Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 18:30
[As for] God, his way [is] perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he [is] a buckler to all those that trust in him.
30. As for God (El), his way is perfect, flawless and without blemish, like His work (Deu 32:4), and His law (Psa 19:7): the word, or promise, of the Lord is tried, refined like pure gold, without dross of uncertainty or insincerity (Psa 12:6; Psa 119:140): he is a shield to all them that take refuge in him ( Psa 18:2). The last two lines are quoted in Pro 30:5.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
As for God – The declaration in this verse is suggested by the facts narrated in the previous verses. The contemplation of those facts leads the thoughts of the author of the psalm up to the Great Source of all these blessings, and to these general reflections on his character. As for God, that is, in respect to that Great Being, who has delivered me, his ways are all perfect; his word is tried; he is a shield to all those who trust in him.
His way is perfect – That is, his doings are perfect; his methods of administration are perfect; his government is perfect. There is nothing wanting, nothing defective, nothing redundant, in what he does. On the word perfect, see the note at Job 1:1.
The word of the Lord is tried – Margin, refined. The idea is, that his word had been tested as silver or any other metal is in the fire. The psalmist had confided in him, and had found him faithful to all his promises. Compare the note at Psa 12:6. In a larger sense, using the phrase the word of the Lord as denoting the revelation which God has made to mankind in the volume of revealed truth, it has been abundantly tested or tried, and it still stands. It has been tested by the friends of God, and has been found to be all that it promised to be for support and consolation in trial; it has been tested by the changes which have occurred in the progress of human affairs, and has been found fitted to meet all those changes; it has been tested by the advances which have been made in science, in literature, in civilization, and in the arts, and it has shown itself to be fitted to every stage of advance in society; it has been tested by the efforts which men have made to destroy it, and has survived all those efforts.
It is settled that it will survive all the revolutions of kingdoms and all the changes of dynasties; that it will be able to meet all the attacks which shall be made upon it by its enemies; and that it will be an unfailing source of light and comfort to all future ages. If persecution could crush it, it would have been crushed long ago; if ridicule could drive it from the world, it would have been driven away long ago; if argument, as urged by powerful intellect, and by learning, combined with intense hatred, could destroy it, it would have been destroyed long ago; and if it is not fitted to impart consolation to the afflicted, to wipe away the tears of mourners, and to uphold the soul in death, that would have been demonstrated long ago. In all these methods it has been tried, and as the result of all, it has been proved as the only certain fact, in regard to a book as connected with the future – that the Bible will go down accredited as a revelation from God to the end of the world.
He is a buckler – Or, a shield, for so the original word means. See the note at Psa 3:3.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 18:30
As for God, His way is perfect.
Gods ministries
Many mythologies have told how the gods arm their champions, but the Psalmist reaches a loftier height than these. He ventures to think of God as doing the humble office of bracing on his girdle, but the girdle is itself strength. God, whose own way is perfect, makes His servants way in some measure like His own; and though, no doubt, the figure must be interpreted in a manner congruous with the context, as chiefly implying perfection in regard to the purpose in hand – namely, warfare – we need not miss the deeper truth, that Gods soldiers are fitted for conflict by their ways being conformed to Gods. This mans strength was as the strength of ten, because his heart was pure. Strength and swiftness are the two characteristics of antique heroes, and Gods gift bestowed both on the Psalmist. Light of foot as a deer, and able to climb to the robber forts perched on crags as a chamois would, his hands deft, and his muscular arms strong to bend the bow which others could not use, he is the ideal of the warrior of old; and all these natural powers he again ascribes to Gods gift. A goddess gave Achilles his wondrous shield, but what was it to that which God binds on this warriors arm? As his girdle was strength, and not merely a means of strength, his shield is salvation, and not merely a means of safety. The fact that God purposes to save, and does act for saving, is the defence against all dangers and enemies. It is the same deep truth as the prophet expresses by making salvation the walls and bulwarks of the strong city where the righteous nation dwells in peace. God does not thus arm His servant and then send him out alone to fight as he can, but Thy right hand holds me up. What assailant can beat him down if that Hand is under his armpit to support him? The beautiful rendering of the Authorised Version, Thy gentleness, scarcely conveys the meaning, and weakens the antithesis of the Psalmists greatness, which is brought out by translating Thy lowliness, or even more boldly, Thy humility. There is that in God which answers to the peculiarly human virtue of lowliness; and unless there were, man would remain small, and unclothed with God-given strength. The devout soul thrills with wonder at Gods stooping love, which it discerns to be the foundation of all His gifts, and therefore of its blessedness. The Singer saw deep into the heart of God, and anticipated the great word of the one Revealer, I am meek and lowly in heart. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
The perfection of providential dispensations
David had by this time followed the Lord through many a dark step, and he had endured various troubles. Now he is looking back and giving his verdict as to them all. There is–
