Brandish the spear and block those who pursue me. Tell my soul, “I am your salvation.”
Parallel Translations
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Brandish the spear and block those who pursue me. Tell my soul, “I am your salvation.”
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Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
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Draw out also the spear, and the battle-axe, against them that pursue me; say unto my soul: 'I am Thy salvation.'
Cross-references (13)
Passages linked to Psalms 35:3 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Isaiah 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust, and will not be afraid; for Yah, Yahweh, is my strength and song; and he has become my salvation.”
- Psalms 27:2 When evildoers came at me to eat up my flesh, even my adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.
- Psalms 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Uphold me with a willing spirit.
- Psalms 91:16 I will satisfy him with long life, and show him my salvation.”
- Isaiah 8:9-10 Make an uproar, you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Listen, all you from far countries: dress for battle, and be shattered! Dress for battle, and be shattered! Take counsel together, and it will be brought to nothing; speak the word, and it will not stand, for God is with us.”
- Genesis 49:18 I have waited for your salvation, Yahweh.
- 1 Samuel 23:26-27 Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain; and David hurried to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men surrounded David and his men to take them. But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come; for the Philistines have made a raid on the land!”
- Job 1:10 Haven’t you made a hedge around him, and around his house, and around all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
- Psalms 62:7 My salvation and my honor is with God. The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
- Psalms 76:10 Surely the wrath of man praises you. The survivors of your wrath are restrained.
- Isaiah 10:12 Therefore it will happen that when the Lord has performed his whole work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the willful proud heart of the king of Assyria, and the insolence of his arrogant looks.
- Luke 2:30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
- Acts 4:28 to do whatever your hand and your council foreordained to happen.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (13 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 3. Say to my soul. Some expound these words…
3. Say to my soul. Some expound these words thus: Declare to me by secret inspiration; and others, Make me to feel indeed that my salvation is in thy hand. In my opinion, David desires to have it thoroughly fixed in his mind, and to be fully persuaded that God is the author of his salvation. This he was unable, from the present aspect of things, to ascertain and determine; for such is the insensibility and dulness of our natures, that God often delivers us whilst we sleep and are ignorant of it. Accordingly, he makes use of a very forcible manner of expression, in praying that God would grant him a lively sense of his favor, so that being armed with this buckler, he might sustain every conflict, and surmount every opposing obstacle; as if he had said, Lord, whatever may arise to discourage me, confirm me in this persuasion, that my salvation is assuredly in thee; and although temptations drive me hither and thither, recall my thoughts to thee in such a manner, as that my hope of salvation may rise superior to all the dangers to which I shall be exposed; “Que l’esperance de mon salut surpasse tous les dangers qui me seront livrez.“ — Fr.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Assure me against these tentations, that thou art the…
Assure me against these tentations, that thou art the author of my salvation.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Psa 35:3 Draw out also the spear, and stop…
Psa 35:3 Draw out also the spear, and stop [the way] against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I [am] thy salvation.
Ver. 3. Draw out also the spear] viz. That thy contending and appearing for me may appear to be sufficient and glorious.
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And stop the way] Heb. And stop, viz. the doors, as Gen 19:6; Gen 19:10 2Ki 6:32, lest the malcontents come in and kill me. Or, shut me up from my persecutors, that they find me not; like as, afterwards, God hid Jeremiah and Baruch, when sought for to the slaughter.
Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation] Facito ut haec animula te sibi testantem audiat, &c. Inwardly persuade my heart to firm affiance in thee, amidst all mine afflictions.
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 The spear; thy offensive weapons. He alludes to the…
The spear; thy offensive weapons. He alludes to the practice of soldiers in battle.
The way, in which they are marching directly and furiously against me. But divers interpreters, both Hebrews and others, take this Hebrew word for a noun, and render it a sword; or, as the word may signify, a close weapon; for the psalmist here representing God as a man of war, and accordingly furnishing him with other weapons, it seems not probable that he would omit this weapon, which was most constantly and universally used.
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Say unto my soul, i.e. unto me; either,
1. By thy Spirit assuring me of it; or,
2. By thy providence effecting it; for God’s saying or speaking is oft meant of his doing, because his word is sufficient for the doing of whatsoever he pleaseth.
