Psalms 18:1

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

To the director, a song of David, the servant of the LORD, who spoke the words of this song to the LORD on the day the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

לַמְנַצֵּ֤חַ ׀ לְעֶ֥בֶד יְהוָ֗ה לְדָ֫וִ֥ד אֲשֶׁ֤ר דִּבֶּ֨ר ׀ לַיהוָ֗ה אֶת־דִּ֭בְרֵי הַשִּׁירָ֣ה הַזֹּ֑את בְּי֤וֹם הִֽצִּיל־יְהוָ֘ה אוֹת֥וֹ מִכַּ֥ף כָּל־אֹ֝יְבָ֗יו וּמִיַּ֥ד שָׁאֽוּל׃

Transliteration

To the menatseach for ebed YHWH for David which dibber to YHWH et-dibrey the shirah this in yom hitsil-YHWH him from kaf all-oyebav and from yad Shaul.

Grammar Details

• *menatseach*: preposition + participle, masculine singular - to the director/choirmaster
• *ebed*: construct state, masculine singular - servant of
• *YHWH*: proper noun, divine name
• *David*: proper noun, masculine singular
• *dibber*: perfect, 3rd person masculine singular - spoke
• *et*: direct object marker
• *dibrey*: construct state, masculine plural - words of
• *shirah*: feminine singular noun - song
• *yom*: masculine singular noun - day
• *hitsil*: hifil perfect, 3rd masculine singular - delivered/rescued
• *kaf*: construct state, feminine singular - palm/hand of
• *oyebav*: masculine plural noun with 3rd person suffix - his enemies
• *yad*: construct state, feminine singular - hand of

Word Meanings

• *menatseach*: director/choirmaster/musical leader
• *dibber*: spoke/uttered/recited
• *shirah*: song/psalm/poem
• *hitsil*: delivered/rescued/saved

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  To the chief Musician, A alm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said, I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  I will love you, O LORD, my strength.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  For the Chief Musician.{H5329} [A Psalm] of David{H1732} the servant{H5650} of Jehovah,{H3068} who spake{H1696} unto Jehovah{H3068} the words{H1697} of this song{H7892} in the day{H3117} that Jehovah{H3068} delivered{H5337} him from the hand{H3709} of all his enemies,{H341} and from the hand{H3027} of Saul:{H7586} and he said,{H559} I love{H7355} thee, O Jehovah,{H3068} my strength.{H2391}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  To the chief Musician{H5329}{(H8764)}, A Psalm of David{H1732}, the servant{H5650} of the LORD{H3068}, who spake{H1696}{(H8765)} unto the LORD{H3068} the words{H1697} of this song{H7892} in the day{H3117} that the LORD{H3068} delivered{H5337}{(H8689)} him from the hand{H3709} of all his enemies{H341}{(H8802)}, and from the hand{H3027} of Saul{H7586}: And he said{H559}{(H8799)}, I will love{H7355}{(H8799)} thee, O LORD{H3068}, my strength{H2391}.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  I wil loue the (o LORDE) my stregth. The LORDE is my sucor, my refuge, my Sauior: my god, my helper i who I trust: my buckler, ye horne of my health, & my proteccio.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  To him that excelleth. A Psalme of Dauid the seruant of the Lorde, which spake vnto the Lord the wordes of this song (in the day that the Lorde deliuered him from the hande of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul) and sayd, I will loue thee dearely, O Lord my strength.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  To the chiefe musition the seruaunt of God, and of Dauid who spake vnto God the wordes of this song in the day that God deliuered him from the hande of all his enemies, and from the hande of Saul: And he sayde. I wyll entirely loue thee O God my strength,

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  ¶ To the chief Musician, [A Psalm] of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day [that] the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said, I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  > I love you, Yahweh, my strength.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  To the Overseer. -- By a servant of Jehovah, by David, who hath spoken to Jehovah the words of this song in the day Jehovah delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he saith: -- I love Thee, O Jehovah, my strength.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  I love thee, O Jehovah, my strength.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  [For the Chief Musician. [A Psalm] of David the servant of Jehovah, who spake unto Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: and he said], I love thee, O Jehovah, my strength.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  <To the chief music-maker. Of the servant of the Lord, of David, who said the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord made him free from the hand of all his haters, and from the hand of Saul; and he said,> I will give you my love, O Lord, my strength.

• World English Bible (2000)

  I love you, Yahweh, my strength.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  For the music director; by the LORD’s servant David, who sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD rescued him from the power of all his enemies, including Saul. He said:“I love you, LORD, my source of strength!