1. A magnificent preface–As for God. He is standing up for God.
2. What of God he commends–His way, whether it be that in which men walk with God, personal holiness, or the way wherein God walks with men–the way of His providence, His dispensations.
3. The commendation is perfect. Now, in illustration of text–
I. To our corrupt eyes Gods way is not always perfect. Because–
1. We cannot always see the reason of it (Psa 77:19). The Lord leads man he knows not where. We have to wait to know (Act 10:17; Joh 13:6-7).
2. It sometimes seems to forget the promises. We are ready to cry, as in Jer 15:18, Wilt Thou be altogether unto me as a liar? Abraham went in to Hagar for this reason.
3. It sometimes goes cross to the promises, as when Abraham was commanded to offer up Isaac. See also Hezekiah (Isa 38:1). The way in the wilderness is often crooked.
4. It runs at times seemingly quite contrary to the design of Providence. The Lord designs good, but disappointment after disappointment cross it more and more. Thus it was with Joseph when cast into the dungeon. Oftentimes Providence reads best backwards (Deu 32:36). Sometimes–
5. It lays aside the most likely means (1Co 1:23-24; 2Ki 5:11; Joh 16:6-7). Sometimes–
6. It falls on means quite contrary to its design. As when clay was used to cure the blind. When the Lord heals by wounding (Rom 8:28). Then–
7. Providence smiles though wicked men get the sunny side of the brae and walk contrary to God. This made Asaph stammer (Psa 73:12-14, and Jer 12:1-2). But there is no fault in this (Psa 92:7). See the end of all these things.
8. The good troubled (Ecc 8:14). Job. But 2Co 12:9-10. And–
9. Great afflictions meeting the Lords people in the way of duty. This often Jacobs case.
II. But Gods way is perfect. It is according to the pattern shown in the Word. Is suited to our need (Deu 32:4). Is ever suited to the time. Is stable. (T. Boston. D. D.)
The Word of the Lord is tried.—
The Bible tested and triumphant
Look at some of the severe tests to which the Bible has been subjected, and by successfully meeting which it has vindicated its claims to a Divine origin, and to universal human acceptance.
I. The bible has stood the test of time. Since the Sacred Canon closed, how many and how vast are the changes which have gone on among men. Hardly one of the ancient powers is today extant. How great have been the strides of human progress! Yet the science of salvation, as taught in the Bible, has needed no remodeling. The race does not outgrow the religion of the Bible. Compare the case of the Bible with the poems of Homer. The two works are, in a certain sense, contemporaneous; critics have denied to the Bible any higher inspiration than that of human genius; and Greek poetry held among that ancient people very much the same place as did the sacred Scriptures among the Jews. Three thousand years ago the two works stood before the world on a comparative equality. How stands the case today? Homer is read as a model of epic verse and specimen of old Ionic Greek. The Bible is read everywhere as a transcript of the Eternal.
II. The test of criticism. Criticism, the most searching and severe to which any work has ever been subjected. A criticism often hostile. But the old Book has come out of it only purified.
III. The test of practical trial. In the patent office are models of many beautiful machines that could not be worked. The Book will stand every practical test. It gives the solution of the great enigmas of the human soul, and provides the consolation for lifes dark hours, those hours of disappointment, adversity, sorrow, and bereavement which come so surely to us all. (B. B. Loomis, Ph. D.)
The Word of the Lord commended to our faith by its being a tried Word
A thing that has been tried is deemed all the more valuable on that account. A medicine which has been found on trial to be a sure remedy for certain kinds of disease is held in high estimation. It is thus that the Word of the Lord is commended to our high esteem. It is a tried Word.
