He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.
He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he was seen on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness a shelter around himself: gathering of waters, and thick clouds of the skies.
Parallel Translations
-
He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.
He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he was seen on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness a shelter around himself: gathering of waters, and thick clouds of the skies.
-
He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.
Show all 3 translations
-
He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and thick darkness was under His feet.
And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea, He was seen upon the wings of the wind.
And He made darkness pavilions round about Him, gathering of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
Cross-references (27)
- Psalms 104:3 (vv10–11) He lays the beams of his rooms in the waters. He makes the clouds his chariot. He walks on the wings of the wind.
- 1 Kings 8:12 (v10) Then Solomon said, “Yahweh has said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.
- Psalms 97:2 (vv10, 12) Clouds and darkness are around him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
- Exodus 20:21 (v10) The people stayed at a distance, and Moses came near to the thick darkness where God was.
- 2 Samuel 22:10 (v12) He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.
Show all 25 cross-references
- Job 36:29 (v12) Yes, can any understand the spreading of the clouds, and the thunderings of his pavilion?
- Psalms 18:10 (v11) He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
- Psalms 18:11-12 (v12) He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies. At the brightness before him his…
- Psalms 144:5 (v10) Part your heavens, Yahweh, and come down. Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.
- Genesis 3:24 (v11) So he drove out the man; and he placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the…
- Exodus 25:19 (v11) Make one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end. You shall make the cherubim on its two ends of one piece with the mercy…
- Deuteronomy 4:11 (v10) You came near and stood under the mountain. The mountain burned with fire to the heart of the sky, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.
- 1 Samuel 4:4 (v11) So the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from there the ark of the covenant of Yahweh of Armies, who sits above the cherubim; and the…
- Psalms 27:5 (v12) For in the day of trouble, he will keep me secretly in his pavilion. In the secret place of his tabernacle, he will hide me. He will lift…
- Psalms 68:17 (v11) The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands. The Lord is among them, from Sinai, into the sanctuary.
- Psalms 80:1 (v11) Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock, you who sit above the cherubim, shine out.
- Psalms 99:1 (v11) Yahweh reigns! Let the peoples tremble. He sits enthroned among the cherubim. Let the earth be moved.
- Psalms 139:9 (v11) If I take the wings of the dawn, and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea,
- Isaiah 64:1-3 (v10) Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence. As when fire kindles the…
- Ezekiel 9:3 (v11) The glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub, whereupon it was, to the threshold of the house; and he called to the man clothed…
- Ezekiel 10:2-14 (v11) He spoke to the man clothed in linen, and said, “Go in between the whirling wheels, even under the cherub, and fill both your hands with…
- Nahum 1:3 (v10) Yahweh is slow to anger, and great in power, and will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. Yahweh has his way in the whirlwind and in…
- Matthew 27:45 (v10) Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
- Luke 23:44-45 (v10) It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. The sun was darkened, and the veil of the…
- Hebrews 1:14 (v11) Aren’t they all serving spirits, sent out to do service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
25 distinct cross-references across this passage (27 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (10 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv10–11 So it seemeth when the air is dark.
So it seemeth when the air is dark.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv10–12 He sent from above, he took me; he drew…
He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. See Gill on Psa 18:16.
.
Read full note →
2 Samuel 22:18
sa2 22:18
sa2 22:18
sa2 22:18He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me. See Gill on Psa 18:17.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v11 Verse 11. He rode upon a cherub, and did…
Verse 11. He rode upon a cherub, and did fly - he was seen upon the things of the wind.] In the original of this sublime passage, sense and sound are astonishingly well connected. I shall insert the Hebrew, represent it in English letters for the sake of the unlearned reader, and have only to observe, he must read from the right to the left.
רוח כנפי על וירא ויעף כרוב על וירכב
Read full note →
ruach canphey al vaiyera :vaiyaoph kerub al vayirkab
wind the of wings the upon seen was he and :fly did and cherub a upon rode he
The clap of the wing, the agitation and rush through the air are expressed here in a very extraordinary manner.
Other beauties of this kind will be noted in the exposition of the Psalm alluded to above.
