The Meaning of Psalms 18:5 Explained

Psalms 18:5

KJV: The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.

YLT: Cords of Sheol have surrounded me, Before me have been snares of death.

Darby: The bands of Sheol surrounded me, the cords of death encountered me.

ASV: The cords of Sheol were round about me; The snares of death came upon me.

Discover Psalms 18:5

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Psalms 18:5?

MEANING: What does Psalms 18:5 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Psalms 18:5 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Psalms 18:5?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The sorrows  of hell  compassed me about:  the snares  of death  prevented  me. 

What does Psalms 18:5 Mean?

Study Notes

hell
Heb. "Sheol,"
Sheol is, in the O.T., the place to which the dead go.
(1) Often, therefore, it is spoken of as the equivalent of the grave, merely, where all human activities cease; the terminus toward which all human life moves (e.g. Genesis 42:38 grave Job 14:13 grave Psalms 88:3 grave
(2) To the man "under the sun," the natural man, who of necessity judges from appearances, sheol seems no more than the grave-- the end and total cessation, not only of the activities of life, but of life itself. Ecclesiastes 9:5 ; Ecclesiastes 9:10
(3) But Scripture reveals sheol as a place of sorrow 2 Samuel 22:6 ; Psalms 18:5 ; Psalms 116:3 ; in which the wicked are turned Psalms 9:17 and where they are fully conscious; Isaiah 14:9-17 ; Ezekiel 32:21 see, especially, Jonah 2:2 what the belly of the great fish was to Jonah that sheol is to those who are therein). The sheol of the O.T. and hades of the N.T. (See Scofield " Luke 16:23 ") are identical.

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 18:5 mean?

The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me confronted me the snares of death
חֶבְלֵ֣י שְׁא֣וֹל סְבָב֑וּנִי קִ֝דְּמ֗וּנִי מ֣וֹקְשֵׁי מָֽוֶת

חֶבְלֵ֣י  The  sorrows 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: חֶבֶל 
Sense: a cord, rope, territory, band, company.
שְׁא֣וֹל  of  Sheol 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: שְׁאֹול  
Sense: sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit.
סְבָב֑וּנִי  surrounded  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural, first person common singular
Root: סָבַב  
Sense: to turn, turn about or around or aside or back or towards, go about or arou nd, surround, encircle, change direction.
קִ֝דְּמ֗וּנִי  confronted  me 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person common plural, first person common singular
Root: קָדַם  
Sense: to meet, come or be in front, confront, go before.
מ֣וֹקְשֵׁי  the  snares 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מֹוקֵשׁ  
Sense: bait, lure, snare.
מָֽוֶת  of  death 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָוֶת  
Sense: death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead.

What are the major concepts related to Psalms 18:5?

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Similar Scriptures for Psalms 18:5

Psalms 86:13 [3]
Psalms 88:3-8 [2]
Psalms 88:15-17 [2]
Ecclesiastes 9:12 [2]
Acts 2:24 [2]
Psalms 116:3 [2]