I. Science has tried it. For though at first it denied, now it does homage to the Word of God. For example–
1. Geology. In its early development many facts were brought forward that seemed to bear hard on Scripture statements. Several years since the discovery was made, or was thought to be made, by perforating the successive lavas formed by the volcanic overflowings of Mount AEtna, that the earth must have existed, in its present form, at least fourteen thousand years. The discovery was published by Brydone, an English traveller in Sicily, and flew like light through Europe, and was seized upon by multitudes as furnishing complete evidence that the chronology of the Bible is false and the Bible itself untrue. But subsequent investigation has proved that the supposed discovery was based on an entirely false view of facts. At a later period the astronomical tables of India were supposed to furnish incontestable proof of a much higher antiquity belonging to our globe than is assigned it according to the writings of Moses. But these same astronomical tables were afterwards examined by the great French philosopher Laplace, and were demonstrated to be of comparatively modern date, and furnish not the slightest evidence against the Mosaic chronology. In like manner the variety of languages, and the diversity of colour and form which distinguish the different races of men, have often been urged with great confidence as disproving the account given in Genesis of the common origin of mankind. But the study of ethnography, or the classification of nations by a comparison of their languages, together with a better acquaintance with the natural history of man, has removed this objection, and shown to the satisfaction of the most competent judges that the human race sprang from a common pair. It is with science as it is with the human mind in youth, it is apt to be self-conceited and sceptical; but in its maturity it becomes humble, modest, and reverent of Gods Word. Hence, as Professor Hitchcock of Amherst College says in his Religion of Geology, Every part of science which has been supposed, by the fears of friends or the malice of foes, to conflict with religion, has been found at length, when fully understood, to be in perfect harmony with its principles, and even to illustrate them.
II. Time has tried it. It is with the Bible as it is with its Divine Author: One day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
III. Friends have tried it. For they have been all made such by the transforming and subduing power of the Word itself. Consider their numbers, and what it has done for them, and the circumstances under which they have made trial of it and never found it fail.
IV. Enemies have tried it: by persecution; by laws directed against it; by ridicule; by philosophy, and by every means left at their command. Still the object of all these attacks remains uninjured, while one army of its enemies after another has passed away in defeat and dishonour. Though it has been ridiculed more bitterly, misrepresented more grossly, opposed more rancorously, and burnt more frequently than any other book, or perhaps than all other books united, it is so far from sinking under the efforts of its enemies that it is plainly gathering fresh strength from age to age, and the probability of its surviving until the consummation of all things is now far greater than ever.
V. It has been tried in its influence on individual character, upon society, and all the best interests of man. See what institutions it has founded for human good, and maintains them still. Hence learn–
1. There is no fear for the future. As natures answers are ever uniform and constant and true, so are those of the Word of the Lord.
2. It is a serious matter for anyone to set himself against it. Voltaire said, It has been the boast of ages that twelve men established Christianity in the world. I will show the world that one man can destroy it. But where is Voltaire, or what did he accomplish of his impious boast? He lived long, and he worked hard and went down to the grave, cursing the horrid work in which he had spent his days.
3. Let us all prepare to meet the scenes which it tells us are yet before us: death, judgment, eternity. Prepare to meet your God, prepare, through His mercy in Christi to meet Him in peace. For the time is at hand when all that He has said in His Word of the righteous and the wicked, and of heaven and hell, will be matter of experience, of personal unchanging experience to us all. (Joel Hawes, D. D.)
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Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 30. God, his way is perfect] His conduct is like his nature, absolutely pure.
The word of the Lord is tried] Literally tried in the fire. It has stood all tests; and has never failed those who pleaded it before its author.
He is a buckler] A sure protection to every simple believing soul. We cannot believe his word too implicitly; nor trust too confidently in him.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
His way is perfect; his counsel and providence, though it may sometimes be dark and hard to be understood, yet is always wise and just, and every way perfect or unbeareable.