I now subjoin Dr. Kennicott's remarks on this chapter: -
"The very sublime poetry contained in this chapter is universally admired, and yet it cannot be perfectly understood, till it is known WHO is the speaker, who the person thus triumphant over mighty enemies, whose sufferings occasioned such a dreadful convulsion of nature, and, who, upon his deliverance, inflicted such vengeance on his own people, and also became thus a king over the heathen. Should we be told that this person was David, it will be very difficult to show how this description can possibly agree with that character: but if it did in fact agree, yet would it contradict St. Paul, who quotes part of it as predicting the conversion of the Gentiles under Christ the Messiah. Ro 15:9; Heb 2:13; and see Peirce's Commentary, p. 50. Now if the person represented as speaking through this Divine ode be David only, the Messiah is excluded. In consequence of the difficulties resulting from each of these suppositions, the general idea has been that it relates both to David and to the Messiah as a prophecy of a double sense; first, as spoken by David of himself, and yet to be understood in a secondary sense, of the Messiah. But it must be remarked here, that if spoken only of David, it is not a prediction of any thing future, but a thanksgiving for favours past, and therefore is no prophecy at all. And farther, it could not be a prophecy descriptive of David unless the particulars agreed to David, which they evidently do not. If then David be here necessarily excluded from the single sense, he must be excluded also from the double sense, because nothing can be intended by any sacred writer, to relate to two persons, unless it be TRUE of both; but it not being the case here as to David, we must conclude that this song relates only to the Messiah; and on this subject an excellent Dissertation, by the late Mr. Peirce, is subjoined to his comment on the Epistle to the Hebrews. It may be necessary to add here two remarks: the twenty-fourth verse now ends with, I have kept myself from mine iniquity, which words, it is objected, are not proper, if applied to the Messiah. But this difficulty is removed, in part, by the context, which represents the speaker as perfectly innocent and righteous; and this exactly agrees with the proof arising from the Syriac and Arabic versions, and also the Chaldee paraphrase, that this word was anciently מעונים ab iniquitatibus; consequently, this is one of the many instances where the ם final mem is improperly omitted by the Jewish transcribers. See my General Dissertation, p. 12. Lastly, the difficulty arising from the title, which ascribes the Psalm to David, and which seems to make him the speaker in it, may be removed, either by supposing that the title here, like those now prefixed to several Psalms, is of no sufficient authority; or rather, by considering this title as only meant to describe the time when David composed this prophetic hymn, that when delivered from all his other enemies as well as from the hand of Saul, he then consecrated his leisure by composing this sublime prophecy concerning MESSIAH, his son, whom he represents here as speaking, (just as in Psa. 22, 40, and other places,) and as describing,
1. His triumph over death and hell;
2. The manifestations of Omnipotence in his favour, earth and heaven, trembling at God's awful presence;
3. The speaker's innocence thus divinely attested;
4. The vengeance he was to take on his own people the Jews, in the destruction of Jerusalem; and,
5. The adoption of the heathen, over whom he was to be the head and ruler.
"Another instance of a title denoting only the time of a prophecy, occurs in the very next chapter; where a prophecy concerning the Messiah is entitled, The LAST words of David; i.e., a hymn which he composed a little before his death, after all his other prophecies. And perhaps this ode in 2 Sam. 22, which immediately precedes that in 2 Sam. 23, was composed but a little while before; namely, when all his wars were over. Let it be added, that Josephus, immediately before he speaks of David's mighty men, which follow in this same chapter of Samuel, considers the two hymns in 2 Sam. 22 and 23, as both written after his wars were over - Jam Davides, bellis et periculis perfunctus, pacemque deinceps profundam agitans, odas in Deum hymnosque composuit. Tom. i., page 401."
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v11 Upon. Cardell (Menochius) would translate the Hebrew, "as in…
Upon. Cardell (Menochius) would translate the Hebrew, "as in contest."
