Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 18:6
In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, [even] into his ears.
6. called cried ] The tense in the original denotes frequent and repeated prayer. The text of 2 Sam. has called twice, no doubt by an error of transcription.
out of his temple ] The palace-temple of heaven, where He sits enthroned. See on Psa 11:4. Cp. Psa 18:16.
and my cry &c.] R.V., and my cry before him came into his ears. But the terse vigour of the text in 2 Sam. is preferable: “and my cry was in his ears.” An alternative reading or an explanatory gloss has crept into the text here, to the detriment of the rhythm.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
In my distress – This refers, most probably, not to any particular case, but rather indicates his general habit of mind, that when he was in deep distress and danger he had uniformly called upon the Lord, and had found him ready to help.
I called upon the Lord – I prayed. That is, he invoked God to help him in his trouble. He relied not on his own strength; he looked not for human aid; he looked to God alone.
And cried unto my God – The word used here denotes an earnest cry for help. Compare Job 35:9; Job 36:13.
He heard my voice out of his temple – That is, he, being in his temple, heard my voice. The word rendered temple (compare the notes at Psa 5:7) cannot refer here to the temple at Jerusalem, for that was built after the death of David, but it refers either to heaven, considered as the temple, or dwelling-place of God, or to the tabernacle, considered as his abode on earth. The sense is not materially varied, whichever interpretation is adopted. Compare Psa 11:4.
And my cry came before him – He heard my cry. It was not intercepted on the way, but came up to him.
Even into his ears – Indicating that he certainly heard it. Compare Gen 23:10; Gen 44:18; Gen 50:4; Exo 10:2 : Psa 34:15.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 6. In my distress I called] His enemies had no hope of his destruction unless God should abandon him. They hoped that this was the case, and that therefore they should prevail. But God heard his cry and came down to his help; and this interference is most majestically described in the 7th and following verses. Dr. Dodd has collected some excellent observations on these verses from Chandler, Delaney, and others, which I shall transcribe, as I know not that any thing better can be offered on the subject.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Out of his temple; either, 1. Out of his sanctuary; whence he promised to hear and answer the prayers of his people, which are either made there or directed thither. Or,
2. Out of his heavenly habitation, which is oft called his temple: See Poole “Psa 11:4“.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. He relates his methods toprocure relief when distressed, and his success.
temple(Compare Ps11:4).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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, Heb 5:7;
and cried unto my God; as Jesus did, Mt 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 Joh 11:41.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
6. In my distress, etc. It was a very evident proof of uncommon faith in David, when, being almost plunged into the gulf of death, he lifted up his heart to heaven by prayer. Let us therefore learn, that such an example is set before our eyes, that no calamities, however great and oppressive, may hinder us from praying, or create an aversion to it. It was prayer which brought to David the fruits or wonderful effects of which he speaks a little after, and from this it appears still more clearly that his deliverance was effected by the power of God. In saying that he cried, he means, as we have observed elsewhere, the ardor and earnestness of affection which he had in prayer. Again, by calling God his God, he separates himself from the gross despisers of God, or hypocrites, who, when constrained by necessity, call upon the Divine Majesty in a confused and tumultuous manner, but do not come to God familiarly and with a pure heart, as they know nothing of his fatherly favor and goodness. When, therefore, as we approach to God, faith goes before to illumine the way, giving us the full persuasion that He is our Father, then is the gate opened, and we may converse freely with Him and he with us. David, by calling God his God, and putting him on his side, also intimates that God was opposed to his enemies; and this serves to show that he was actuated by true piety and the fear of God. By the word temple we are not here to understand the sanctuary as in many other places, but heaven; for the description which immediately follows cannot be applied to the sanctuary. Accordingly, the sense is, that when David was forsaken and abandoned in the world, and all men shut their ears to his cry for help, God stretched forth his hand from heaven to save him.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(6) Out Of his temple.Rather, Placeplainly, as in Psa. 11:4; Psa. 29:9, the heavenly abode of Jehovah.
My cry.In Samuel only, my cry in his ears.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. Heard out of his temple God heard and answered from his holy “temple.” Hearing prayer is often put for answering. To the Hebrew all oracles, or answers, proceeded from the holy of holies in the temple, the throne and dwelling of God.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, [even] into his ears.
Ver. 6. In my distress I called upon the Lord ] This was David’s anchora sacra; sacred anchor, prayer, he knew, could never come too late, nor God want a way to deliver his distressed. The time of affliction is the time of supplication; and man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.
