The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
- BSB The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
- NKJV The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
- NASB The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my savior, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
- NLT The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.
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 piles up images of God as rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, and stronghold. It matters because it portrays the many-sided security found in God alone.
Overview
David heaps together metaphors, rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, horn of salvation, and high tower, to capture how completely God protects and saves him. Each image emphasizes strength, refuge, and rescue. These titles point to the Lord as the believer's sure defense, fully embodied in Christ, the rock and salvation of his people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Ps 144:2My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.
- Ps 62:7In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
- Ps 19:14Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
- Prov 18:10The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
- Ps 91:2I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
- Ps 62:2He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.
- 2 Sam 22:3The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.
- Jer 16:19O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.
- Isa 32:2And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
- Ps 91:4He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
- Prov 2:7He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
- Heb 2:13And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
- Ps 28:1Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
- Ps 59:11Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield.
- Ps 75:10All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.
- Ps 132:17There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 18:2 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.