The word of the Lord is tried; the truth of Gods promises is certain, and approved by innuerable experiences, and mine among the rest.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
30-32. God’s perfection is thesource of his own, which has resulted from his trust on the one hand,and God’s promised help on the other.
tried“as metalsare tried by fire and proved genuine” (Ps12:6). Shield (Ps 3:3).Girding was essential to free motion on account of thelooseness of Oriental dresses; hence it is an expressive figure fordescribing the gift of strength.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
[As for] God, his way [is] perfect,…. Or “without spot” m, as the Septuagint render the word; without any just charge of inequality, or unrighteousness; such is God’s way of providence, though sometimes his methods of providence are cavilled at by wicked men, and murmured at by his own people: they are at a loss, at times, to reconcile promises and providences together, and to account for the justice and equity of them; these ways of his are unsearchable, and not to be traced out by them; but when his judgments will be made manifest, the wisdom, goodness, and righteousness of them will be clearly discerned, and they will be admired; for they are all of a piece, and perfectly consistent with the attributes of God: and such also is his way of grace, and method of salvation; it is agreeable to all his perfections, and according to his purposes, counsel, and covenant; this being resolved on in his breast, contrived by his wisdom, and concluded on in the covenant, has been effected and finished by his son; and his inward way of working upon the heart, though at present imperfect, will be completed; he is a rock, and his work is perfect, and all his ways are judgment: whatever way or method he contrives and enters upon, whether in providence or grace, he pursues and brings to an issue; for he is an omnipotent, omniscient, and unchangeable Being, and neither frustrates, nor is he frustrated; nor is there any insincerity, unrighteousness, and unfaithfulness in him; nor can he act contrary to himself, and the perfections of his nature: the way also which he prescribes to others is perfect and plain, whether the path of doctrine or of duty; the path of truth is plain to the enlightened understanding, and the way of holiness is such, in which men, though fools, shall not err; see Pr 8:8;
the word of the Lord is tried; as silver in a furnace, and is clear of all dross, of error, and falsehood; is free from human mixtures, and without any impurity and unholiness; nor is God’s word of promise chargeable with unfaithfulness; all his promises being yea and amen in Christ, and have been tried and proved by the saints in all ages; and have been found true, faithful, constant, and invariable;
he [is] a buckler to all those that trust in him; not in man, nor in themselves; in their own righteousness, or in any creature or creature enjoyment or performance; but in the providence and power of God, in his grace and mercy, in his word, and especially in his Son; in his person, blood, and righteousness; to such he is a buckler or shield: his power is all around them, his favour encompasses them, and his truth, or faithfulness in his word, is their shield and buckler: and so is his Son, who is both a sun and shield to them; and such are his precious blood, his spotless righteousness, and stoning sacrifice; which, being held up by faith, repel the fiery darts of Satan.
m , Sept. “impolluta”, V. L. so Syriac. Aethiop.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
30. The way of God is perfect. The phrase, The way of God, is not here taken for his revealed will, but for his method of dealing towards his people. The meaning, therefore, is, that God never disappoints or deceives his servants, nor forsakes them in the time of need, (as may be the case with men who do not aid their dependants, except in so far as it contributes to their own particular advantage,) but faithfully defends and maintains those whom he has once taken under his protection. But we will never have any nearness to God, unless he first come near to us by his word; and, for this reason, David, after having asserted that God aids his people in good earnest, adds, at the same time, that his word is purified. Let us, therefore, rest assured that God will actually show himself upright towards us, seeing he has promised to be the guardian and protector of our welfare, and his promise is certain and infallible truth. That by the word we are not here to understand the commandments, but the promises of God, is easily gathered from the following clause, where it is said, He is a shield to all those who trust in him It seems, indeed, a common commendation to say, that the word of God is pure, and without any mixture of fraud and deceit, like silver which is well refined and purified from all its dross. But our unbelief is the cause why God, so to speak, is constrained to use such a similitude, for the purpose of commending and leading us to form exalted conceptions of the steadfastness and certainty of his promises; for whenever the issue does not answer our expectation, there is nothing to which we are naturally more prone than forthwith to begin to entertain unhallowed and distrustful thoughts of the word of God. For a farther explanation of these words, we would refer our readers to our remarks on Psa 12:6.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(30) Tried.Sterling gold, not dross. (Comp. Psa. 12:6; and for shield, Psa. 5:12.) Pro. 30:5 seems to be taken from this verse.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
30. As Psa 18:20-29 are an appeal to his righteousness as the reason why God took his part, so Psa 18:30-43 are a zealous rendering to God of all the praise of all his victories and prosperity. They are an enlargement of the first strophe, (Psa 18:1-3,) and of the titles there given to God.
As for God, his way is perfect Hebrew, The God, perfect his way. The article is emphatic the great, the only God.
