It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.
Parallel translations
- WEB You are he who gives salvation to kings, who rescues David, his servant, from the deadly sword.
- BSB to Him who gives victory to kings, who frees His servant David from the deadly sword.
- NKJV The One who gives salvation to kings, Who delivers David His servant From the deadly sword.
- NASB Who gives salvation to kings, Who rescues His servant David from the evil sword.
- NLT For you grant victory to kings! You rescued your servant David from the fatal sword.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God gives salvation to kings and rescued David, His servant, from the deadly sword. It acknowledges God as the true source of every deliverance.
Overview
David testifies that victory and rescue for kings, including himself, come from God alone, not human strength. He sees his own preservation as God's gracious work. The supreme King delivered is the greater Son of David, Jesus, raised from death to reign forever (Acts 2:32-36).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ps 18:50Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
- Ps 140:7O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.
- Ps 33:16–18There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
- Isa 45:1–6Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
- 2 Sam 21:16–17And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.
- 1 Sam 17:45–46Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
- 2 Sam 8:6–14Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus: and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought gifts. And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.
- 2 Sam 5:19–25And David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand.
- Jer 27:6–8And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
- 2 Kgs 5:1Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 144:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.