Psalm 18 is the 18th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "I love you, O LORD, my strength". In the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, it is psalm 17 in a slightly different numbering system, known as "Diligam te Domine fortitudo mea". It is almost identical to 2 Samuel 22, although verse 1 of the psalm, I love you, O LORD, my strength, is not included in the Samuel version. With 50 verses, this is the longest psalm in Book 1 of the Book of Psalms (Psalms 1-41). The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It was set to music by composers such as Heinrich Schütz.

Text

Hebrew

The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

King James Version

This psalm, in the English Standard Version, reads in the King James Version: Introduction: The LORD Is My Rock and My Fortress To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:

Theme

The Jerusalem Bible describes this psalm as "a triumphal ode combining a thanksgiving prayer ... with a royal victory song, ending on a messianic note". According to Charles and Emilie Briggs in the International Critical Commentary series, this psalm borrowed material from 2 Samuel 22, which may have been written by David himself, with later additions by multiple editors adapting it for use in public worship. This psalm is one of a number of psalms which refer to God as a "rock" and a "fortress". Details in the Psalm, including the language of a watery descent to Sheol, closely match details from the Book of Jonah.

Usage

Judaism

New Testament

Some verses of Psalm 18 are referenced in the New Testament:

Book of Common Prayer

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, Psalm 18 is appointed to be read on the evening of the third day of the month.

Musical settings

The first line of Psalm 18 was paraphrased in the German hymn "Ich will dich lieben, meine Stärke" by Angelus Silesius in 1657. Heinrich Schütz set a metred paraphrase of Psalm 18 in German, "Ich lieb dich, Herr, von Herzen sehr", SWV 114, as part of the Becker Psalter.