Lectionary Calendar
Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
Attention!
For 10¢ a day you can enjoy StudyLight.org ads
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

Psalms 18:2

You are my mighty rock, my fortress, my protector, the rock where I am safe, my shield, my powerful weapon, and my place of shelter.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Blessing;   Faith;   Fort;   Readings, Select;   Rock;   Salvation;   Shield;   Testimony;   Tower;   Thompson Chain Reference - Battle of Life;   Fortress, God a;   God;   Protector, Divine;   The Topic Concordance - Defense;   Deliverance;   Foundation;   God;   Salvation;   Strength;   Trust;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Fortresses;   Horns;   Privileges of Saints;   Protection;   Rocks;   Salvation;   Towers;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Fire;   Psalms, the Book of;   Towers;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Faith;   Horn;   Love;   Rock;   War;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Castle;   Deliverance, Deliverer;   Hope;   Names of God;   Salvation;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Apocalyptic Literature;   David;   English Versions;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Horn;   Jonah;   Misgab;   Psalms;   Rock;   Salvation, Saviour;   Sin;   Text, Versions, and Languages of Ot;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Horn;   Salvation Save Saviour;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Fortress;   Horns;   Rock;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Shield;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Buckler;   David;   Psalms the book of;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Buckler;   Fortress;   Horn;   Rock;   Tower;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Rock;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Buckler;   Faithful;   Fortification;   Horn;   Israel, Religion of;   Rock;   Spiritual Rock;   Unchangeable;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for April 23;   Today's Word from Skip Moen - Devotion for September 4;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The Lord is my rock,my fortress, and my deliverer,my God, my rock where I seek refuge,my shield and the horn of my salvation,my stronghold.
Hebrew Names Version
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
King James Version
The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
English Standard Version
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
New Century Version
The Lord is my rock, my protection, my Savior. My God is my rock. I can run to him for safety. He is my shield and my saving strength, my defender.
New English Translation
The Lord is my high ridge, my stronghold, my deliverer. My God is my rocky summit where I take shelter, my shield, the horn that saves me, and my refuge.
Amplified Bible
The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and the One who rescues me; My God, my rock and strength in whom I trust and take refuge; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower—my stronghold.
New American Standard Bible
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my savior, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
World English Bible
Yahweh is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
Geneva Bible (1587)
The Lorde is my rocke, and my fortresse, and he that deliuereth me, my God and my strength: in him will I trust, my shield, the horne also of my saluation, and my refuge.
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Berean Standard Bible
The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Complete Jewish Bible
He said: "I love you, Adonai , my strength!
Darby Translation
Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I will trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord is my Rock, my fortress, my place of safety. He is my God, the Rock I run to for protection. He is my shield; by his power I am saved. He is my hiding place high in the hills.
George Lamsa Translation
My refuge and my deliverer is the mighty God in whom I trust; he is my helper and the horn of my salvation and my glorious refuge.
Good News Translation
The Lord is my protector; he is my strong fortress. My God is my protection, and with him I am safe. He protects me like a shield; he defends me and keeps me safe.
Lexham English Bible
Yahweh is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I have taken refuge, my shield and the horn of my deliverance, my stronghold.
Literal Translation
Jehovah is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; He is my God, my Rock; I seek refuge in Him; He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I wil prayse ye LORDE & call vpon him, so shal I be safe fro myne enemies.
American Standard Version
Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
Bible in Basic English
The Lord is my Rock, my walled town, and my saviour; my God, my Rock, in him will I put my faith; my breastplate, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he said: I love thee, O LORD, my strength.
King James Version (1611)
The Lord is my rocke, and my fortresse, and my deliuerer: my God, my strength in whome I will trust, my buckler, and the horne of my saluation, and my high tower.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
God is my stony rocke & my fortresse, and my delyuerer: my Lorde, my castell in whom I wyll trust, my buckler, the horne of my saluation, & my refuge.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
The Lord is my firm support, and my refuge, and my deliverer; my God is my helper, I will hope in him; he is my defender, and the horn of my salvation, and my helper.
English Revised Version
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strong rock, in him will I trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Lord, my strengthe, Y schal loue thee; the Lord is my stidfastnesse, and my refuyt, and mi deliuerere.
Update Bible Version
Yahweh is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
Webster's Bible Translation
The LORD [is] my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, [and] my high tower.
New King James Version
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
New Living Translation
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.
New Life Bible
The Lord is my rock, and my safe place, and the One Who takes me out of trouble. My God is my rock, in Whom I am safe. He is my safe-covering, my saving strength, and my strong tower.
New Revised Standard
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Yahweh, was my mountain crag and my stronghold, and my deliverer: My GOD, was my rock, I sought refuge in him, My shield, and my horn of salvation, my high tower.
Douay-Rheims Bible
(17-3) The Lord is my firmament, my refuge, and my deliverer. My God is my helper, and in him will I put my trust. My protector, and the horn of my salvation, and my support.
Revised Standard Version
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Young's Literal Translation
Jehovah [is] my rock, and my bulwark, And my deliverer, My God [is] my rock, I trust in Him: My shield, and a horn of my salvation, My high tower.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Contextual Overview