And cried unto my God
Out of his temple
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
temple = palace. Put for heaven itself.
cried . . . ears. See note on Psa 18:41.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
distress: Psa 18:3, Psa 18:4, Psa 50:15, Psa 130:1, Psa 130:2, Mar 14:36, Act 12:5
heard: Psa 5:7, Psa 11:4, Psa 27:4, Psa 27:5, 2Sa 22:7, Hab 2:20, Rev 11:19
my cry: Exo 2:23, 1Ki 8:27-30, 2Ch 30:27
Reciprocal: Exo 22:23 – I will surely 1Sa 30:6 – David 2Ch 14:11 – cried unto Job 9:16 – If I had Psa 34:4 – sought Psa 57:3 – send Psa 77:2 – In the Psa 86:7 – General Psa 102:1 – let my Psa 107:13 – General Psa 116:1 – because Psa 118:5 – called Psa 119:169 – Let my cry Psa 120:1 – my distress Psa 138:3 – In the day Isa 2:19 – when he Lam 3:55 – General Jon 2:2 – out Jon 2:7 – my prayer Mar 14:32 – while Jam 5:13 – any among
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 18:6-7. He heard out of his temple Either, 1st, Out of his sanctuary, where he was represented as dwelling between the cherubim, in the most holy place, and where he promised to hear and answer the prayers of his people, which were either made in or directed to it. Or, 2d, Out of his heavenly habitation, which is often called his temple. Then the earth shook and trembled Then God appeared on my behalf in a miraculous and glorious manner, and to the great terror and confusion of all mine enemies, as though they had been surprised with an earthquake, in which the earth was shaken from its foundations, and all its rocks and mountains trembled. David proceeds, in this and the eight following verses, to describe, by the sublimest expressions, the awful manner in which Jehovah came to his assistance. The imagery employed, Dr. Horne thinks, is borrowed from mount Sinai, and those tremendous circumstances which attended the delivery of the law from thence. When a monarch is angry and prepares for war, the whole kingdom is instantly in commotion. Thus universal nature is here represented as feeling the effects of its great Sovereigns displeasure, and all the visible elements appear disordered. The description must be allowed, by all skilful and impartial judges, to be truly noble and sublime, and in the genuine spirit of poetry. The majesty of God, and the manner in which he is represented as coming to the aid of his favourite king, surrounded with all the powers of nature as his attendants and ministers, and arming heaven and earth to fight his battles and execute his vengeance, are described in the loftiest and most striking terms. The shaking of the earth, the trembling of the mountains and pillars of heaven; the smoke that ascended out of his nostrils; the flames of devouring fire that flashed from his mouth; the heavens bending down to convey him to the battle; his riding upon a cherub, and rapidly flying on the wings of a whirlwind; his concealing his majesty in the thick clouds of heaven; the bursting of the lightnings from the horrid darkness; the uttering his voice in peals of thunder; the storm of fiery hail; the melting of the heavens, and their dissolving into floods of tempestuous rains; the cleaving of the earth, and disclosing the bottom of the hills, and the subterraneous channels, or torrents of water, by the very breath of the nostrils of the Almighty; are all of them circumstances which create admiration, excite a kind of horror, and exceed every thing of this nature that is to be found in any of the remains of heathen antiquity. The grandest pieces thereof will be found, upon comparison, infinitely short of this description of the psalmist; throughout the whole of which God is represented as a mighty warrior, going forth to fight the battles of David, and highly incensed at the opposition his enemies made to his power and authority. When he descended to the engagement, the very heavens bowed down to render his descent more awful; his military tent was substantial darkness; the voice of his thunder was the warlike alarm which sounded to the battle; the chariot in which he rode were the thick clouds of heaven, conducted by cherubs, and carried on by the irresistible force and rapid wings of an impetuous tempest; and the darts and weapons he employed were thunder-bolts, lightnings, fiery hail, deluging rains, and stormy winds! No wonder that when God thus arose, all his enemies should be scattered, and those who hated him should flee before him! It does not appear, from any part of Davids history, that there ever was literally such a storm as is here described, which proved destructive to his enemies, and salutary to himself. There might, indeed, have been such a one, though there be no particular mention of it. But it is more probable that the whole passage is to be understood figuratively, and that by these metaphorical and lofty expressions, and this sublime description, David only meant to set forth that storm of wrath and vengeance which God had poured upon his enemies and the glorious deliverance he had thereby wrought for him. See Dodd and Chandler.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
David cried out in terror, and in His heavenly temple God heard his call for help. The Lord came rushing to the psalmist’s defense. His deliverance was as a thunderstorm in that it was the supernatural invading nature. The figures of speech in Psa 18:7-15 picture a violent storm with lightning, thunder, high winds, torrential rains, black skies, and flooding. [Note: See Michael E. Travers, "The Use of Figures of Speech in the Bible," Bibliotheca Sacra 164:655 (July-September 2007):277-90.] All of this illustrates God’s dramatic intervention for David, punishing those who opposed His anointed.
"The most vivid descriptions of God as warrior occur in so-called theophanic passages, which depict the Lord coming in splendor and power to fight for His people. . . .
"Psa 18:7-16 is the most detailed of these theophanic texts." [Note: Chisholm, p. 296. Cf. Psalms 18; Psalms 29:11; 68:4, 33; 77:16-19; 97:3-5; 104:3-4; 114:3-7; 144:5-7.]