You are he who gives salvation to kings, who rescues David, his servant, from the deadly sword.
Parallel Translations
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You are he who gives salvation to kings, who rescues David, his servant, from the deadly sword.
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It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.
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Who givest salvation unto kings, who rescuest David Thy servant from the hurtful sword.
Cross-references (10)
Passages linked to Psalms 144:10 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Psalms 18:50 He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his offspring, forever more.
- Psalms 140:7 Yahweh, the Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle.
- Psalms 33:16-18 There is no king saved by the multitude of an army. A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain thing for safety, neither does he deliver any by his great power. Behold, Yahweh’s eye is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his loving kindness,
- 1 Samuel 17:45-46 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin; but I come to you in the name of Yahweh of Armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today, Yahweh will deliver you into my hand. I will strike you, and take your head from off you. I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines today to the birds of the sky, and to the wild animals of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
- 2 Samuel 5:19-25 David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hand?” Yahweh said to David, “Go up; for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into your hand.” David came to Baal Perazim, and David struck them there. Then he said, “Yahweh has broken my enemies before me, like the breach of waters.” Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim. They left their images there; and David and his men took them away. The Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. When David inquired of Yahweh, he said, “You shall not go up. Circle around behind them, and attack them in front of the mulberry trees. When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then stir yourself up; for then Yahweh has gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.” David did so, as Yahweh commanded him, and struck the Philistines all the way from Geba to Gezer.
- 2 Samuel 8:6-14 Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought tribute. Yahweh gave victory to David wherever he went. David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. From Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, king David took a great quantity of bronze. When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had struck all the army of Hadadezer, then Toi sent Joram his son to king David, to greet him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and struck him; for Hadadezer had wars with Toi. Joram brought with him vessels of silver, vessels of gold, and vessels of bronze. King David also dedicated these to Yahweh, with the silver and gold that he dedicated of all the nations which he subdued; of Syria, of Moab, of the children of Ammon, of the Philistines, of Amalek, and of the plunder of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah. David earned a reputation when he returned from striking down eighteen thousand men of the Syrians in the Valley of Salt. He put garrisons in Edom. Throughout all Edom, he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became servants to David. Yahweh gave victory to David wherever he went.
- 2 Samuel 21:16-17 and Ishbibenob, who was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight, he being armed with a new sword, thought he would kill David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, “Don’t go out with us to battle any more, so that you don’t quench the lamp of Israel.”
- Isaiah 45:1-6 Yahweh says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him, and strip kings of their armor; to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut: “I will go before you and make the rough places smooth. I will break the doors of bronze in pieces and cut apart the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that it is I, Yahweh, who call you by your name, even the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel my chosen, I have called you by your name. I have given you a title, though you have not known me. I am Yahweh, and there is no one else. Besides me, there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not known me, that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is no one besides me. I am Yahweh, and there is no one else.
- 2 Kings 5:1 Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him Yahweh had given victory to Syria: he was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.
- Jeremiah 27:6-8 Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant. I have also given the animals of the field to him to serve him. All the nations will serve him, his son, and his son’s son, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings will make him their bondservant. “ ‘ “ ‘It will happen that I will punish the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon,’ says Yahweh, ‘with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (11 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Though wicked kings be called God’s servants, as Cyrus,…
Though wicked kings be called God’s servants, as Cyrus, Isa. 45:1, forasmuch as he useth them to execute his judgments: yet David because of God’s promise, and they that rule godly, are properly so called, because they serve not their own affections, but set forth God’s glory.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Psa 144:10 [It is he] that giveth salvation unto…
Psa 144:10 [It is he] that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.
Ver. 10. It is he that giveth salvation (or victory) unto kings] Ferdinand, king of Arragon, sending his son against the Florentines, thus bespake him: Victoria mihi crede, non hominum disciplinis aut industria comparatur, sed Dei O.M. benignitate et arbitrio, Deum igitur imprimis cole, in eum confide, a quo tum victorias omnes tum optima quaeque provenire dubio procul est, &c.: Believe me, son, victories are not gotten by art or industry, but given of God (Val. Max. Christian., p. 516).
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Who delivereth David his servant] All kings are God’s servants for the common good of mankind, saith Plutarch, but David by a specialty (Plut. προς ηγεμονα απαιδευτον).