1

(For the music leader. A psalm by David, the Lord 's servant. David sang this to the Lord after the Lord had rescued him from his enemies, but especially from Saul.)

I love you, Lord God, and you make me strong. 2 You are my mighty rock, my fortress, my protector, the rock where I am safe, my shield, my powerful weapon, and my place of shelter. 3 I praise you, Lord ! I prayed, and you rescued me from my enemies. 4 Death had wrapped its ropes around me, and I was almost swallowed by its flooding waters. 5 Ropes from the world of the dead had coiled around me, and death had set a trap in my path. 6 I was in terrible trouble when I called out to you, but from your temple you heard me and answered my prayer. 7 The earth shook and shivered, and the mountains trembled down to their roots. You were angry 8 and breathed out smoke. Scorching heat and fiery flames spewed from your mouth. 9 You opened the heavens like curtains, and you came down with storm clouds under your feet. 10 You rode on the backs of flying creatures and swooped down with the wind as wings.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Lord: Psalms 28:1, Psalms 62:2, Psalms 62:7, Isaiah 32:2

fortress: Psalms 91:2, Psalms 144:2, Jeremiah 16:19

strength: Heb. rock

whom: Hebrews 2:13

buckler: Psalms 91:4, Proverbs 2:7

horn: Psalms 132:17, 2 Samuel 22:3

high: Proverbs 18:10

Reciprocal: Genesis 15:1 - thy shield Exodus 15:2 - strength Exodus 33:22 - in a clift Deuteronomy 32:4 - the Rock Deuteronomy 33:27 - refuge 1 Samuel 2:1 - mine horn 1 Samuel 2:2 - rock 1 Samuel 17:45 - in the name 2 Samuel 22:2 - General 1 Kings 1:36 - the Lord 1 Chronicles 28:9 - the God Job 22:25 - the Almighty Psalms 3:3 - a shield Psalms 7:1 - in Psalms 7:10 - My Psalms 9:9 - The Lord Psalms 18:30 - a buckler Psalms 18:46 - blessed Psalms 19:14 - strength Psalms 20:1 - defend Psalms 21:7 - For the Psalms 25:2 - O Psalms 27:1 - salvation Psalms 28:7 - strength Psalms 31:2 - my strong rock Psalms 31:14 - Thou Psalms 42:9 - God Psalms 59:9 - his strength Psalms 61:3 - strong Psalms 62:8 - God Psalms 71:3 - my rock Psalms 73:26 - but Psalms 81:1 - our strength Psalms 92:15 - my rock Psalms 94:22 - the rock Psalms 118:14 - is my strength Psalms 140:7 - the strength Psalms 144:1 - my strength Isaiah 17:10 - the rock Isaiah 26:4 - everlasting strength Joel 3:16 - hope Nahum 1:7 - strong hold Luke 1:69 - an Hebrews 13:6 - The Lord