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv10–12 10. Bows down the heavens — Bent down the…
10. Bows down the heavens — Bent down the firmament so as to form a broad descending way for his coming.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv10–12 10. He bowed the heavens] The dark canopy of…
10. He bowed the heavens] The dark canopy of storm cloud, which is the pavement under His feet (Nah_1:3), lowers as He descends to judgment. God is said to come down when He manifests His power in the world (Gen_11:7; Gen_18:21; Isa_64:1). Darkness symbolizes the mystery and terror of His Advent (Exo_19:16; Exo_20:21; 1Ki_8:12; Psa_97:2).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv11–12 (11) He was seen.—Psalms 18, “he did fly.” The…
(11) He was seen.—Psalms 18, “he did fly.” The two words are exceedingly alike in the Hebrew, and either could easily be mistaken for the other. The form in the psalm is far more poetical.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On v11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly;…
Vers. 11-13.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; And he was seen upon the wings of the wind. And he made darkness booths round about him; Gathering of waters, thickenings of clouds. Out of the brightness before him Coals of fire burned. 2Sa_6:2 Jehovah is described as sitting upon the cherubim; his presence there, called by the rabbins his Shechinah, that is, dwelling, being indicated by a cloud of light. In this psalm the cherub is his chariot, on which he rides forth to judgment. He was seen. There can be little doubt that the right reading is preserved in Psa_18:10, where we find a verb signifying the swooping down of a bird of prey upon its quarry (Deu_28:49; Jer_48:40) The two words differ only in the substitution of r for d, and these letters are so similar in Hebrew that they are constantly interchanged. Booths; made of branches of trees, and forming a temporary abode. So the dark storm clouds are gathered round the Almighty to veil his awful form from sight as he goes forth for judgment. Gathering of waters; probably the right reading, instead of which in the psalm we find "dark waters." The gathering of waters would describe the massing of the rain clouds. The difference here also consists only in one letter. Out of the brightness, which closely surrounds the Deity in the midst of the black mass of the tempest, the lightning flashes forth. This brightness is the Shechinah (see above), to which St. Paul also refers where he says that God"s dwelling is in "the unapproachable light". (1Ti_6:16)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v10 He bowed the heavens also and came down.
2Sa_22:10-14
He bowed the heavens also and came down.
Read full note →
Jesus announced
In 1808 there was a meeting of the Emperors of France and Russia at Erfurt. There were distinguished men there from other lands. It was so arranged that when any of the Emperors arrived at the door of the reception-room the drum should beat three times; but when a lesser dignitary should come, then the drum would sound but twice. After a while the people in the audience-chamber heard two taps of the drum. They said, A prince is coming. But after a while there were three taps, and they cried, The Emperor! Oh, there is a more glorious arrival at your soul to-night. The drum beats twice at the coming of the lesser joys and congratulations of your soul; but it beats once, twice, thrice, at the coming in of a glorious King--Jesus the Saviour, Jesus the God. I congratulate you. All are yours--things present and things to come. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
God comes, to our succour
God lives, that is the armour that David had. You cannot see it; it does not glisten in the sun; but he has it; God is with him. There are two sovereigns who never move from their capitals. The Pope sticks to the Vatican--it is papal etiquette; and the Sultan, he has remained for fifteen years within the bounds of his capital--it is Mahommedan etiquette. But God is not like that. God, as it were, leaves high heaven, and He has betaken Himself to this young Davids side. Oh, warrior for Christ, why should you be downhearted? Why should you be sad? Why should not your vision be glorified so that you can behold the horses and the chariots of the living God? In the battle against sin: the armour you have is the consciousness of the living God. David knows God. (J. Robertson.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v10 General Information:
General Information:
David's song to Yahweh continues. He uses parallelism to emphasize what he is saying. (See: Parallelism)
Read full note →
He opened the heavens ... rain clouds in the skies
David describes Yahweh's way of saving David from his enemies as a storm cloud gathering over a place. This emphasizes God's power and his anger. (See: Metaphor)
under his feet
David speaks of God as having feet like humans. (See: Personification)
He was seen on the wings of the wind
This can be translated in active form. AT: "He appeared on the wings of the wind" (See: Active or Passive)
the wings of the wind
This expression speaks of the wind as if it were a bird. (See: Metaphor)
He made darkness a tent around him
Here the darkness Yahweh creates is compared to a tent which hides him completely. AT: "He hid himself in the darkness" (See: Metaphor)
translationWords
darkness
cherub
tent
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.