Tried Refined, as metals in a furnace; therefore his “word” is not as drossy ore, but as pure gold. Psa 12:6. See the fundamental passage Deu 32:4
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
David Gives A Summary of What God Is And Of All God’s Blessings to Him ( Psa 18:30-36 ).
Psa 18:30
‘As for God, his way is perfect,
The word of YHWH is tried (tested and proved true),
He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.’
David knows that God’s way is perfect. Thus to walk in that way is to walk the perfect road. He desired no other. For he knew that God’s word had been tried and tested and had never failed. Each of us similarly can enjoy the perfection of God’s way, and enjoy the security and blessing that comes from it. And in that way we too enjoy the security of His word. God has spoken and will fulfil it, as many have continually proved. His word, what He has said, has been tried and tested, and has always proved sure.
Similarly God’s word is perfect however it expresses itself. His Instruction (Law) is perfect, restoring the soul (Psa 19:7), as is His work, for He does the right and is faithful and just (Deu 32:4). Those who follow Him have the perfect workmaster and guide, know that His word is true, and are secure in His trustworthy and tested promises.
And what is more, in that way we are protected by God as our shield. Those who look to Him and rely on Him, will find in Him the perfect protection. The arrows of misfortune and evil may pour down on us, but the shield of YHWH will prove all sufficient for those who are hid with Christ in God.
Psa 18:31-32
‘For who is God, save YHWH?
And who is a rock, besides our God,
The God who girds me with strength,
And makes my way perfect?’
For there is none like Him. It is only YHWH Who is the true God. And no rock, no place of safety, stability and security can be like Him, for He is firm and strong and totally dependable. And David knew that this God also girded him with strength, renewing him on the way, and made the way before him perfect with His own perfection, as He will to all who trust in Him.
He knew it was the perfect way because it was God’s way. It will have every unnecessary obstacle removed, leading surely in the course of a man’s destiny. For God knows the way that we take (Job 23:10). Sometimes it may appear hard and difficult, as David had himself known, but it is the way by which He perfects His own so that He may bring them through triumphantly, so that they are made holy and without blemish.
Psa 18:33-34
‘He makes my feet like hinds’ feet,
And sets me on my high places.
He teaches my hands to war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
David had proved it. God had brought him through the difficult days, and now he was strong. It had begun with a lion and a bear (1Sa 17:34). Then it had been Saul and the Philistines. And now he was sure of foot, like the hind on the mountainside, swift and sure footed, skipping from slippery gradient to slippery gradient, with never a falter, and thus, like the hind, standing on high places, from where he can look down in triumph. For the one who serves God truly will always find himself on the high places, above the mundaneness of the world.
Thus David was made skilled and given strength in war and able to bend that ultimate test of a man’s strength, a bow of bronze (Job 20:24 lets us know how powerful such a bow was). Israel’s antagonists, who had always been a thorn in their side, had to submit to his power. Their foes had been put under his feet. God had made him what he was, and would continue to maintain him in that place, so that Israel might prosper. And his dependence was still all on YHWH. To David God was all, both in times of distress and in times of triumph and vigour.
When we are going through the time of trial it behoves us to look ahead to what will be. And when we have achieved it, it behoves us to remember Who has done it, and Who maintains us there.
Psa 18:35-36
‘You have also given me the shield of your salvation,
And your right hand has held me up,
And your gentleness has made me great.
You have enlarged my steps under me,
And my feet have not slipped.’
He is conscious that God has done all for him. God’s deliverance has been his shield, the guarantee of his protection and of his ability to deal with the missiles of the enemy. God’s strong right hand has held him up so that he did not fail. God’s ‘gentleness’ has made him great.
‘And your gentleness has made me great.’ The word for ‘gentleness’ means lowliness, meekness, a humbling of Himself. See for this Psa 113:6. ‘Who is like to YHWH our God, Who has His seat on high, Who humbles Himself to behold what is in heaven and in the earth?’ The idea is that God is so great on His throne that He has to humble Himself to have dealings with the heavens and the earth, and especially with men and women. He Who is in the high and holy place condescends to stoop to those who are of a contrite spirit (Isa 57:15). And David is aware that the Almighty has stooped to make him great.
It must ever be the wonder of our hearts that the Almighty God Himself has taken the trouble to reach down to us and save us. And it should be especially so to us as we face the fact that in doing so He gave us His Son to die for us.
