The Meaning of Psalms 18:10 Explained

Psalms 18:10

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

YLT: And He rideth on a cherub, and doth fly, And He flieth on wings of wind.

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

ASV: And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; Yea, he soared upon the wings of the wind.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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

What does Psalms 18:10 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 18:1-26 - A Wonderful Deliverance
There is another edition of this psalm in 2 Samuel 22:1-51. Psalms 18:2 and Psalms 18:49 are applied in the New Testament to the Lord Jesus, Hebrews 2:13 and Romans 15:9. We begin with the psalmist's good resolve, Psalms 18:1-3. No single metaphor can comprehend the whole of God's helpfulness to men; but can we say, "I love thee"? See John 21:17. "Thou knowest!"
The story of the past, Psalms 18:4-19. We also have our Red Seas. In our distress let us also cry. The voice of the sufferer may be weak and solitary, but it reaches through the gates of pearl and moves creation! Luke 8:46.
The confident claim of the righteous, Psalms 18:20-26. We cannot boast a righteousness of our own, but we stand in Christ. We are full of impurity and evil, but we may claim at least integrity of motive. Compare Psalms 18:26 with Leviticus 26:21-24. The wind blows in one direction; you can walk against it or with it-take your choice. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 18

1  David praises God for his manifold and marvelous blessings

What do the individual words in Psalms 18:10 mean?

And He rode upon a cherub and flew and He flew the wings of the wind
וַיִּרְכַּ֣ב עַל־ כְּ֭רוּב וַיָּעֹ֑ף וַ֝יֵּ֗דֶא כַּנְפֵי־ רֽוּחַ

וַיִּרְכַּ֣ב  And  He  rode 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָכַב  
Sense: to mount and ride, ride.
עַל־  upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
כְּ֭רוּב  a  cherub 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כְּרוּב  
Sense: cherub, cherubim (pl).
וַיָּעֹ֑ף  and  flew 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עוּף 
Sense: to fly, fly about, fly away.
וַ֝יֵּ֗דֶא  and  He  flew 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּאָה  
Sense: to fly fast, fly swiftly, dart through the air.
כַּנְפֵי־  the  wings 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: כָּנָף  
Sense: wing, extremity, edge, winged, border, corner, shirt.
רֽוּחַ  of  the  wind 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.