Christian Standard Bible
Psalms 18:4
4The ropes of death were wrapped around me; the torrents of destruction terrified me.
Psalms 18:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
- New International Version (NIV)The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;
- New King James Version (NKJV)The pangs of death surrounded me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
Context of Psalms 18:4
2The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I was saved from my enemies. The ropes of death were wrapped around me; the torrents of destruction terrified me. 5The ropes of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 6I called to the Lord in my distress, and I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
Read all of Psalms 18Psalms 18:4 word by word
אֲפָפ֥וּנִי חֶבְלֵי־מָ֑וֶת וְֽנַחֲלֵ֖י בְלִיַּ֣עַל יְבַֽעֲתֽוּנִי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 18:4
- Psalms 116:3The ropes of death were wrapped around me, and the torments of Sheol overcame me; I encountered trouble and sorrow.
- 2 Samuel 22:5For the waves of death engulfed me; the torrents of destruction terrified me.
- Isaiah 13:8They will be horrified; pain and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look at each other, their faces flushed with fear.
- Isaiah 53:3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn’t value him.
- Matthew 26:38He said to them, “I am deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me.”
- Mark 14:33He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.
- 2 Corinthians 1:9Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.
- Psalms 22:12Many bulls surround me; strong ones of Bashan encircle me.
- Jonah 2:2I called to the Lord in my distress, and he answered me. I cried out for help from deep inside Sheol; you heard my voice.
- Matthew 26:47While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived. A large mob with swords and clubs was with him from the chief priests and elders of the people.
- Matthew 27:24When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that a riot was starting instead, he took some water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. See to it yourselves!”
- Acts 21:30The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul, dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.
Commentaries on Psalms 18:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4The sorrows of death compassed me - מות חבלי chebley maveth, the cables or cords of death. He was almost taken in those nets or stratagems by which, if he had been entangled, he would have lost his life. The stratagems to which he refers were those that were intended for his destruction; hence called the cables or cords of death. The floods of ungodly men - Troops of wicked men were rushing upon him like an irresistible torrent; or like the waves of the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4The sorrows of death compassed me - Surrounded me. That is, he was in imminent danger of death, or in the midst of such pangs and sorrows as are supposed commonly to attend on death. He refers probably to some period in his past life - perhaps in the persecutions of Saul - when he was so beset with troubles and difficulties that it seemed to him that he must die. The word rendered “sorrows” - חבל chebel - means, according to Gesenius, “a cord, a rope,”…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-50This psalm describes a royal story of God rescuing his king. A similar version of this psalm appears in 2 Samuel 22:1–51. The psalm encourages those who hear the earlier prayers for help in Psalms 16 and 17. The psalmist describes the dramatic nature of God’s rescue in three different ways (Psalm 18:7–15, 16–19, 30–36). The psalm also offers hope that a future Son of David will completely defeat evil (Psalm 18:43–50; compare Psalm 2).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. sorrows--literally, "bands as of a net" (Psa 116:3). floods--denotes "multitude."Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 18:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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