Christian Standard Bible
Psalms 18:9
9He bent the heavens and came down, total darkness beneath his feet.
Psalms 18:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
- New International Version (NIV)He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.
- English Standard Version (ESV)He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.
- New King James Version (NKJV)He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet.
Context of Psalms 18:9
7Then the earth shook and quaked; the foundations of the mountains trembled; they shook because he burned with anger. 8Smoke rose from his nostrils, and consuming fire came from his mouth; coals were set ablaze by it. He bent the heavens and came down, total darkness beneath his feet. 10He rode on a cherub and flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. 11He made darkness his hiding place, dark storm clouds his canopy around him.
Read all of Psalms 18Psalms 18:9 word by word
וַיֵּ֣ט שָׁ֭מַיִם וַיֵּרַ֑ד וַ֝עֲרָפֶ֗ל תַּ֣חַת רַגְלָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 18:9
- Psalms 68:4Sing to God! Sing praises to his name. Exalt him who rides on the clouds — his name is the Lord — and celebrate before him.
- Psalms 144:5Lord, part your heavens and come down. Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.
- Deuteronomy 33:26There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to your aid, the clouds in his majesty.
- 2 Samuel 22:10He bent the heavens and came down, total darkness beneath his feet.
- Isaiah 51:6Look up to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will die like gnats. But my salvation will last forever, and my righteousness will never be shattered.
- Joel 3:16The Lord will roar from Zion and make his voice heard from Jerusalem; heaven and earth will shake. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the Israelites.
- Matthew 24:29“Immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
- Hebrews 12:26His voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.
- 2 Peter 3:10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.
- Revelation 20:11Then I saw a great white throne and one seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them.
- Deuteronomy 5:22“The Lord spoke these commands in a loud voice to your entire assembly from the fire, cloud, and total darkness on the mountain; he added nothing more. He wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.
- Mark 15:33When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
- John 13:7Jesus answered him, “What I’m doing you don’t realize now, but afterward you will understand.”
Commentaries on Psalms 18:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9He bowed the heavens also, and came down - He made the heavens bend under him when he descended to take vengeance on his enemies. The psalmist seems here to express the appearance of the Divine majesty in a glorious cloud, descending from heaven, which underneath was substantially dark, but above, bright, and shining with exceeding lustre; and which, by its gradual approach to the earth, would appear as though the heavens themselves were bending down and…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9He bowed the heavens also - He seemed to bend down the heavens - to bring them nearer to the earth. “He inclines the canopy of the heavens, as it were, toward the earth; wraps himself in the darkness of night, and shoots forth his arrows; hurls abroad his lightnings, and wings them with speed.” Herder, Spirit of Hebrew Poetry (Marsh), ii. 157. The allusion is still to the tempest, when the clouds ran low; when they seem to sweep along the ground; when it…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9-11The Lord rules over all of nature (see Psalm 104:2–4; 148:5–6).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. darkness--or, a dense cloud (Ex 19:16; De 5:22).Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 18:9
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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