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 Draw out also the spear,.... An offensive weapon; expressive…
Draw out also the spear,.... An offensive weapon; expressive of the vengeance which God sometimes takes of the enemies of his people, when he bends his bow, shoots his arrows, whets his glittering sword, and his hand takes hold of judgment;
and stop the way against them that persecute me; that they might not overtake him; God can hinder, and he sometimes does hinder persecutors from overtaking his people in their straits; and as he hedges up their way with thorns, that they cannot proceed as they have begun, so he hedges up the way of their enemies; interposes himself and his power, and is a wall of fire about them; a wall for the defence and security of his saints, and a wall of fire for the consumption of those that rise up against them. The words may be rendered, "draw out the spear and sword, to meet those that persecute me" (p); for is a noun, and signifies a sword shut up in its scabbard; from whence "sagaris" comes, which is kind of a sword;
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say unto my soul, I am thy salvation; Christ is the salvation of his people; he is the only person appointed, provided, promised, and sent to be the Saviour; and he is the alone author of salvation it is wrought out by him, and it is in him, and in him only; and therefore he is called their salvation, and the salvation of God: and they are interested in the salvation which is in him; it was designed, prepared, and wrought out for them, and for them only; and is applied unto them by the Spirit, and they shall perfectly enjoy it to all eternity: find yet sometimes they are at a loss about their interest in it, and desire might be made known unto them, which was the case of the psalmist here; they, as he, see their necessity it, and that there is no comfort nor safety without it they are wonderfully delighted with the excellency of it, that it is so great in itself, so suitable to them, so complete and perfect, and of an everlasting duration yet, what through the hidings of God's face, the temptations of Satan, the greatness of their sins, and the prevalence of unbelief, they cannot tell how to believe their interest in it; yet most earnestly desire the Lord would show it to them, and assure them of it; which favour, when granted, is by the witnessings of the Spirit to their spirits, that they are the children of God, and the redeemed of the Lamb: and this is said particularly to them; it is not a discovery of salvation by Christ in general; that they have before; but it is a saying to their souls, that it is theirs; and when this is spoken bathe to the soul by the Spirit of God, it is effectual; and removes unbelief at once, and fills with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
(p) So Grotius, Amama, Ainsworth, and some in Mollerus.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Say - By thy spirit assuring me of it:…
Say - By thy spirit assuring me of it: and by thy providence effecting it.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 3. Say unto my soul, I am thy…
Verse 3. Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.] Give me an assurance that thou wilt defend both body and soul against my adversaries.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Draw out also the spear - The word here…
Draw out also the spear - The word here rendered “draw out” means properly to pour out; to empty; and it is applied to the act of emptying sacks, Gen 42:35; to emptying bottles, Jer 48:12; to drawing a sword from a sheath, Exo 15:9; Lev 26:33; Eze 5:12. It is applied to a “spear” either as drawing it out of the place where it was kept, or as stretching it out for the purposes of attack. The former probably is the meaning, and the idea is, that David prayed God to “arm himself” - as a warrior does - in order to defend him. The spear was a common weapon in ancient warfare. It was sometimes so short that it could be brandished as a sword in the hand, or hurled at an enemy, 1Sa 18:11; 1Sa 19:10; 1Sa 20:33; but it was usually made as long as it could be to be handled conveniently. The spear was a weapon of “attack.” The parts of armor referred to in Psa 35:2 were designed for defense. The idea of the psalmist is that of a warrior prepared alike for attack or defense.
And stop the way against them that persecute me - The words “the way” are not in the original. The word rendered “stop” - סגר sâgar - means properly to shut, to close, as a door or gate, Job 3:10; 1Sa 1:5; Gen 19:6, Gen 19:10. The idea here, according to the usage of the word, is, Shut or close up the way against those that persecute me. So Gesenius renders it. Grotius, Michaelis, DeWette, and others, however, regard the word as a noun, signifying the same as the Greek - σάγαρις sagaris - a two-edged sword, such as was used by the Scythians, Persians, and Amazons. Herod. vii. 64. See Rosenmuller in loc. It is not so rendered, however, in any of the ancient versions. The Septuagint render it: “And shut up against those that persecute me;” the Vulgate, “Pre-occupy against those that persecute me;” the Aramaic has: “Shut up against those that persecute me.” The correct idea probably is that which is given in the common version. The psalmist prays that God would go forth to meet his enemies; that he would arrest and check them in their march; that he would hedge up their way, and that he would thus prevent them from attacking him.
