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For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
Psalms 89:18 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB For our shield belongs to Yahweh; our king to the Holy One of Israel.
  • BSB Surely our shield belongs to the LORD, and our king to the Holy One of Israel.
  • NKJV For our shield belongs to the Lord, And our king to the Holy One of Israel.
  • NASB For our shield belongs to the Lord, And our king to the Holy One of Israel.
  • NLT Yes, our protection comes from the Lord, and he, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our king.

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

Israel's protection and kingship belong to Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel.

Overview

The nation's "shield" (its defense, often its king) and its king alike are owned by God. The covenant Lord is the ultimate source of Israel's security and rule. This sets up the psalm's meditation on the Davidic king, whose throne finds its lasting fulfillment in the Messiah.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 16

  • Ps 47:9The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.
  • Ps 71:22I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.
  • Isa 33:22For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.
  • Isa 12:6Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
  • Isa 43:3For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
  • Ps 91:1–2He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
  • Ps 84:11For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
  • Isa 1:4Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
  • Gen 15:1After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
  • Isa 29:19The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
  • Isa 43:14Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.
  • Deut 33:27–29The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
  • Ps 44:4Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.
  • Ps 62:1–2Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.
  • Ps 62:6He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.
  • Isa 30:11Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 89:18YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 89:18 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.