The earth was moved together, and trembled greatly; the foundaments of hills were troubled together, and moved together, for he was wroth to them. (The earth was altogether shaken, and greatly trembled; the foundations of the mountains were altogether troubled, and altogether shaken, for he was angry.)

8 Smoke went up in the ire of the Lord, and fire burnt out from his face; coals were kindled of him. (Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire came out of his mouth; and coals were kindled by it.)