Referenced Verses

• 2 Sam 22:1-9 : 1 David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. 3 My God is my rock where I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold, my refuge, and my savior. You save me from violence. 4 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. 5 For the waves of death engulfed me; the torrents of destruction terrified me. 6 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. 7 In my distress, I called upon the LORD and cried out to my God. He heard my voice from his temple, and my cry for help reached his ears. 8 Then the earth shook and quaked; the foundations of the heavens trembled and shook because he was angry. 9 Smoke rose from his nostrils, and consuming fire came from his mouth; burning coals blazed out from him. 10 He parted the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. 11 He rode on a cherub and flew; he appeared on the wings of the wind. 12 He made darkness his covering around him, dense clouds of water and thick clouds of the skies. 13 From the brightness of his presence, coals of fire blazed forth. 14 The LORD thundered from the heavens; the Most High gave his voice. 15 He shot arrows and scattered them; lightning, and he routed them. 16 The channels of the sea were visible, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at the rebuke of the LORD, at the breath of his nostrils. 17 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he pulled me out of deep waters. 18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. 19 They confronted me on the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support. 20 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. 21 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; he repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands. 22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not acted wickedly by turning away from my God. 23 For all his judgments are before me, and I do not turn aside from his statutes. 24 I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from iniquity. 25 The LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight. 26 To the faithful you show yourself faithful, and to the blameless you show yourself blameless. 27 To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. 28 You save a humble people, but your eyes are set against the proud to bring them low. 29 For you are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD illumines my darkness. 30 With you, I can run against a troop; with my God, I can leap over a wall. 31 The way of God is perfect; the word of the LORD is refined. He is a shield to all who take refuge in him. 32 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? 33 This God—he is my strong refuge and makes my way blameless. 34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer and sets me securely on the heights. 35 He trains my hands for battle, so my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 36 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your humility has made me great. 37 You widened the path beneath me, so my ankles did not slip. 38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, and I did not turn back until they were consumed. 39 I crushed them and shattered them so they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. 40 You equipped me with strength for battle; you subdued my adversaries beneath me. 41 You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and I destroyed those who hated me. 42 They looked, but there was no one to save them—to the LORD, but he did not answer them. 43 I ground them as fine as the dust of the earth; I crushed them and trampled them like mud in the streets. 44 You delivered me from the disputes of my people; you preserved me as the head of nations. A people I did not know serve me. 45 Strangers submit to me; as soon as they hear me, they obey me. 46 Foreigners lose heart; they come trembling out of their strongholds. 47 The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock! May the God of my salvation be exalted! 48 This God gives me vengeance and brings down nations under me. 49 He delivers me from my enemies; you lift me up above those who rise against me; you rescue me from the violent man. 50 Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name. 51 He gives great victories to his king and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
• Col 1:11 : 11 being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father,
• 1 John 4:19 : 19 We love because He first loved us.
• Phil 4:13 : 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
• Isa 12:1-6 : 1 On that day, you will say, "I will praise you, LORD, for even though you were angry with me, your anger has turned away, and you have comforted me." 2 Behold, God is my salvation! I will trust and not be afraid, for the LORD, the LORD Himself, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. 3 With joy, you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 On that day, you will say, "Give thanks to the LORD; call on His name! Make known His deeds among the peoples; proclaim that His name is exalted." 5 Sing to the LORD, for He has done glorious things. Let this be known throughout the whole earth. 6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great among you is the Holy One of Israel.
• Ps 34:19 : 19 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
• Ps 36:1 : 1 To the choirmaster, a servant of the Lord, a psalm of David.
• Ps 116:16 : 16 O Lord, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains.
• Ps 118:14 : 14 The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.
• Ps 144:1-2 : 1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for battle and my fingers for war. 2 He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield in whom I take refuge, who subdues my people under me.
• Ps 18:32 : 32 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the rock except our God?
• Ps 28:7-8 : 7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I was helped. Therefore, my heart exults, and with my song I will praise him. 8 The LORD is the strength of his people, a stronghold of salvation for his anointed.
