I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.
Parallel translations
- WEB For the Chief Musician. By David the servant of Yahweh, who spoke to Yahweh the words of this song in the day that Yahweh delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said, I love you, Yahweh, my strength.
- BSB For the choirmaster. Of David the servant of the LORD, who sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love You, O LORD, my strength.
- NKJV I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
- NASB “I love You, Lord, my strength.”
- NLT I love you, Lord; you are my strength.
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
David declares his love for Yahweh, his strength, after deliverance from all his enemies and from Saul. It matters because rescue rightly produces heartfelt love and devotion to God.
Overview
This psalm, also recorded in 2 Samuel 22, is David's song of thanksgiving for deliverance from Saul and all his foes. It opens with the tender confession 'I love you, Yahweh, my strength,' grounding praise in personal affection for God. David's experience of deliverance foreshadows the greater rescue accomplished in Christ, the son of David and ultimate deliverer.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- 2 Sam 22:1–51And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:
- Col 1:11Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
- 1 Jn 4:19We love him, because he first loved us.
- Isa 12:1–6And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.
- Phil 4:13I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
- Ps 34:19Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
- Ps 116:1–6I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.
- Ps 28:7–8The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
- Ps 118:14The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
- Ps 144:1–2Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:
- 1 Sam 2:1–10And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.
- Ps 116:16O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.
- Ps 18:32It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
- Ps 36:1The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
- Heb 3:5And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;
- Acts 13:36For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
- Exod 15:1–21Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
- Judg 5:1–31Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 18:1 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.