Cross-References

Genesis 18:3
and said, "Please come to my home where I can serve you.
Genesis 18:6
Abraham quickly went to his tent and said to Sarah, "Hurry! Get a large sack of flour and make some bread."
Genesis 18:7
After saying this, he rushed off to his herd of cattle and picked out one of the best calves, which his servant quickly prepared.
Genesis 18:11
Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah was well past the age for having children.
Genesis 18:16
When the three men got ready to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked part of the way with them.
Genesis 19:1
That evening the two angels arrived in Sodom, while Lot was sitting near the city gate. When Lot saw them, he got up, bowed down low,
Genesis 23:7
Abraham bowed down
Genesis 32:24
Afterwards, Jacob went back and spent the rest of the night alone. A man came and fought with Jacob until just before daybreak.
Genesis 43:26
When Joseph came home, they gave him the gifts they had brought, and they bowed down to him.
Genesis 43:28
They answered, "Your servant our father is still alive and well." And again they bowed down to Joseph.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The Lord [is] my rock,.... To whom the saints have recourse for shelter and safety, for supply, support, and divine refreshment; and in whom they are secure, and on whom they build their hopes of eternal life and happiness, and so are safe from all enemies, and from all danger. Christ is called a Rock on all these accounts, Psalms 61:2;

and my fortress; or garrison; so the saints are kept in and by the power of God as in a garrison, 1 Peter 1:5;

and my deliverer: out of all afflictions, and from all temptations, and out of the hands of all enemies; from a body of sin and death at last, and from wrath to come;

my God; the strong and mighty One, who is able to save, and who is the covenant God and Father of his people;

my strength, in whom I will trust; as Christ did, and to whom these words are applied in Hebrews 2:13; and as his people are enabled to do even under very distressing and discouraging circumstances, Job 13:15;

my buckler; or shield; who protects and defends them from their enemies, and preserves them from the fiery darts of Satan;

and the horn of my salvation; who pushes, scatters, and destroys their enemies, and saves them; a metaphor taken from horned beasts; so Christ, the mighty and able Saviour, is called, Luke 1:69;

[and] my high tower; such is the name of the Lord, whither the righteous run and are safe, Proverbs 18:10; and where they are above and out of the reach of every enemy; see Isaiah 33:16; in 2 Samuel 22:3, it is added, "and my refuge, my Saviour, thou savest me from violence". These various epithets show the fulness of safety in Jehovah, the various ways he has to deliver his people from their enemies, and secure them from danger; and the psalmist beholding and claiming his interest in him under all these characters, rendered him exceeding lovely and delightful to him; and each of them contain a reason why he loved him, and why, in the strength of grace, he determined to love him. God may be regarded in all these characters by Christ as man.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The Lord is my rock - The idea in this expression, and in the subsequent parts of the description, is that he owed his safety entirely to God. He had been unto him as a rock, a tower, a buckler, etc. - that is, he had derived from God the protection which a rock, a tower, a citadel, a buckler furnished to those who depended on them, or which they were designed to secure. The word “rock” here has reference to the fact that in times of danger a lofty rock would be sought as a place of safety, or that men would fly to it to escape from their enemies. Such rocks abound in Palestine; and by the fact that they are elevated and difficult of access, or by the fact that those who fled to them could find shelter behind their projecting crags, or by the fact that they could find security in their deep and dark caverns, they became places of refuge in times of danger; and protection was often found there when it could not be found in the plains below. Compare Judges 6:2; Psalms 27:5; Psalms 61:2. Also, Josephus, Ant., b. xiv., ch. xv.