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Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation - Say to “me,” I will save you. That is, Give me some assurance that thou wilt interpose, and that thou wilt guard me from my enemies. Man only wants this assurance to be calm in respect to any danger. When God says to us that he will be our salvation; that he will protect us; that he will deliver us from sin, from danger, from hell, the mind may and will be perfectly calm. To a believer he gives this assurance; to all he is willing to give it. The whole plan of salvation is arranged with a view to furnish such an assurance, and to give a pledge to the soul that God “will” save. Death loses its terrors then; the redeemed man moves on calmly - for in all the future - in all worlds - he has nothing now to fear.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain fight against--literally, "devour my devourers."
fight against--literally, "devour my devourers."
stop the way against--literally, "shut up" (the way), to meet or oppose, &c.
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I . . . thy salvation--who saves thee.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 3. Draw out also the spear—To draw out the…
3. Draw out also the spear—To draw out the sword, or the spear, was the immediate signal of battle, as Exo_15:9, et al.
Stop the way— To shut the way, or intercept the enemy, was a military feat.
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Them that persecute me—Rather, my pursuers. The strong anthropomorphisms of this most graphic passage bring out the earnest soul of David, yet his language is scarcely stronger than that of Luther in the greater of his trials.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (3) Draw out also the spear—i.e., from the sheath,…
(3) Draw out also the spear—i.e., from the sheath, that seems to have been used to guard its point. So δουροδόκη (Homer, Odyssey, i. 128).
Stop the way.—So LXX., Vulg., and all ancient versions. Many modern scholars, however, are disposed to treat the word segor not as the imperative of a verb, but as a noun, equivalent to the Greek σάγαρις, Latin, securis, a Persian and Scythian weapon mentioned by Herodotus (i. 215, iv. 70) and Xenophon (Anab., iv. 4, 16), and generally taken for a battle-axe, but by some as a short curved sword or a scimitar. It is identified by Sir Henry Rawlinson with the khanjar of modern Persia, “a short curved double-edged dagger, almost universally worn.” The Bedouins of modern Egypt use a schagur.
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The adoption of this rendering makes an excellent parallelism, and suits the word rendered “against,” which really means “to meet,” and suggests an onset instead of a mere passive attitude of defence.
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 Draw out also the spear; rather, bring out also…
Draw out also the spear; rather, bring out also the spear, since spears were not, so far as is known, kept in sheaths, like swords, (Exo_15:9) but only laid up in an armoury. And stop the way against them that persecute me. So Jarchi, Rosenmuller, Hitzig, Kay, Professor Alexander, Hengstenberg, and our Revisers; but a large number of critics regard rgs the word translated "stop the way as really the name of a weapon, the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek sagariv , which was probably the battle-axe. (So Vitringa, Michaelis, Bishop Horsley, Cheyne, Mr. Aglen, and the "Speaker"s Commentary.") The passage will then read, "Bring out also the spear and the battle-axe against them that persecute me," which is certainly a better parallel to "Take hold of shield and buckler," than "Bring out the spear, and stop the way." Say unto my soul, I am thy Salvation. Comfort my soul, i.e. , with the assurance that thou art, and wilt ever be, ray Salvation. (comp. Psa_27:1 Psa_62:2, 6 118:14, 21, etc.) Deliverance from the immediate danger is not all that is meant; but rather support and saving help in all dangers and in all troubles.
The assurance of salvation.
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"Say unto my soul," etc. Can the heart frame, the lips utter, a more ambitious request? "Creator and Preserver of all being, Almighty, Eternal, Infinite God, speak to me, even me; tell me that thou art mine; that I am thine!" Yet this prayer is as reasonable as ambitious. For human nature has in it a capacity which can be satisfied with nothing less. What God says must needs be true. Therefore this is a double petition:
(1) that God will be my Salvation;
(2) that he will assure me of this.
