Matthew Henry's Complete Bible Commentary

Psalms 18

This psalm we met with before, in the history of David’s life, 2 Samuel 22:1-22:51 That was the first edition of it; here we have it revived, altered a little, and fitted for the service of the church. It is David’s thanksgiving for the many deliverances God had wrought for him; these he desired always to preserve fresh in his own memory and to diffuse and entail the knowledge of them. It is an admirable composition. The poetry is very fine, the images are bold, the expressions lofty, and every word is proper and significant; but the piety far exceeds the poetry. Holy faith, and love, and joy, and praise, and hope, are here lively, active, and upon the wing. I. He triumphs in God, Psalms 18:1-18:3. II. He magnifies the deliverances God had wrought for him, Psalms 18:4-18:19. III. He takes the comfort of his integrity, which God had thereby cleared up, Psalms 18:20-18:28. IV. He gives to God the glory of all his achievements, Psalms 18:29-18:42. V. He encourages himself with the expectation of what God would further do for him and his, Psalms 18:43-18:50. MHBCC 497.1