I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
Parallel translations
- WEB I call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies.
- KJV I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
- NKJV I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.
- NASB I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.
- NLT I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.
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 calls on the praiseworthy Lord and is saved from his enemies. It matters because calling on God in faith brings salvation.
Overview
David testifies that when he calls on Yahweh, who is worthy of all praise, he is delivered from his foes. Prayer and praise are bound together in his experience of rescue. This anticipates the gospel promise that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 19
- Ps 91:15When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him.
- Ps 145:3Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable.
- Luke 1:71salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
- Rom 8:31–39What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- Ps 62:8Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah
- 2 Sam 22:4I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
- Ps 96:4For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.
- Ps 55:16But I call to God, and the LORD saves me.
- Ps 28:1–2Of David. To You, O LORD, I call; be not deaf to me, O my Rock. For if You remain silent, I will be like those descending to the Pit.
- Phil 4:6–7Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Neh 9:5Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting: Blessed be Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
- Ps 50:15Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”
- Rev 4:11“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and came to be.”
- Ps 5:2–3Attend to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I pray.
- Rev 5:12–14In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
- Acts 2:21And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
- Ps 48:1A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, His holy mountain.
- Ps 76:4You are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains filled with game.
- Ps 65:1–2For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A song. Praise awaits You, O God, in Zion; to You our vows will be fulfilled.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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 18:3 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.