I GOD IS THE SOUL"S SALVATION. Salvation is often spoken of as God"s gift. (Psa_37:39 Isa_45:7 Isa_46:13) But here (as Psa_27:1 Isa_12:2) God himself is our Salvation. The word has two meanings the experience of being saved; the power that saves. In the first sense, God bestows salvationq.d., redemption from guilt and its reward; spiritual healing; deliverance from the habit and power of sin; in a word, life. In the second sense, it is the love which pities, the grace which pardons, the righteousness which atones; the spiritual power that quickens the dead soul; the light by which we see truth, the strength whereby we obey it; the Divine breath whereby our spirit lives. All this is in God. Salvation is ours as bodily life is ours God"s work and gift. But "the Father hath life in himself." How worse than vain is the notion that we can save ourselves! Salvation is not a reward to be earned or result to be toiled for; it is life. You can starve or poison yourself, but you cannot bestow on food its power to nourish, or on your body to receive nourishment. You can maim yourself, but not restore a limb. You can sin, but not forgive, atone, redeem. These are Gods alone. Salvation is personal: thy salvation." It must be so, since sin is personal, character is personal, holiness and happiness are personal. There may be community in sin and guilt, or in noble effort and benevolent action; but each one bears his own responsibility. If you are saved, God must say to your soul, "I am thy Salvation.
II WE NEED GOD"S OWN ASSURANCE OF OUR SALVATION. "Say," etc. It is too great a thing to take on man"s work. Sin so deadens the conscience, that to many forgiveness seems an easy thing. But let conscience wake, and it becomes difficult to believe that God can forgive. How can this prayer be answered, this assurance given? It needs no voice from heaven. (as to Abraham, who had no Bible, no gospel; Gen_15:1) The standing answer is in the gift of God"s beloved Son, and in the promises of his Word. (1Jn_5:9-11 1Co_1:30) The special answer is by the gift of his Spirit, promised to every one who asks. (Luk_11:13 Rom_5:5 Rom_8:16) The dependence of salvation on faith is not (as some fancy) a condition, rendering salvation less free. It is the very means by which it is freely given. "Look unto me, and be ye saved I" Believe and live! Ask and have! Therefore there is no presumption in that personal joyful assurance of salvation which rests not on our own faith, but simply on God"s Word. (Joh_10:28, 29 2Ti_1:12)
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. 3. Draw out also the spear, and stop…
Ver. 3. Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me. Before the enemy comes to close quarters the Lord can push them off as with a long spear. To stave off trouble is no mean act of lovingkindness. As when some valiant warrior with his lance blocks up a defile, and keeps back a host until his weaker brethren have made good their escape, so does the Lord often hold the believer's foes at bay until the good man had taken breath, or clean fled from his foes. He often gives the foes of Zion some other work to do, and so gives rest to his church. What a glorious idea is this of Jehovah blocking the way of persecutors, holding them at the pike's end, and giving time for the hunted saint to elude the pursuit! Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. Besides holding off the enemy, the Lord can also calm the mind of his servant by express assurance from his own mouth, that he is, and shall be, safe under the Almighty wing. An inward persuasion of security in God is of all things the most precious in the furnace of persecution. One word from the Lord quiets all our fears.
Ver. 3. Draw out the spear, and stop the way. The spear in the days of Saul and David was a favourite weapon. (See 1Ch 11:1-47). A valiant man bravely defending a narrow pass might singly with his lance keep back a pursuing host, and give time for his friends to escape. Very remarkable were the feats of valour of this sort performed in Oriental warfare. David would have his God become his heroic defender, making his enemies pause. C. H. S.
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Ver. 3. Draw out; or, as the Hebrew phrase is, empty, that is, unsheath; the like is of the sword. Ex 15:9 Le 26:33. Henry Ainsworth.
