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Thursday, June 19th, 2025
the Week of Proper 6 / Ordinary 11
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Psalms 18:10

This verse is not available in the MSG!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - God;   Meteorology and Celestial Phenomena;   Readings, Select;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Cherubim;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Cherub;   Fire;   Psalms, the Book of;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Cherubim;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Cherub;   Winds;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Cherub, Cherubim;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Apocalyptic Literature;   Cherubim;   Cloud;   David;   English Versions;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Jonah;   Kingdom of God;   Psalms;   Salvation, Saviour;   Shekinah;   Sin;   Text, Versions, and Languages of Ot;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Cherubim ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Fire;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Cherub;   David;   Psalms the book of;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Fly;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Cherub;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bush, the Burning;   Cherubim (1);   Wings;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Theophany;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He rode on a cherub and flew,soaring on the wings of the wind.
Hebrew Names Version
He rode on a Keruv, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
King James Version
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
English Standard Version
He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
New Century Version
He rode a creature with wings and flew. He raced on the wings of the wind.
New English Translation
He mounted a winged angel and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.
Amplified Bible
And He rode upon a cherub (storm) and flew; And He sped on the wings of the wind.
New American Standard Bible
He rode on a cherub and flew; And He sped on the wings of the wind.
World English Bible
He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And he rode vpon Cherub and did flie, and he came flying vpon the wings of the winde.
Legacy Standard Bible
He rode upon a cherub and flew;And He sped upon the wings of the wind.
Berean Standard Bible
He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.
Contemporary English Version
You rode on the backs of flying creatures and swooped down with the wind as wings.
Complete Jewish Bible
He lowered heaven and came down with thick darkness under his feet.
Darby Translation
And he rode upon a cherub and did fly; yea, he flew fast upon the wings of the wind.
Easy-to-Read Version
He flew across the sky, riding on a Cherub angel racing on the wings of the wind.
George Lamsa Translation
And he rode upon cherubim and flew; yea, he soared upon the wings of the wind.
Good News Translation
He flew swiftly on his winged creature; he traveled on the wings of the wind.
Lexham English Bible
And he mounted a cherub and flew, and he swooped down on wings of wind.
Literal Translation
and He rode on a cherub, and He flew; yea He soared on the wings of the wind;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He rode vpo the Cherubins & dyd fle: he came flyenge with the wynges of the wynde.
American Standard Version
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; Yea, he soared upon the wings of the wind.
Bible in Basic English
And he went in flight through the air, seated on a storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and thick darkness was under His feet.
King James Version (1611)
And he rode vpon a Cherub, and did flie: yea he did flie vpon the wings of the wind.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
He ridde vpon the Cherub, and he dyd flee: he came fleeyng vpon the wynges of the wynde.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he mounted on cherubs and flew: he flew on the wings of winds.
English Revised Version
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly, yea, he flew swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He bowide doun heuenes, and cam doun; and derknesse was vndur hise feet.
Update Bible Version
And he rode on a cherub, and flew; Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he rode upon a cherub, and flew; yes, he flew upon the wings of the wind.
New King James Version
And He rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind.
New Living Translation
Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind.
New Life Bible
He sat upon a cherub and flew. He traveled on the wings of the wind.
New Revised Standard
He rode on a cherub, and flew; he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then he rode on a cherub, and flew, and darted on the wings of the wind;
Douay-Rheims Bible
(17-11) And he ascended upon the cherubim, and he flew; he flew upon the wings of the winds.
Revised Standard Version
He rode on a cherub, and flew; he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
Young's Literal Translation
And He rideth on a cherub, and doth fly, And He flieth on wings of wind.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He rode upon a cherub and flew; And He sped upon the wings of the wind.