From the hurtful sword] Of Goliath, saith the Chaldee, and of all his other enemies; for (as it was said of Queen Elizabeth) he swam to the crown through a sea of sorrows, and might rather marvel that he was, than muse that he should not be, were it not that God’s holy hand had protected him beyond expectation.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Kings are not preserved by their own power or…
Kings are not preserved by their own power or prudence, but by God’s special providence, which for the public good of the world watcheth over them.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain It is he that giveth salvation to kings,.... Which…
It is he that giveth salvation to kings,.... Which is the reason of singing the new song to the Lord, or this is the matter of it. The Lord is the Preserver of men and beasts, the Saviour of all men, and especially of them that believe; who are in a spiritual sense kings and priests unto God; and in a temporal sense he saves high and low, rich and poor: but there is a particular providence respecting kings; who, as they are the powers ordained of God, and are his vicegerents on earth, and represent him, so they are preserved by him; were they not, there would soon be an end to all public order and government: they cannot save themselves; nor are they saved by their bodyguards about them; nor is any king saved by the multitude of his host, but by the Lord, Psa 33:16. Or, "he that giveth victory to kings"; over their enemies; which is not obtained by the strength and force of their armies, and by their military skill valour; but by the right hand and arm of the Lord: and therefore, whenever this is the case, a new song should be sung to him; see Psa 98:1. David no doubt has regard to himself, and to the many salvations God had wrought for him, and the victories he had given him; as also to the King Messiah, whom God heard and helped, as man and Mediator, in the day of salvation, and gave it to him, and in which he rejoiced, Isa 49:8;
who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword; David literally, the servant of the Lord by creation, redemption, and grace, as well as by his office, as king of Israel; him the Lord delivered from the sword of Goliath, as the Targum; from the sword of Saul, as Jarchi and Kimchi; and from the sword of strange children, as Arama; of all his enemies he had been or was engaged with in war: and David mystically, Christ the son of David, God's righteous servant, he chose, called, upheld; and in whom he was glorified, by doing his work diligently, faithfully, and completely; him he delivered from the sword of justice, when he had satisfied it; and from wicked men, like a sword; and from all his enemies, and death itself, when he raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; see Psa 22:20. Aben Ezra thinks there is a defect of the copulative "and": and that it should be read, "from the sword and evil"; every evil person or thing; and observes, that some take it for an adjective, and understand it of an evil camp or company.
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 Verse 10. He that giveth salvation unto kings] Monarchy,…
Verse 10. He that giveth salvation unto kings] Monarchy, in the principle, is from God: it is that form of government which, in the course of the Divine providence, has principally prevailed; and that which, on the whole, has been most beneficial to mankind. God, therefore, has it under his peculiar protection. It is by him that kings reign; and by his special providence they are protected.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain It is he that giveth salvation unto kings -…
It is he that giveth salvation unto kings - Margin, “Victory.” The Hebrew word means “salvation,” but it is used here in the sense of deliverance or rescue. Even “kings,” with all their armies, have no hope but in God. They seem to be the most powerful of men, but they are, like all other people, wholly dependent on him for deliverance from danger. David thus recognizes his own entire dependence. Though a king in the divine purpose and in fact, yet he had no power but as derived from God; he had no hope of deliverance but in him. It is implied further that God might as readily be supposed to be willing to interpose in behalf of kings as of other people when their cause was right, and when they looked to him for aid. See the notes at Psa 33:16 : “there is no king saved by the multitude of an host.” Compare Psa 44:5-6.
Who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword - Who has done it; who can do it again; on whom alone David is dependent as all other men are. David speaks of himself by name elsewhere. See Psa 18:50; 2Sa 7:26. He refers to himself also under the name of “the king,” Psa 61:6; Psa 63:11. Caesar, in his writings, often speaks of himself in the same way.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 10. Cp. Psa_18:50. Who giveth salvation (or victory) unto…
10. Cp. Psa_18:50. Who giveth salvation (or victory) unto kings may be meant as a general truth not to be limited to Israel only (cp. Psa_33:16), and David his servant may denote the typical ruler of Jehovah’s people (cp. Eze_34:23); or the reference may be historical, who gave victory … who rescued David.
the hurtful (lit. evil) sword] i.e. from the calamity of war. The Targ. renders ‘the evil sword of Goliath,’ but the reference is quite general.
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 (10) David his servant.—See Psa_18:50.
(10) David his servant.—See Psa_18:50.
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 It is he that giveth salvation unto kings. There…
It is he that giveth salvation unto kings. There has always been a belief, especially in the East, that "a divinity doth hedge a king." Saul himself was regarded by David as sacrosanct, and to kill him, even at his own request, was a sacrilege. (2Sa_1:14-16) Who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword. David speaks of himself by name, not only here, but in Psa_18:50 2Sa_7:26.
The first stage of salvation is deliverance.
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"Who rescueth David his servant from the hurtful sword." This describes what is involved in "giving salvation unto kings." An act of deliverance is always the beginning of salvation; but such act of deliverance is only a beginning.