‘You have enlarged my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped.’ He has enabled David to stride forward with confidence, without stumbling. Nothing has stood in his way. Every step has been a giant one, and yet he remains firmly grounded. His way has been sure.
And the singers participated in his triumphs. How grateful we too should be that God has humbled Himself and stooped towards us, calling us by name and making us His own. With this knowledge we too can go forward in confidence, making great strides with God and yet remaining sure-footed.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Giving all Glory to God Alone
v. 30. As for God, His way is perfect, v. 31. For who is God save the Lord? Or who is a rock, v. 32. It is God that girdeth me with strength, v. 33. He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, v. 34. He teacheth my hands to war, v. 35. Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation, v. 36. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, v. 37. I have pursued mine enemies and overtaken them, v. 38. I have wounded them that they were not able to rise, v. 39. For Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle; Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
v. 40. Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, v. 41. They cried, v. 42. Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind, v. 43. Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people, v. 44. As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me; the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
v. 45. The strangers shall fade away, v. 46. The Lord liveth, v. 47. It is God that avengeth me, v. 48. He delivereth me from mine enemies; yea, Thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me, v. 49. Therefore will I give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, among the heathen, v. 50. Great deliverance giveth He to His king,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Reader, while we contemplate the Lord Jesus, as here celebrating the ways and works of Jehovah in redemption, as altogether finished and complete, it will be a sweet note in this song, if you and I can say the same, from our own personal interest in Jesus. He indeed is our Rock, our Jesus, our Salvation. And he is Jehovah’s salvation for the people to the ends of the earth. Psa 95:1 ; Isa 49:6 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 18:30 [As for] God, his way [is] perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he [is] a buckler to all those that trust in him.
Ver. 30. As for God, his way is perfect ] All his dispensations toward his children, his actions and directions, his providences and promises, are most trusty and true; having neither vice, vanity, insincerity, nor deceit in them, 2Sa 22:31 .
The word of the Lord is tried
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 18:30-36
30As for God, His way is blameless;
The word of the Lord is tried;
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
31For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God,
32The God who girds me with strength
And makes my way blameless?
33He makes my feet like hinds’ feet,
And sets me upon my high places.
34He trains my hands for battle,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35You have also given me the shield of Your salvation,
And Your right hand upholds me;
And Your gentleness makes me great.
36You enlarge my steps under me,
And my feet have not slipped.
Psa 18:30-36 This strophe explains why the psalmist gives YHWH the titles of Psa 18:2. His actions bring the titles!
1. His way is blameless (lit. complete or perfect, BDB 1071, cf. Psa 18:23; Psa 18:30; Psa 18:32).
2. His word/promise (BDB 57, used 19 times in Psalms 119) is tried or tested (BDB 864, KB 1057, Qal passive participles, cf. 2Sa 22:31; Psa 119:140; Pro 30:5). See videos on The Trustworthiness of God’s Word on www.freebiblecommentary.org , sermons from Lakeside Baptist Church, Dallas, TX.
3. He is a shield (BDB 171, cf. Psa 18:2)
4. He is a rock (BDB 849, cf. Psa 18:2)
5. He girds (BDB 25, KB 28, Piel participle, cf. Psa 18:39) me with strength (BDB 298, synonym of BDB 305 in Psa 18:2)
6. He makes my way blameless (BDB 1071, cf. Psa 18:23; Psa 18:30; Psa 18:32)
7. He makes my feet secure (BDB 763, KB 840, Hiphil imperfect) like hinds’ feet (i.e., sure-footed deer who can walk safely in rugged, rocky places, cf. Hab 3:19)
8. He trains/equips/teaches me for battle, cf. Psa 144:1
9. He has given me the shield of His salvation, cf. Psa 18:2
10. His right hand upholds me, cf. Psa 63:8; Psa 119:117 (the right hand is an idiom of powerful action, see SPECIAL TOPIC: HAND )
11. His gentleness/humility (KB 855 II, cf. 2Sa 22:36; also note Pro 15:33; Pro 18:12; Pro 22:4) makes me great
12. He enlarges (BDB 931, KB 1210, Hiphil imperfect) my steps (i.e., parallels Psa 18:19 a; Psa 4:1; Psa 12:5; Psa 31:8; Psa 118:5). NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 317 has a good insight, What is certain is that whereas spaciousness signifies salvation, narrowness symbolizes trouble and danger.
