New King James Version
Psalms 18:11
11He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters And thick clouds of the skies.
Psalms 18:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
- New International Version (NIV)He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him— the dark rain clouds of the sky.
- English Standard Version (ESV)He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.
- New Living Translation (NLT)He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dark rain clouds.
Context of Psalms 18:11
9He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet. 10And He rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters And thick clouds of the skies. 12From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire. 13The Lord thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire.
Read all of Psalms 18Psalms 18:11 word by word
יָ֤שֶׁת חֹ֨שֶׁךְ׀ סִתְר֗וֹ סְבִֽיבוֹתָ֥יו סֻכָּת֑וֹ חֶשְׁכַת־מַ֝֗יִם עָבֵ֥י שְׁחָקִֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- He madeשִׁיתshîyth · to set: makeH7896
- darknessחֹ֫שֶׁךְchôshek · darknessH2822
- his secret placeסֵ֫תֶרsêther sithrâh · secrecyH5643
- his pavilionסֻכָּהsûkkâh · boothH5521
- round aboutסָבִיבsâbîyb sebîybâh · aroundH5439
- darkחֶשְׁכָהcheshkâh · darkH2824
- watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
- thick cloudsעָב‛âb · cloudH5645
- of the skiesשַׁ֫חַקshachaq · cloudH7834
Cross-references for Psalms 18:11
- Psalms 27:5For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
- Psalms 81:7You called in trouble, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
- Psalms 91:1He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
- Psalms 97:2Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
- Deuteronomy 4:11“Then you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the midst of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.
- Joel 2:2A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations.
Commentaries on Psalms 18:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11He made darkness his secret place - God is represented as dwelling in the thick darkness, Deuteronomy 4:11; Psalm 97:2. This representation in the place before us is peculiarly proper; as thick heavy clouds deeply charged, and with lowering aspects, are always the forerunners and attendants of a tempest, and greatly heighten the horrors of the appearance: and the representation of them, spread about the Almighty as a tent, is truly grand and poetic. Dark…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11He made darkness his secret place - Herder has beautifully rendered this verse, “Now he wrapped himself in darkness; Clouds on clouds enclosed him round.” The word rendered “secret place” - סתר sêther - means properly a hiding; then something hidden, private, secret. Hence, it means a covering, a veil. Compare Job 22:14; Job 24:15. In Psalm 81:7 it is applied to thunder: “I answered thee in the secret place of thunder;” that is, in the secret place or…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. 1111. dark waters--or, clouds heavy with vapor.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 18:11
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries