Psalms 18:5

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The ropes of Sheol entangled me;the snares of death confronted me.

Hebrew Names Version
The cords of She'ol were round about me; The snares of death came on me.

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

English Standard Version
the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

New Century Version
The ropes of death wrapped around me. The traps of death were before me.

New English Translation
The ropes of Sheol tightened around me, the snares of death trapped me.

Amplified Bible
The cords of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.

New American Standard Bible
The ropes of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.

World English Bible
The cords of Sheol were round about me; The snares of death came on me.

Geneva Bible (1587)
The sorowes of the graue haue compassed me about: the snares of death ouertooke me.

Legacy Standard Bible
The cords of Sheol surrounded me;The snares of death confronted me.

Berean Standard Bible
The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

Contemporary English Version
Ropes from the world of the dead had coiled around me, and death had set a trap in my path.

Complete Jewish Bible
"For the cords of death surrounded me, the floods of B'liya‘al terrified me,

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

Easy-to-Read Version
The ropes of the grave wrapped around me. Death set its trap right there in front of me.

George Lamsa Translation
The travail of Sheol has taken hold of me: the snares of death preceded me.

Good News Translation
The danger of death was around me, and the grave set its trap for me.

Lexham English Bible
The ropes of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.

Literal Translation
cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yet in my trouble I called vpo the LORDE, & coplayned vnto my God.

American Standard Version
The cords of Sheol were round about me; The snares of death came upon me.

Bible in Basic English
The cords of hell were round me: the nets of death came on me.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
The cords of Death compassed me, and the floods of Belial assailed me.

King James Version (1611)
The sorrowes of hell compassed me about: the snares of death preuented me.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
The panges of a graue haue compassed me about: the snares of death ouertoke me.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
The pangs of hell came round about me: the snares of death prevented me.

English Revised Version
The cords of Sheol were round about me: the snares of death came on me.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The sorewis of deth cumpassiden me; and the strondis of wickidnesse disturbliden me.

Update Bible Version
The cords of Sheol were round about me; The snares of death came on me.

Webster's Bible Translation
The sorrows of hell encompassed me: the snares of death seized me.

New King James Version
The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.

New Living Translation
The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path.

New Life Bible
The ropes of the grave were all around me. The traps of death were set for me.

New Revised Standard
the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The meshes of hades, had surrounded me, The snares of death, had confronted me,

Douay-Rheims Bible
(17-6) The sorrows of hell encompassed me: and the snares of death prevented me.

Revised Standard Version
the cords of Sheol entangled me, the snares of death confronted me.

Young's Literal Translation
Cords of Sheol have surrounded me, Before me have been snares of death.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.

Contextual Overview

¹A David Song, Which He Sang to God After Being Saved from All His Enemies and from Saul I love you, God — you make me strong. God is bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight. My God—the high crag where I run for dear life, hiding behind the boulders, safe in the granite hideout. ³ I sing to God , the Praise-Lofty, and find myself safe and saved. ⁴The hangman's noose was tight at my throat; devil waters rushed over me. Hell's ropes cinched me tight; death traps barred every exit. ⁶ A hostile world! I call to God , I cry to God to help me. From his palace he hears my call; my cry brings me right into his presence— a private audience! ⁷Earth wobbles and lurches; huge mountains shake like leaves, Quake like aspen leaves because of his rage. His nostrils flare, bellowing smoke; his mouth spits fire. Tongues of fire dart in and out; he lowers the sky. He steps down; under his feet an abyss opens up. He's riding a winged creature, swift on wind-wings. Now he's wrapped himself in a trenchcoat of black-cloud darkness. But his cloud-brightness bursts through, spraying hailstones and fireballs. Then God thundered out of heaven; the High God gave a great shout, spraying hailstones and fireballs. God shoots his arrows—pandemonium! He hurls his lightnings—a rout! The secret sources of ocean are exposed, the hidden depths of earth lie uncovered The moment you roar in protest, let loose your hurricane anger. ¹⁶But me he caught—reached all the way from sky to sea; he pulled me out Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos, the void in which I was drowning. They hit me when I was down, but God stuck by me. He stood me up on a wide-open field; I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

The sorrows: or, cords, Psalms 86:13, Psalms 88:3-8, Psalms 88:15-17, Acts 2:24

snares: Ecclesiastes 9:12

Reciprocal: Genesis 32:7 - greatly 2 Samuel 22:6 - sorrows Job 36:8 - if Psalms 32:7 - compass Psalms 55:4 - terrors Psalms 119:143 - Trouble Proverbs 13:14 - to Proverbs 14:27 - to Jeremiah 49:22 - the heart of the Lamentations 3:55 - General Jonah 2:2 - out Mark 14:32 - while

Cross-References

Genesis 33:10
Jacob said, "Please. If you can find it in your heart to welcome me, accept these gifts. When I saw your face, it was as the face of God smiling on me. Accept the gifts I have brought for you. God has been good to me and I have more than enough." Jacob urged the gifts on him and Esau accepted.

Judges 13:15
Manoah said to the angel of God, "Please, stay with us a little longer; we'll prepare a meal for you—a young goat."

Judges 19:5
On the fourth day, they got up at the crack of dawn and got ready to go. But the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Strengthen yourself with a hearty breakfast and then you can go." So they sat down and ate breakfast together. The girl's father said to the man, "Come now, be my guest. Stay the night—make it a holiday." The man got up to go, but his father-in-law kept after him, so he ended up spending another night. On the fifth day, he was again up early, ready to go. The girl's father said, "You need some breakfast." They went back and forth, and the day slipped on as they ate and drank together. But the man and his concubine were finally ready to go. Then his father-in-law, the girl's father, said, "Look, the day's almost gone—why not stay the night? There's very little daylight left; stay another night and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you can get an early start and set off for your own place." But this time the man wasn't willing to spend another night. He got things ready, left, and went as far as Jebus (Jerusalem) with his pair of saddled donkeys, his concubine, and his servant. At Jebus, though, the day was nearly gone. The servant said to his master, "It's late; let's go into this Jebusite city and spend the night." But his master said, "We're not going into any city of foreigners. We'll go on to Gibeah." He directed his servant, "Keep going. Let's go on ahead. We'll spend the night either at Gibeah or Ramah." So they kept going. As they pressed on, the sun finally left them in the vicinity of Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. They left the road there to spend the night at Gibeah. The Levite went and sat down in the town square, but no one invited them in to spend the night. Then, late in the evening, an old man came in from his day's work in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim and lived temporarily in Gibeah where all the local citizens were Benjaminites. When the old man looked up and saw the traveler in the town square, he said, "Where are you going? And where are you from?" The Levite said, "We're just passing through. We're coming from Bethlehem on our way to a remote spot in the hills of Ephraim. I come from there. I've just made a trip to Bethlehem in Judah and I'm on my way back home, but no one has invited us in for the night. We wouldn't be any trouble: We have food and straw for the donkeys, and bread and wine for the woman, the young man, and me—we don't need anything." The old man said, "It's going to be all right; I'll take care of you. You aren't going to spend the night in the town square." He took them home and fed the donkeys. They washed up and sat down to a good meal. They were relaxed and enjoying themselves when the men of the city, a gang of local hell-raisers all, surrounded the house and started pounding on the door. They yelled for the owner of the house, the old man, "Bring out the man who came to your house. We want to have sex with him." He went out and told them, "No, brothers! Don't be obscene—this man is my guest. Don't commit this outrage. Look, my virgin daughter and his concubine are here. I'll bring them out for you. Abuse them if you must, but don't do anything so senselessly vile to this man." But the men wouldn't listen to him. Finally, the Levite pushed his concubine out the door to them. They raped her repeatedly all night long. Just before dawn they let her go. The woman came back and fell at the door of the house where her master was sleeping. When the sun rose, there she was. It was morning. Her master got up and opened the door to continue his journey. There she was, his concubine, crumpled in a heap at the door, her hands on the threshold. "Get up," he said. "Let's get going." There was no answer. He lifted her onto his donkey and set out for home. When he got home he took a knife and dismembered his concubine—cut her into twelve pieces. He sent her, piece by piece, throughout the country of Israel. And he ordered the men he sent out, "Say to every man in Israel: ‘Has such a thing as this ever happened from the time the Israelites came up from the land of Egypt until now? Think about it! Talk it over. Do something!'"

Psalms 104:15
class="poetry"> O my soul, bless God ! God , my God, how great you are! beautifully, gloriously robed, Dressed up in sunshine, and all heaven stretched out for your tent. You built your palace on the ocean deeps, made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings. You commandeered winds as messengers, appointed fire and flame as ambassadors. You set earth on a firm foundation so that nothing can shake it, ever. You blanketed earth with ocean, covered the mountains with deep waters; Then you roared and the water ran away— your thunder crash put it to flight. Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out in the places you assigned them. You set boundaries between earth and sea; never again will earth be flooded. You started the springs and rivers, sent them flowing among the hills. All the wild animals now drink their fill, wild donkeys quench their thirst. Along the riverbanks the birds build nests, ravens make their voices heard. You water the mountains from your heavenly cisterns; earth is supplied with plenty of water. You make grass grow for the livestock, hay for the animals that plow the ground. Oh yes, God brings grain from the land, wine to make people happy, Their faces glowing with health, a people well-fed and hearty. God 's trees are well-watered— the Lebanon cedars he planted. Birds build their nests in those trees; look—the stork at home in the treetop. Mountain goats climb about the cliffs; badgers burrow among the rocks. The moon keeps track of the seasons, the sun is in charge of each day. When it's dark and night takes over, all the forest creatures come out. The young lions roar for their prey, clamoring to God for their supper. When the sun comes up, they vanish, lazily stretched out in their dens. Meanwhile, men and women go out to work, busy at their jobs until evening. What a wildly wonderful world, God ! You made it all, with Wisdom at your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations. Oh, look—the deep, wide sea, brimming with fish past counting, sardines and sharks and salmon. Ships plow those waters, and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them. All the creatures look expectantly to you to give them their meals on time. You come, and they gather around; you open your hand and they eat from it. If you turned your back, they'd die in a minute— Take back your Spirit and they die, revert to original mud; Send out your Spirit and they spring to life— the whole countryside in bloom and blossom. The glory of God —let it last forever! Let God enjoy his creation! He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake, points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt. Oh, let me sing to God all my life long, sing hymns to my God as long as I live! Oh, let my song please him; I'm so pleased to be singing to God . But clear the ground of sinners— no more godless men and women! O my soul, bless God !

Isaiah 3:1
The Master, God -of-the-Angel-Armies, is emptying Jerusalem and Judah Of all the basic necessities, plain bread and water to begin with. He's withdrawing police and protection, judges and courts, pastors and teachers, captains and generals, doctors and nurses, and, yes, even the repairmen and jacks-of-all-trades. He says, "I'll put little kids in charge of the city. Schoolboys and schoolgirls will order everyone around. People will be at each other's throats, stabbing one another in the back: Neighbor against neighbor, young against old, the no-account against the well-respected. One brother will grab another and say, ‘You look like you've got a head on your shoulders. Do something! Get us out of this mess.' And he'll say, ‘Me? Not me! I don't have a clue. Don't put me in charge of anything.'

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The sorrows of hell compassed me about,.... Or "the cords of the grave" s, under the power of which he was detained for awhile; the allusion may be to the manner of burying among the Jews, who wound up their dead bodies in linen clothes; so that they were as persons bound hand and foot; and thus were they laid in the grave; see John 11:44; and so was Christ, till he was raised from the dead, when he showed himself to have the keys of hell and death, and to be no more under their power, or be held by them;

the snares of death prevented me; or "met" or "got before me" t the sense is, he was taken in them: this phrase designs the insidious ways and methods which the enemies of Christ took to ensnare him, and take away his life, and in which they succeeded; see Matthew 26:4.

s חבלי שאול "funes sepulchri", Musculus, Gejerus. t קדמוני "praeoccupaverunt me", V. L. "anteverterunt me", Vatablus; "occurrerunt", Cocceius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The sorrows of hell - Margin, “cords.” The word used here is the same which occurs in the previous verse, and which is there rendered “sorrows.” It is correctly translated here, as in that verse, “sorrows,” though the parallelism would seem to favor the interpretation in the margin - cords. If it means “sorrows,” the idea is, that such sufferings encompassed him, or seized upon him, as we associate in idea with the descent to the under-world, or the going down to the dead. If it means “cords, or bands,” then the idea is, that he was seized with pain as if with cords thrown around him, and that were dragging him down to the abodes of the dead. Luther, DeWette, Prof. Alexander, Hengstenberg, and others render the word, in each of these places, “bands.” On the word here rendered “hell,” שׁאול sh^e'ôl, see the notes at Isaiah 14:9. It means here the “under-world, the regions of the dead.” It is a description of one who was overcome with the dread of death.

The snares of death - The word “snares” refers to the gins, toils, nets, which are used in taking wild beasts, by suddenly throwing cords around them, and binding them fast. The idea here is, that “Death” had thus thrown around him its toils or snares, and had bound him fast.

Prevented me - The word used here in Hebrew, as our word “prevent” did originally, means to “anticipate, to go before.” The idea here is that those snares had, as it were, suddenly rushed upon him, or seized him. They came before him in his goings, and bound him fast.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 18:5. The sorrows of hell — חבלי שאול chebley sheol, the cables or cords of the grave. Is not this a reference to the cords or ropes with which they lowered the corpse into the grave? or the bandages by which the dead were swathed? He was as good as dead.

The snares of death prevented me. — I was just on the point of dropping into the pit which they had digged for me. In short, I was all but a dead man; and nothing less than the immediate interference of God could have saved my life.