Ver. 3. Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. Observe, 1. That salvation may be made sure to a man. David would never pray for that which could not be. Nor would Peter charge us with a duty which stood not in possibility to be performed. 2Pe 1:10. "Make your election sure." And to stop the bawling throats of all cavilling adversaries, Paul directly proves it: "Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" 2Co 13:5. We may then know that Christ is in us. If Christ be in us, we are in Christ; if we be in Christ, we cannot be condemned, for Ro 8:1, "There is no damnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." But I leave this point that it may be sure, as granted; and come to ourselves, that we may make it sure. The Papists deny this, and teach the contrary, that salvation cannot be made sure; much good do it them, with their sorry and heartless doctrine! If they make that impossible to any which God hath made easy for many, "into their secret let not my soul come." Ge 49:6. Observe, 2. That the best saints have desired to make their salvation sure. David that knew it, yet entreats to know it more. "I know thou favourest me" Ps 41:11; yet here, still, dic animae, "Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation." A man can never be too sure of his going to heaven. Thomas Adams.
Ver. 3. Say unto my soul. God may speak with his own voice; and thus he gave assurance to Abraham, "Fear not, I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." Ge 15:1. If God speak comfort, let hell roar horror. 2. He may speak by his works: actual mercies to us demonstrate that we are in his favour, and shall not be condemned. "By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me." 3. He may speak by his Son. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Mt 11:28. 4. He may speak by his Scripture; this is God's epistle to us, and his letters patent, wherein are granted to us all the privileges of salvation. A universal si quis; "Whosoever believes, and is baptised, shall be saved." 5. He may speak by his ministers, to whom he hath given "the ministry of reconciliation." 2Co 5:19. 6. He doth speak this by his Spirit: he "sendeth forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Ga 4:6. By all these voices God says to his elect, I am your salvation. ...My. There is no vexation to the vexation of the soul; so no consolation to the consolation of the soul. ...Let this teach us to make much of this My. Luther says there is great divinity in pronouns. The assurance that God will save some is a faith incident to devils. The very reprobates may believe that there is a book of election; but God never told them that their names were written there. The hungry beggar at the feast house gate smells good cheer, but the master doth not say, "This is provided for thee." It is small comfort to the harbourless wretch to pass through a goodly city, and see many glorious buildings, when he cannot say, Haec mea domus, I have a place here. The beauty of that excellent city Jerusalem, built with sapphires, emeralds, chrysolites, and such precious stones, the foundation and walls whereof are perfect gold Re 21:1-27, affords a soul no comfort, unless he can say, Mea civitas, I have a mansion in it. The all sufficient merits of Christ do thee no good, unless, tua pars et portio, he be thy Saviour. Happy soul that can say with the psalmist, "O Lord, thou art my portion!" Let us all have oil in our lamps, lest if be then to buy, beg, or borrow, we be shut out of doors like the fools, not worthy of entrance. Pray, Lord, say unto my soul, I am thy salvation....Who? What? To whom? When? WHO? The Lord! To the Lord David prays. He hath made a good choice, for there is salvation in none other. "Thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thy help." Ho 13:9. The world fails, the flesh fails, the devil kills. Only the Lord saves. WHAT? Salvation. A special good thing; every man's desire. I will give thee a lordship, saith God to Esau. I will give thee a kingdom, saith God to Saul. I will give thee an apostleship, saith God to Judas. But, I will be thy salvation, he says to David, and to none but saints. TO WHOM? My salvation. Not others only, but "thine." A man and a Christian are two creatures. He may be a man that hath reason and outward blessings; he is only a Christian that hath faith, and part in the salvation of Christ. God is plentiful salvation, but it is not ordinary to find a cui --to whom. Much of heaven is lost for lack of a hand to apprehend it. WHEN? In the present, "I am." Sum, non sufficit quod ero. It is comfort to Israel in captivity that God says, Ero tua redemptio, I will redeem thee; but the assurance that quiets the conscience is this, I am thy salvation. As God said to Abraham, "Fear not, I am with thee." Deferred hope faints the heart. Whatsoever God forbears to assure us of, oh, pray we him not to delay this, "Lord, say to our soul, I am thy salvation." Condensed from Thomas Adams.
Ver. 3. Enemies kept at arm's length. How the Lord does this, and the blessedness of it to us.
Ver. 3. (last clause). Full assurance. An assurance positive, personal, spiritual, present, divine, complete, coming by a word from God.
Ver. 3. (last clause). Heaven made sure. Thomas Adams' Sermon.
Psalms 35:4*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.