Psalms 18 · Verse 9

Psalms 18:9

He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
Psalms 18:9, King James Version

Psalms 18:9 in other translations

BSBHe parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
WEBHe bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.
ASVHe bowed the heavens also, and came down; And thick darkness was under his feet.
YLTAnd He inclineth the heavens, and cometh down, And thick darkness is under His feet.
DARBYAnd he bowed the heavens, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.
BBEThe heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.
WebsterHe bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.

What does Psalms 18:9 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
9. darkness--or, a dense cloud (Ex 19:16; De 5:22).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down - He made the heavens bend under him when he descended to take vengeance on his enemies. The psalmist seems here to express the appearance of the Divine majesty in a glorious cloud, descending from heaven, which underneath was substantially dark, but above, bright, and shining with exceeding lustre; and which, by its gradual approach to the earth, would appear as though the heavens themselves were bending down and approaching towards us.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalms 18:1-19

The first words, "I will love thee, O Lord, my strength," are the scope and contents of the psalm. Those that truly love God, may triumph in him as their Rock and Refuge, and may with confidence call upon him. It is good for us to observe all the circumstances of a mercy which magnify the power of God and his goodness to us in it. David was a praying man, and God was found a prayer-hearing God. If we pray as he did…

Read the full comment on Psalms 18:1-19 →

Psalms 18:9 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֵּ֣טvai.Yetand he bent downH5186
שָׁ֭מַיִםSha.ma.yim[the] heavensH8064
וַיֵּרַ֑דvai.ye.Radand he came downH3381
וַ֝עֲרָפֶ֗לva.'a.ra.Feland thick darknessH6205
תַּ֣חַתTa.chat[was] underH8478
רַגְלָֽיו\׃rag.Lavfeet hisH7272

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Psalms 18:9

  • Psalms 144:5-15

    Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them. Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children; Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood. …

  • Deuteronomy 33:26

    There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.

  • 2 Peter 3:10

    But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

  • 2 Samuel 22:10

    He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.

  • Deuteronomy 5:22-23

    These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me. And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;

  • Mark 15:33

    And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

  • Revelation 20:11

    And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

  • Joel 3:16

    The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

  • Matthew 24:29

    Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

  • John 13:7

    Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.

  • Hebrews 12:26

    Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

  • Psalms 68:4

    Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name Jah, and rejoice before him.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
He bowed.Jehovah is here represented as a mighty warrior going forth to fight the battles of David. When He descended to the engagement, the very heavens bowed to render his descent more awful: His military tent was substantial darkness; the voice of His thunder was the warlike alarm which sounded to battle; the chariot in which He rode was the thick clouds of heaven, conducted by cherubs, and carried on by the irresistible force and rapid wings of an impetuous tempest; and the darts and weapons He employed were thunder-bolts, lightnings, fiery hail, deluging rains, and stormy winds! No wonder that when God arose all His enemies were scattered, and those that hated Him fled before Him.
68:4; 144:5-15; De 33:26; 2Sa 22:10; Isa 51:6; Joe 3:16; Mt 24:29
Heb 12:26; 2Pe 3:10; Re 20:11
darkness.
De 5:22,23; Mr 15:33; Joh 13:7

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Psalms 18:8

    There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

  • Psalms 18:9

    He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.

  • Psalms 18:10

    And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

Read all of Psalms 18

Psalms 18:9 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y bajó los cielos, y descendió; y oscuridad debajo de sus pies.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Une fumée montait de ses narines, et un feu sortant de sa bouche dévorait; des charbons en jaillissaient embrasés.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und er neigte die Himmel und fuhr hernieder, und Dunkel war unter seinen Füßen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Justitiæ Domini rectæ, lætificantes corda; præceptum Domini lucidum, illuminans oculos.