I AN ACT OF DELIVERANCE IS THE BEGINNING OF SALVATION. This is the truth of a fact that is once for all illustrated in the history of Israel. God would saw that people in a large sense of saving. He must begin by a formal act of deliverance, in bringing his people out from bondage in Egypt. That truth once presented in so large a way, is afterwards presented again and again in more limited spheres. In the time of the Judges, when God would save his people, he began the salvation by a formal act of deliverance, as is seen strikingly in the case of Gideon. When God would save his people from captivity in Babylon, he began by the formal act of liberation made by Cyrus. And it was the same with the great spiritual salvation of men. Its beginning is that sublime act of sacrifice which is man"s rescue from the thraldom of sin. The formal act of surrender made on the cross was Christ"s triumph over man"s sin, his "leading captivity captive." And so in personal experience salvation begins in that act of consecration to Christ which we make, and which is met by Christ"s act of delivering us from the power of self and sin.
II SUCH AN ACT OF DELIVERANCE IS ONLY THE BEGINNING. The deliverance of Israel from Egypt was only a beginning of God"s dealings in their salvation. Gideon"s overthrow of the Midianites was only a beginning. Cyrus"s decree was only a beginning. Our Lord"s sacrifice was only a beginning. Our consciousness of acceptance is only a beginning. The salvation of a nation is a large and comprehensive thing; so is the salvation of a man. But in every case God"s beginning is the pledge that he will carry on the work and perfect it. R.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain Ver. 10. It is he that giveth salvation unto…
Ver. 10. It is he that giveth salvation unto kings. Those whom the Lord sets up he will keep up. Kings, from their conspicuous position, are exposed to special danger, and when their lives and their thrones are preserved to them they should give the Lord the glory of it. In his many battles David would have perished had not almighty care preserved him. He had by his valour wrought salvation for Israel, but he lays his laurels at the feet of his Lord and Preserver. If any men need salvation kings do, and if they get it the fact is so astonishing that it deserves a verse to itself in the psalm of praise.
Who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword. He traces his escape from death to the delivering hand of God. Note, he speaks in the present tensedelivereth, for this was an act which covered his whole life. He puts his name to the confession of his indebtedness: it is David who owns without demur to mercy given to himself. He styles himself the Lord's servant, accepting this as the highest title he had attained or desired.
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Ver. 10. It is he that giveth salvation unto kings. Ferdinand, king of Aragon, sending his son against the Florentines, thus bespake him: Believe me, son, victories are not gotten by art or subtlety, but given of God. John Trapp.
Ver. 10. It is he that giveth salvation unto kings. What a doctrine this for the kings and great men of the earth to remember! Could they be brought to feel and acknowledge it, they would not trust to the sagacity of their own councils, nor to the strength of their own arm; but would ever remember that the Most High is the ruler among the nations, and that he putteth down one and raiseth up another according to the dictates of his own all perfect will. Such remembrances as this would stain the pride of all human glory, and would lead men to feel that the Lord alone is to be exalted. John Morison.
Psalms 144:11*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain It is He that giveth salvation unto kings.
Psa_144:10
It is He that giveth salvation unto kings.
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The care of Providence in defence of kings
God in the government of the world exercises a peculiar and extraordinary providence over the persons and lives of princes.
I. Upon what account any act of Gods providence may be said to be peculiar and extraordinary.
1. When a thing falls out beside the common and usual operation of its proper cause.
2. When a thing falls out beside or contrary to the design of expert, politic, and shrewd persons, contriving or acting in it.
3. When a thing comes to pass visibly and apparently beyond the power of the cause immediately employed in it.
II. How and by what means God does after such an extraordinary manner save and deliver princes.
1. By endowing them with a more than ordinary sagacity and quickness of understanding above other men (1Ki_4:29; Pro_20:8; Pro_25:5).
2. By giving them a singular courage and presence of mind in cases of difficulty and danger (1Sa_10:9; 1Sa_11:6).
3. By disposing of events and accidents in a strange concurrence for their advantage and preservation.
4. By wonderfully inclining the hearts and wills of men to a benign affection towards them (2Sa_19:14).
5. By rescuing them from unseen and unknown mischiefs prepared against them.
6. By imprinting a certain awe and dread of their persons and authority upon the minds of their subjects (Dan_5:12).
7. By disposing their hearts to such virtuous and pious courses as He has promised a blessing to; and by restraining them from those ways to which He has denounced a curse. And this is the greatest deliverance of all; as having a prospect upon the felicity of both worlds, and laying a foundation for all other deliverances.
III. The reasons why Providence is so much concerned in the salvation and deliverance of kings.
1. They are the greatest instruments in the hand of Providence to support government and civil society in the world.
2. They have the most powerful influence upon the concerns of religion, and the preservation of the Church, of all other persons whatsoever.
IV. Some useful deductions.
1. The duty and behaviour of princes towards God. It shows them from whom, in their distress, they are to expect, and to whom, in their glory, they are to ascribe, all their deliverances.
2. Does not God by such a protecting providence over kings point out to us the sacredness of their persons? and command a reverence where tie Himself thinks fit to place an honour? Does not every extraordinary deliverance of a prince carry this inscription upon it in the brightest characters, Touch not Mine anointed? (R. South, D. D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.