Psalms 18:1

“I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.] These words are not in twenty second chapter of Second Samuel: the psalm there begins with (<191802>Psalm 18:2). The psalmist here expresses his love to the Lord, and his continuance in it; that Jehovah the Father was, is, and ever will be the object of Christ’s love, is certain; and which has appeared by his readiness in the council and covenant of grace to do his will; by his coming down from heaven to earth for that purpose; by his delight in it, it being his meat and drink to do it; and by his sufferings and death, which were in compliance with, and obedience to it, (<431431>John 14:31); and as in David, so in all regenerate ones, there is love to…”

“"The servant of the LORD," which in the Hebrew precedes "David," is a significant part of the title (and not a mere epithet of David), denoting the inspired character of the song, as the production of one entrusted with the execution of God's will. He was not favored by God because he served Him, but served Him because selected and appointed by God in His sovereign mercy. After a general expression of praise and confidence in God for the future, David gives a sublimely poetical description of God's deliverance, which he characterizes as an illustration of God's justice to the innocent and His righteous government. His own prowess and success are celebrated as the results of divine aid, and,…”

“I will love thee, O Lord - This verse is not found in the song in 2 Samuel 22:0. It appears to have been added after the first composition of the psalm, either by David as expressive of his ardent love for the Lord in view of his merciful interpositions in his behalf, and on the most careful and most mature review of those mercies, or by the collector of the Psalms when they were adapted to purposes of public worship, as a proper commencement of the psalm - expressive of the feeling which the general tenor of the psalm was fitted to inspire. It is impossible now to determine by whom it was added; but no one can doubt that it is a proper commencement of a psalm that is designed to recount so…”

“Love - Most affectionately, and with my whole soul; as the Hebrew word signifies. Psalms 18:2”

“Ps 18 This royal drama of divine rescue (also found with minor variations in 2 Sam 22:1-51) encourages readers who are following the laments and requests for rescue in Pss 16 and 17. The psalmist describes the dramatic nature of God’s rescue in three different ways (18:7-15, 16-19, 30-36). The psalm also extends hope that a future Son of David will be totally victorious over evil (18:43-50; cp. Ps 2). 18:title David was a faithful servant of the Lord, charged with the responsibility of establishing God’s kingdom on earth (see 78:70; 132:10; 144:10). • The Lord rescued David from all his enemies when he enabled David to conquer them (see 2 Sam 8:1-14).”

“in the day: Psa 34:19; Exod. 15:1-21; Judg. 5:1-31; Sa1 2:1-10; Isa 12:1-6 I will: Psa 116:1-6, Psa 144:1, Psa 144:2; Jo1 4:19 my: Psa 18:32, Psa 28:7, Psa 28:8, Psa 118:14; Isa 12:2; Phi 4:13; Col 1:11 Psalms 18:2”

“(Heb.: 18:2-4) The poet opens with a number of endearing names for God, in which he gratefully comprehends the results of long and varied experience. So far as regards the parallelism of the members, a monostich forms the beginning of this Psalm, as in Psa 16:1-11; Psa 23:1-6; Ps 25 and many others. Nevertheless the matter assumes a somewhat different aspect, if Psa 18:3 is not, with Maurer, Hengstenberg and Hupfeld, taken as two predicate clauses (Jahve is..., my God is...), but as a simple vocative-a rendering which alone corresponds to the intensity with which this greatest of the Davidic hymns opens-God being invoked by ה, ה, אלי, and each of these names being followed by a predicative…”