Contextual Overview

1A David Song, Which He Sang to God After Being Saved from All His Enemies and from Saul I love you, God — you make me strong. God is bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight. My God—the high crag where I run for dear life, hiding behind the boulders, safe in the granite hideout. 3 I sing to God , the Praise-Lofty, and find myself safe and saved. 4The hangman's noose was tight at my throat; devil waters rushed over me. Hell's ropes cinched me tight; death traps barred every exit. 6 A hostile world! I call to God , I cry to God to help me. From his palace he hears my call; my cry brings me right into his presence— a private audience! 7Earth wobbles and lurches; huge mountains shake like leaves, Quake like aspen leaves because of his rage. His nostrils flare, bellowing smoke; his mouth spits fire. Tongues of fire dart in and out; he lowers the sky. He steps down; under his feet an abyss opens up. He's riding a winged creature, swift on wind-wings. Now he's wrapped himself in a trenchcoat of black-cloud darkness. But his cloud-brightness bursts through, spraying hailstones and fireballs. Then God thundered out of heaven; the High God gave a great shout, spraying hailstones and fireballs. God shoots his arrows—pandemonium! He hurls his lightnings—a rout! The secret sources of ocean are exposed, the hidden depths of earth lie uncovered The moment you roar in protest, let loose your hurricane anger. 16But me he caught—reached all the way from sky to sea; he pulled me out Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos, the void in which I was drowning. They hit me when I was down, but God stuck by me. He stood me up on a wide-open field; I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

rode: Psalms 99:1, 2 Samuel 22:11, 2 Samuel 22:12, Ezekiel 1:5-14, Ezekiel 10:20-22

he did fly: Psalms 104:3

Reciprocal: Exodus 40:34 - a cloud Deuteronomy 33:26 - rideth 1 Kings 6:23 - two cherubims 1 Chronicles 28:18 - the chariot Job 20:8 - fly away Job 26:8 - thick clouds Job 30:22 - to ride Psalms 68:4 - rideth Psalms 68:17 - chariots Psalms 68:33 - rideth Psalms 139:9 - the wings Isaiah 6:2 - did fly Isaiah 19:1 - rideth Ezekiel 10:1 - above Ezekiel 10:18 - and stood Daniel 3:17 - our God Habakkuk 3:8 - ride Matthew 17:5 - behold Acts 2:2 - as

Cross-References

Genesis 17:19
But God said, "That's not what I mean. Your wife, Sarah, will have a baby, a son. Name him Isaac (Laughter). I'll establish my covenant with him and his descendants, a covenant that lasts forever.
Genesis 18:3
He said, "Master, if it please you, stop for a while with your servant. I'll get some water so you can wash your feet. Rest under this tree. I'll get some food to refresh you on your way, since your travels have brought you across my path." They said, "Certainly. Go ahead."
Genesis 18:9
The men said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" He said, "In the tent."
Genesis 18:13
God said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh saying, ‘Me? Have a baby? An old woman like me?' Is anything too hard for God ? I'll be back about this time next year and Sarah will have a baby."
Genesis 18:15
Sarah lied. She said, "I didn't laugh," because she was afraid. But he said, "Yes you did; you laughed."
Genesis 18:16
When the men got up to leave, they set off for Sodom. Abraham walked with them to say good-bye.
Genesis 18:17
Then God said, "Shall I keep back from Abraham what I'm about to do? Abraham is going to become a large and strong nation; all the nations of the world are going to find themselves blessed through him. Yes, I've settled on him as the one to train his children and future family to observe God 's way of life, live kindly and generously and fairly, so that God can complete in Abraham what he promised him."
Luke 1:13
But the angel reassured him, "Don't fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You're going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you—many will delight in his birth. He'll achieve great stature with God. "He'll drink neither wine nor beer. He'll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother's womb. He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God. He will herald God's arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics—he'll get the people ready for God." Zachariah said to the angel, "Do you expect me to believe this? I'm an old man and my wife is an old woman." But the angel said, "I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news. But because you won't believe me, you'll be unable to say a word until the day of your son's birth. Every word I've spoken to you will come true on time—God's time." Meanwhile, the congregation waiting for Zachariah was getting restless, wondering what was keeping him so long in the sanctuary. When he came out and couldn't speak, they knew he had seen a vision. He continued speechless and had to use sign language with the people. When the course of his priestly assignment was completed, he went back home. It wasn't long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy. "So, this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!" she said. In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin's name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You're beautiful with God's beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you. She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, "Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. He will be great, be called ‘Son of the Highest.' The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; He will rule Jacob's house forever— no end, ever, to his kingdom." Mary said to the angel, "But how? I've never slept with a man." The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God. "And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God." And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the angel left her. Mary didn't waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah's house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly, You're so blessed among women, and the babe in your womb, also blessed! And why am I so blessed that the mother of my Lord visits me? The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears, The babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy. Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true! And Mary said, I'm bursting with God-news; I'm dancing the song of my Savior God. God took one good look at me, and look what happened— I'm the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten, the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others. His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him. He bared his arm and showed his strength, scattered the bluffing braggarts. He knocked tyrants off their high horses, pulled victims out of the mud. The starving poor sat down to a banquet; the callous rich were left out in the cold. He embraced his chosen child, Israel; he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high. It's exactly what he promised, beginning with Abraham and right up to now. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months and then went back to her own home. When Elizabeth was full-term in her pregnancy, she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives, seeing that God had overwhelmed her with mercy, celebrated with her. On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child and were calling him Zachariah after his father. But his mother intervened: "No. He is to be called John." "But," they said, "no one in your family is named that." They used sign language to ask Zachariah what he wanted him named. Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, "His name is to be John." That took everyone by surprise. Surprise followed surprise—Zachariah's mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God! A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else. Everyone who heard about it took it to heart, wondering, "What will become of this child? Clearly, God has his hand in this." Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he came and set his people free. He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives, and in the very house of David his servant, Just as he promised long ago through the preaching of his holy prophets: Deliverance from our enemies and every hateful hand; Mercy to our fathers, as he remembers to do what he said he'd do, What he swore to our father Abraham— a clean rescue from the enemy camp, So we can worship him without a care in the world, made holy before him as long as we live. And you, my child, "Prophet of the Highest," will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways, Present the offer of salvation to his people, the forgiveness of their sins. Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God's Sunrise will break in upon us, Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace. The child grew up, healthy and spirited. He lived out in the desert until the day he made his prophetic debut in Israel.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly,.... The Targum renders it in the plural number, "cherubim"; and so the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions; and by whom may be meant, either the angels, who are as horses and chariots, on whom Jehovah rides, and who art he makes use of as executioners of his wrath and vengeance, Zechariah 6:5; and to whom wings are assigned as a token of swiftness, Isaiah 6:2; or rather the ministers of the Gospel, who are the living creatures in Revelation 4:7; and answer to the "cherubim" in Ezekiel's visions; and whom God made use of, especially after the death of Christ, and when the Gospel was rejected by the Jews, to carry it into the Gentile world, which was done by them with great speed and swiftness; and Maimonides u gives a caution, not to understand the phrase, "he did fly", as of God, but of the cherub;

yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind; which may design the speedy help and assistance God gave to his Son, and gives to his people; and the swift destruction of their enemies; see Psalms 104:3; the words in

2 Samuel 22:11, with only the variation of a letter in one word, are, "and he was seen upon the wings of the wind"; which were both true; nor need a various reading be supposed, the psalmist using both words at different times, suitable to his purpose, and which both express his sense. Wings are ascribed to the winds by the Heathen poets, and they are represented as winged on ancient monuments w.

u Moreh Nevochim. par. 1. c. 49. w Vide Cuperi Apotheos. Homeri, p. 178. Wings are given to the south wind by Ovid, Metamorph. l. 1. Fab. 7. and by Juvenal, Satyr. 5. v. 10. and by Virgil, Aeneid. 8. v. 430. and who also speaks of wings of lightning, Aeneid. 5. v. 319.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And he rode upon a cherub - Compare Isaiah 14:13, note; Isaiah 37:16, note. The cherub in the theology of the Hebrews was a figurative representation of power and majesty, under the image of a being of a high and celestial nature, “whose form is represented as composed from the figures of a man, ox, lion, and eagle,” Ezekiel 1:0; Ezekiel 10:0. Cherubs are first mentioned as guarding the gates of Paradise, Genesis 3:24; then as bearing the throne of God upon their wings through the clouds, Ezekiel 1:0; Ezekiel 10:0; and also as statues or images made of wood and overlaid with gold, over the cover of the ark, in the inner sanctuary of the tabernacle, and of the temple, Exodus 25:18 ff; 1 Kings 6:23-28. Between the two cherubim in the temple, the Shechinah, or visible symbol of the presence of God, rested; and hence, God is represented as “dwelling between the cherubim,” Exodus 25:22; Numbers 7:89; Psalms 80:1; Psalms 99:1. The cherubim are not to be regarded as real existences, or as an order of angels like the seraphim Isaiah 6:2-3, but as an imaginary representation of majesty, as emblematic of the power and glory of God. Here God is represented as “riding on a cherub;” that is, as coming forth on the clouds regarded as a cherub (compare Ezekiel 1:0), as if, seated on his throne, he was borne along in majesty and power amidst the storm and tempest.

And did fly - He seemed to move rapidly on the flying clouds.

Yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind - Rapidly as the clouds driven along by the wind. The “wings of the wind” are designed to represent the rapidity with which the wind sweeps along. Rapid motion is represented by the flight of birds; hence, the term wings is applied to winds to denote the rapidity of their movement. The whole figure here is designed to represent; the majesty with which God seemed to be borne along on the tempest. Herder renders it, “He flew on the wings of the storm.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 18:10. He rode upon a cherub, and did fly — - That is, as it is immediately explained, Yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. God was in the storm, and by the ministry of angels guided the course of it, and drove it on with such an impetuous force as nothing could withstand. He 'rides in the whirlwind and directs the storm.' Angels are in a peculiar sense the attendants and messengers of the Almighty, whom he employs as his ministers in effecting many of those great events which take place in the administration of his providence; and particularly such as manifest his immediate interposition in the extraordinary judgments which he inflicts for the punishment of sinful nations. See Psalms 103:20; Psalms 104:4. The cherub is particularly mentioned as an emblem of the Divine presence, and especially as employed in supporting and conveying the chariot of the Almighty, when he is represented as riding in his majesty through the firmament of heaven: -

-Forth rush'd with whirlwind sound

The chariot of paternal Deity;

Flashing thick flames, wheel within wheel undrawn,

Itself instinct with spirit, but convey'd

By four cherubic shapes.

Par. Lost, lib. vi.


This seems to be the image intended to be conveyed in the place before us. "He rode upon a cherub, and did fly; he flew on the wings of the wind," i.e., the cherub supported and led on the tempest, in which the Almighty rode as in his chariot. This is agreeable to the office elsewhere ascribed to the cherubim. Thus they supported the mercy-seat, which was peculiarly the throne of God under the Jewish economy. God is expressly said to "make the clouds his chariot," Psalms 104:3; and to "ride upon a swift cloud," Isaiah 19:1: so that "riding upon a cherub," and "riding upon a swift cloud," is riding in the cloud as his chariot, supported and guided by the ministry of the cherubim. The next clause in the parallel place of Samuel is, "He was seen on the wings of the wind;" ירא yera, he was seen, being used for ידא yede, he flew, ד daleth being changed into ר resh. Either of them may be the true reading, for the MSS. are greatly divided on these places; but on the whole וירא vaiyera appears to be the better reading: "And he was seen on the wings of the wind."

As the original has been supposed by adequate judges to exhibit a fine specimen of that poetry which, in the choice of its terms, conveys both sense and sound, I will again lay it before the reader, as I have done in the parallel place, 2 Samuel 22:2. The words in italic Hebrew to be read from right to left.

ויעף כרוב על וירכב

vaiyaoph kerub al vayirkab

And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly!

רוח כנפי על וידא

ruach canphey al waiyede

Yea, he flew on the wings of the wind!


The word רוח ruach, in the last line, should be pronounced, not ruak, which is no Hebrew word: but as a Scottish man would pronounce it, were it written ruagh. With this observation, how astonishingly is the rushing of the wind heard in the last word of each hemistich! Sternhold and Hopkins have succeeded in their version of this place, not only beyond all they ever did, but beyond every ancient and modern poet on a similar subject: -

"On cherub and on cherubin

Full royally he rode;

And on the wings of mighty winds

Came flying all abroad."


Even the old Anglo-Scottish Psalter has not done amiss: -

And he steygh aboven cherubyn and he flow;

He flow aboven the fethers of wyndes.


 
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