13. He enables the psalmist’s feet to not slip (BDB 588, KB 609, Qal perfect, i.e., stayed on the path, cf. Psa 18:20-24; see note at Psa 1:1 for path/way)
Psa 18:31 For who is God, but the Lord This is an allusion to monotheism. See Special Topic: Monotheism .
Psa 18:35
NASB, NKJVgentleness
NRSVhelp
JPSOAcare
NASB, JPSOA
footnotescondescension
REB, NABstoop down
LXXinstruction
The Hebrew root is condescension (BDB 776, ) or humility (BDB 776, ). BDB supports the second option (NASB), but UBS Text Project gives the first option a B rating (some doubt, cf. NRSV).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
GOD. Hebrew = the El. App-4.
word = sayings, as in Psa 12:6 (feminine plural); Psa 19:14 (masculine plural) (not Psa 18:4); Psa 119:11 (see note there), &c.
tried = refined. Compare Psa 12:6.
trust in = flee for refuge to. Hebrew. hasah. App-69.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 18:30-33
Psa 18:30-33
“As for God, his way is perfect:
The word of Jehovah is tried;
He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in him.
For who is God save Jehovah?
And who is a rock besides our God,
The God that girdeth me with strength,
And maketh my way perfect?
He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet:
And setteth me upon high places.”
“Who is God save Jehovah?” This is the Hebrew equivalent of “There is no God besides Jehovah.” This strong monotheistic thrust of the psalm was one of the grounds upon which Addis rejected Davidic authorship of it, as cited above.
“And maketh my way perfect.” When one considers that David was an humble keeper of his father’s sheep, that he was merely the youngest in a large family, that his father’s house was of no particular significance in Israel, and that from this humble and obscure person God led to the kingship of the Chosen People, making of him a mighty world-renowned monarch, whose name would live for centuries, and even allowing him to be a significant Type of the Blessed Messiah himself when all that is considered, we must allow the absolute truth of what is said here.
“My feet like hinds’ feet.” The meaning of “hind” here is the “doe,” the female deer, a marvelous example of sure-footedness and swiftness even in the steepest, ruggedest, and rockiest terrain. “It is not swiftness in flight, but in attack, that is meant.
We remember the report of how an old Holiness preacher interpreted this verse. He read it as follows: “He setting my feet like hen’s feet.”
“Now,” he said, “We all know that a hen has four toes, three in front and one behind; so that when she is going up a steep, slippery hill, that toe on the back side keeps her from slipping back! This, of course, illustrates the fact that we cannot fall from God’s grace. God has given us feet like a hen’s feet, so we can’t slip backwards!”
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 18:1-50. I have made one paragraph of this whole chapter because it is practically identical with 2 Samuel 22. Detailed comments are made on the chapter which is at the regular place in this commentary and will not be repeated here. The reason for giving the comments at the other place is the fact that it came in more direct connection with the history belonging to it. I will call attention to one special circumstance in the differences between the two chapters. The statements that are placed as a heading here are included in the text in 2 Samuel 22. When the collection of the Psalms of David was made into one book, the one he wrote at the time of his conflicts with Saul and other enemies was brought and included in the document. Since the two occurrences of the psalm are alike, the reader of the commentary would have no advantage offered him were I to repeat the comments in this place. I therefore urge him to see my remarks in the other place.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
his way: Psa 19:7, Psa 25:10, Deu 32:4, 2Sa 22:31, Dan 4:37, Rom 12:2, Rev 15:3
tried: or, refined, Psa 12:6, Psa 19:8-10, Psa 119:140, Pro 30:5
a buckler: Psa 18:2, Psa 17:7, Psa 84:11, Psa 84:12
Reciprocal: Gen 49:24 – the mighty
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
18:30 [As for] God, his way [is] perfect: the {y} word of the LORD is tried: he [is] a buckler to all those that trust in him.
(y) No matter how great or many the dangers may be, yet God’s promise must take effect.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
3. God’s blessings 18:30-50
The psalmist rejoiced over God’s character and His blessings to him (Psa 18:30-45), and he vowed to continue to praise Him forever (Psa 18:46-50). The purpose of the psalm is praise, not boasting.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
God’s way is perfect, and His Word is trustworthy. He is the only true God, a reliable defense and a solid foundation for His people (cf. Deu 32:4; Deu 32:31).