And my fortress - He has been to me as a fortress. The word fortress means a place of defense, a place so strengthened that an enemy could not approach it, or where one would be safe. Such fortresses were often constructed on the rocks or on hills, where those who fled there would be doubly safe. Compare Job 39:28. See also the notes at Isaiah 33:16.

And my deliverer - Delivering or rescuing me from my enemies.

My God - Who hast been to me a God; that is, in whom I have found all that is implied in the idea of “God” - a Protector, Helper, Friend, Father, Saviour. The notion or idea of a “God” is different from all other ideas, and David had found, as the Christian now does, all that is implied in that idea, in Yahweh, the living God.

My strength - Margin, “My rock” So the Hebrew, although the Hebrew word is different from that which is used in the former part of the verse. Both words denote that God was a refuge or protection, as a rock or crag is to one in danger (compare Deuteronomy 32:37), though the exact difference between the words may not be obvious.

In whom I will trust - That is, I have found him to be such a refuge that I could trust in him, and in view of the past I will confide in him always.

My buckler - The word used here is the same which occurs in Psalms 3:3, where it is translated “shield.” See the notes at that verse.

And the horn of my salvation - The “horn” is to animals the means of their defense. Their strength lies in the horn. Hence, the word is used here, as elsewhere, to represent that to which we owe our protection and defense in danger; and the idea here is, that God was to the psalmist what the horn is to animals, the means of his defense. Compare Psalms 22:21; Psalms 75:4-5, Psalms 75:10; Psalms 92:10; Psalms 132:17; Psalms 148:14.

And my high tower - He is to me what a high tower is to one who is in danger. Compare Proverbs 18:10, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” The word used here occurs in Psalms 9:9, where it is rendered “refuge.” (Margin, “A high place.”) See the notes at that verse. Such towers were erected on mountains, on rocks, or on the walls of a city, and were regarded as safe places mainly because they were inaccessible. So the old castles in Europe - as that at Heidelberg, and generally those along the Rhine - were built on lofty places, and in such positions as not to be easily accessible.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 18:2. The Lord is my rock

2. I stand on him as my foundation, and derive every good from him who is the source of good. The word סלע sela signifies those craggy precipices which afford shelter to men and wild animals; where the bees often made their nests, and whence honey was collected in great abundance. "He made him to suck honey out of the rock," Deuteronomy 32:13.

3. He was his fortress; a place of strength and safety, fortified by nature and art, where he could be safe from his enemies. He refers to those inaccessible heights in the rocky, mountainous country of Judea, where he had often found refuge from the pursuit of Saul. What these have been to my body, such has the Lord been to my soul.

Deliverer

4. מפלתי mephalleti, he who causes me to escape. This refers to his preservation in straits and difficulties. He was often almost surrounded and taken, but still the Lord made a way for his escape - made a way out as his enemies got in; so that, while they got in at one side of his strong hold, he got out of the other, and so escaped with his life. These escapes were so narrow and so unlikely that he plainly saw the hand of the Lord was in them.

5. My God, אלי Eli, my strong God, not only the object of my adoration, but he who puts strength in my soul.

6. My strength, צורי tsuri. This is a different word from that in the first verse.

Rabbi Maimon has observed that צור tsur, when applied to God, signifies fountain, source, origin, c. God is not only the source whence my being was derived, but he is the fountain whence I derive all my good in whom, says David, I will trust. And why? Because he knew him to be an eternal and inexhaustible fountain of goodness. This fine idea is lost in our translation; for we render two Hebrew words of widely different meaning, by the same term in English, strength.

7. My buckler, מגני maginni, my shield, my defender, he who covers my head and my heart, so that I am neither slain nor wounded by the darts of my adversaries.

8. Horn of my salvation. Horn was the emblem of power, and power in exercise. This has been already explained; see on 1 Samuel 2:1. The horn of salvation means a powerful, an efficient salvation.

9. My high tower; not only a place of defence, but one from which I can discern the country round about, and always be able to discover danger before it approaches me.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile