Psalm 18:47

It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Benson Commentary

Psalm 18:47-50. It is God that avengeth me — That executeth vengeance, both by me, against his malicious enemies, and for me, against Saul, on whom I would not avenge myself. Thou liftest me up above those, &c. — Above their malice and power. Thou hast delivered me from the violent man — From Saul, whose name, for honour’s sake, he forbears to mention. Therefore I will give thanks to thee among the heathen — In the great congregations, consisting of the Israelites of all the tribes, of whom the word גוים, goim, nations, here rendered heathen, is used, Joshua 3:17; Joshua 4:1; Ezekiel 2:3, and elsewhere. Or, he means that he would give thanks to Jehovah, in the presence of those Gentiles who resorted to Jerusalem in great numbers, and before others of them who were either subject to him, or confederate with him, as he should have occasion of speaking or writing to any of them. It is probable, however, that David was here transported beyond himself, and spoke this with a special reference to Christ, who was to be his seed, of whom he was an eminent type, and by whom, what he here mentions, was most eminently done. Accordingly these words are applied to him, and to his calling of the Gentiles, Romans 15:9. Great deliverance giveth he to his king — The king whom he himself hath chosen and constituted. Literally the words, מגדל ישׁעוהmean, He magnifies the salvations of his king, which are said to be magnified, because “they are great and wonderful in themselves, and because they add a dignity and lustre to the king on whom they are bestowed; there being nothing that can tend more to advance the honour, and heighten the reverence, due to a prince than his being highly distinguished by the divine protection and care, and delivered thereby out of numerous dangers which threatened his prosperity and life.” —

Chandler. And showeth mercy to his anointed, to David and his seed — To all his posterity, and especially to the Messiah, in whom only the words, for evermore, are properly accomplished, it being only true of his kingdom, that it shall have no end.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

18:32, and the following verses, are the gifts of God to the spiritual warrior, whereby he is prepared for the contest, after the example of his victorious Leader. Learn that we must seek release being made through Christ, shall be rejected. In David the type, we behold out of trouble through Christ. The prayer put up, without reconciliation Jesus our Redeemer, conflicting with enemies, compassed with sorrows and with floods of ungodly men, enduring not only the pains of death, but the wrath of God for us; yet calling upon the Father with strong cries and tears; rescued from the grave; proceeding to reconcile, or to put under his feet all other enemies, till death, the last enemy, shall be destroyed. We should love the Lord, our Strength, and our Salvation; we should call on him in every trouble, and praise him for every deliverance; we should aim to walk with him in all righteousness and true holiness, keeping from sin. If we belong to him, he conquers and reigns for us, and we shall conquer and reign through him, and partake of the mercy of our anointed King, which is promised to all his seed for evermore. Amen.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

It is God that avengeth me - Margin, giveth avengements for me. The marginal reading is a literal translation of the Hebrew. The meaning is, that God had punished the enemies of the author of the psalm for all the wrongs which they had done to him. Compare Romans 12:19.

And subdueth the people under me - Margin, destroyeth. The idea is that he had subdued the nations so that they became obedient to him. The primary notion of the word used here - from דבר dâbar - is to set in a row; to range in order; to connect; to lead; to guide; - then, to reduce to order; to subdue. This God had done in respect to the nations. Instead of being rebellious and tumultuous, God had reduced them to obedience, and had thus set him over a kingdom where all were subject to order and to law.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

47, 48. avengeth me—His cause is espoused by God as His own.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

That avengeth me; that executed vengeance both by me against malicious enemies, and for me against Saul, of whom I would not avenge myself.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

It is God that avengeth me,.... Or "gives vengeance unto me", or "for me" (t): vengeance only belongs to God, and he repays it for and in behalf of his people. Private revenge is not to be exercised by any; public vengeance on delinquents may be exercised by the civil magistrate, to whom God gives power and authority to exercise it, Romans 13:4; as he did to David, as king of Israel; though the phrase rather seems to design the victories which he obtained over his enemies, which were punishments to them, vengeances inflicted on them; and owing to God; so the acceptable year of the Messiah's coming, and the time of his people redeemed by him, is called the day of vengeance of our God, both on his and their enemies, Isaiah 61:2;

and subdueth the people under me; the Edomites, Moabites, and others, as in 2 Samuel 8:1, or the Gentiles under Christ; See Gill on Psalm 18:39;

(t) "qui dat ultiones mihi", Pagninus, Gejerus; so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Musculus, Cocceius, Michaelis.

Geneva Study Bible

It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

47. Render:

Even the God that executed vengeance for me,

And subdued peoples under me.

Vengeance is the prerogative of God (Psalm 94:1); it is His vindication of the righteousness and integrity of His servants. Such a thanksgiving as this does not shew a spirit of vindictiveness in David, but is a recognition that God had ‘pleaded his cause,’ and maintained the right. God had avenged him for the cruel injustice of Saul (1 Samuel 24:12); for the contemptuous insults of Nabal (1 Samuel 25:39); for the factious opposition of those who refused to acknowledge him as king in spite of his Divine call (2 Samuel 4:8).

The second line of the verse refers, like Psalm 18:43, to success in overcoming internal as well as external opposition to his rule. Cp. Psalm 144:2. It is not, however, the boast of a triumphant despot, but the thanksgiving of a ruler who recognised the vital importance of union for the prosperity of Israel, and knew that the task of reconciling the discordant elements in the nation was beyond his own unaided powers.

For subdueth 2 Sam. has ‘bringeth down.’

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 47. - It is God that avengeth me; rather, even the God avengeth me (comp. vers. 3, 6, 14, 17, etc.). And subdueth the people under me; rather, the peoples; i.e. the nations (comp. vers. 37-42). Psalm 18:47

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

(Heb.: 18:47-49) The hymn now draws towards the end with praise and thanksgiving for the multitude of God's mighty deeds, which have just been displayed. Like the (צוּרי) בּרוּך which is always doxological, חי ה (vivus Jahve) is meant as a predicate clause, but is read with the accent of an exclamation just as in the formula of an oath, which is the same expression; and in the present instance it has a doxological meaning. Accordingly וירוּם also signifies "exalted be," in which sense it is written וירם (וירם equals וירם) in the other text. There are three doxological utterances drawn from the events which have just been celebrated in song. That which follows, from האל onwards, describes Jahve once more as the living, blessed (εὐλογητόν), and exalted One, which He has shown Himself to be. From ויּדבּר we see that הנּותן is to be resolved as an imperfect. The proofs of vengeance, נקמות, are called God's gift, insofar as He has rendered it possible to him to punish the attacks upon his own dignity and the dignity of his people, or to witness the punishment of such insults (e.g., in the case of Nabal); for divine vengeance is a securing by punishment (vindicatio) of the inviolability of the right. It is questionable whether הדבּיר (synonym רדד, Psalm 144:2) here and in Psalm 47:4 means "to bring to reason" as an intensive of דּבר, to drive (Ges.); the more natural meaning is "to turn the back" according to the Arabic adbara (Hitzig), cf. dabar, dabre, flight, retreat; debira to be wounded behind; medbûr, wounded in the back. The idea from which הדביר gains the meaning "to subdue" is that of flight, in which hostile nations, overtaken from behind, sank down under him (Psalm 45:6); but the idea that is fully worked out in Psalm 129:3, Isaiah 51:23, is by no means remote. With מפלטי the assertion takes the form of an address. מן רומם does not differ from Psalm 9:14 : Thou liftest me up away from mine enemies, so that I hover above them and triumph over them. The climactic אף, of which poetry is fond, here unites two thoughts of a like import to give intensity of expression to the one idea. The participle is followed by futures: his manifold experience is concentrated in one general ideal expression.