תהלים 18:5

Hebrew Modern Translation

חבלי שאול סבבוני קדמוני מוקשי מות׃

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Aleppo Codex
[18:6] שאול סבבוני קדמוני מוקשי מות

Biblia Hebrica Stuttgartensia (1967/77)
[18:6] חֶבְלֵ֣י שְׁאֹ֣ול סְבָב֑וּנִי קִ֝דְּמ֗וּנִי מֹ֣וקְשֵׁי מָֽוֶת ׃

Westminster Leningrad Codex
[18:6] חֶבְלֵי שְׁאוֹל סְבָבוּנִי קִדְּמוּנִי מוֹקְשֵׁי מָֽוֶת ׃

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

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.