New English Translation
Psalms 18:4
4The waves of death engulfed me, the currents of chaos overwhelmed 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 high ridge, my stronghold, my deliverer. My God is my rocky summit where I take shelter, my shield, the horn that saves me, and my refuge. 3I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I was delivered from my enemies. The waves of death engulfed me, the currents of chaos overwhelmed me. 5The ropes of Sheol tightened around me, the snares of death trapped me. 6In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried out to my God. From his heavenly temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help.
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 tightened around me, the snares of Sheol confronted me. I was confronted with trouble and sorrow.
- 2 Samuel 22:5The waves of death engulfed me; the currents of chaos overwhelmed me.
- Isaiah 13:8They panic – cramps and pain seize hold of them like those of a woman who is straining to give birth. They look at one another in astonishment; their faces are flushed red.
- Isaiah 53:3He was despised and rejected by people, one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness; people hid their faces from him; he was despised, and we considered him insignificant.
- Matthew 26:38Then he said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me.”
- Mark 14:33He took Peter, James, and John with him, and became very troubled and distressed.
- 2 Corinthians 1:9Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.
- Psalms 22:12Many bulls surround me; powerful bulls of Bashan hem me in.
- Jonah 2:2and said, “I called out to the Lord from my distress, and he answered me; from the belly of Sheol I cried out for help, and you heard my prayer.
- Matthew 26:47While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and elders of the people.
- Matthew 27:24When Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but that instead a riot was starting, he took some water, washed his hands before the crowd and said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. You take care of it yourselves!”
- Acts 21:30The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts, and immediately the doors 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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Commentaries