• Exod 15:1-9 : 1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD, saying: 'I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; the horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.' 2 The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will glorify Him; the God of my father, and I will exalt Him. 3 The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is His name. 4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; the finest of his officers were drowned in the Red Sea. 5 The deep waters covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone. 6 Your right hand, LORD, is majestic in power. Your right hand, LORD, shatters the enemy. 7 In the greatness of Your majesty, You overthrow those who rise against You. You unleash Your burning anger; it consumes them like stubble. 8 By the blast of Your nostrils, the waters piled up; the flowing waters stood like a wall; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoils; my desire will be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.' 10 But You blew with Your wind, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. 11 Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders? 12 You stretched out Your right hand, and the earth swallowed them. 13 In Your steadfast love, You led the people You redeemed; in Your strength, You guided them to Your holy dwelling. 14 The peoples have heard; they tremble; anguish has seized the inhabitants of Philistia. 15 The chiefs of Edom are dismayed; the leaders of Moab tremble; the inhabitants of Canaan melt away. 16 Terror and dread fall upon them; by the greatness of Your arm, they are still as a stone, until Your people pass by, LORD, until the people You have purchased pass by. 17 You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance—the place, LORD, You made for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, Lord, Your hands established. 18 The LORD will reign forever and ever. 19 For when Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. 20 Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing. 21 Miriam sang to them: 'Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted. Both horse and rider He has hurled into the sea.'
• Judg 5:1-9 : 1 On that day, Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, sang this song: 2 When the leaders in Israel take charge, when the people willingly offer themselves—praise the Lord! 3 Listen, kings! Pay attention, rulers! I will sing to the Lord; I will make music to the Lord, the God of Israel. 4 O Lord, when You went out from Seir, when You marched from the fields of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down, the clouds poured down water. 5 The mountains melted before the Lord, even Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel. 6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths. 7 Village life in Israel ceased, ceased until I, Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel. 8 When they chose new gods, then war came to the city gates. Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel. 9 My heart is with Israel’s commanders, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord! 10 You who ride on white donkeys, sitting on rich carpets, and you who walk along the road, think about this: 11 The voices of the archers at the watering places recount the righteous acts of the Lord, the righteous acts of His villagers in Israel. Then the people of the Lord went down to the city gates. 12 Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak! Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam. 13 Then the survivors came down to the nobles; the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty. 14 From Ephraim came those whose roots were in Amalek; Benjamin was with the people who followed you. From Machir, commanders marched down; from Zebulun, those who wield the staff of office. 15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; yes, Issachar was with Barak, sent into the valley under his command. In the districts of Reuben, there was much searching of heart. 16 Why did you stay among the sheepfolds to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of Reuben, there was much searching of heart. 17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan; and Dan, why did he linger by the ships? Asher remained on the seashore and stayed in his coves. 18 Zebulun risked his life to the point of death, and Naphtali, too, on the heights of the battlefield. 19 Kings came, they fought; the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo. They took no plunder of silver. 20 From the heavens the stars fought; from their courses, they fought against Sisera. 21 The river Kishon swept them away, the ancient river, the river Kishon. March on, my soul, in strength! 22 Then the hoofs of horses hammered—galloping, galloping of their mighty steeds. 23 'Curse Meroz,' said the angel of the Lord. 'Curse its inhabitants bitterly, because they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty.' 24 Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women. 25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk; in a bowl fit for nobles, she brought him curd. 26 She reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman's hammer. She struck Sisera, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple. 27 At her feet he sank, he fell, there he lay. At her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell—dead. 28 Through the window peered Sisera's mother; behind the lattice she cried out, 'Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?' 29 Her wisest ladies answer her; indeed, she keeps saying to herself, 30 'Are they not finding and dividing the spoils: a girl or two for each man, colorful garments for Sisera, colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered garments for my neck—all this as plunder?' 31 So may all Your enemies perish, O Lord! But may those who love You be like the sun when it rises in its strength. And the land was at peace for forty years.
• 1 Sam 2:1-9 : 1 Hannah prayed and said: 'My heart rejoices in the LORD; my horn is lifted high in the LORD. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in Your deliverance.' 2 'There is no one holy like the LORD, for there is no one besides You; there is no Rock like our God.' 3 'Do not keep speaking so arrogantly or let proud words come out of your mouth, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by Him deeds are weighed.' 4 'The bows of the mighty are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.' 5 'Those who were full hire themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. The barren woman has borne seven children, but she who has many sons languishes.' 6 'The LORD brings death and gives life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.' 7 'The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He humbles and He exalts.' 8 'He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap to sit with nobles and inherit a seat of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s; upon them He has set the world.' 9 'He guards the feet of His faithful ones, but the wicked are silenced in darkness. For it is not by strength that one prevails.' 10 'The LORD will shatter His adversaries; He will thunder against them from heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to His king and exalt the horn of His anointed.'
• Acts 13:36 : 36 For David, after he had served God’s purpose in his own generation, fell asleep, was buried with his ancestors, and saw decay.
• Heb 3:5 : 5 Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to what would be spoken later.
• Ps 116:1-6 : 1 I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my pleas for mercy. 2 Because he has inclined his ear to me, I will call to him as long as I live. 3 The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of Sheol came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: 'O Lord, please save my life!' 5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is full of compassion. 6 The Lord protects the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me.