Psalms 18
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Psalms chapter 18 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
13 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Saint Augustine of Hippo. The translator's notes for this chapter (5) follow the text.
Psalms 18
1(19) For the end, a Psalm of David.Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυίδ.
2The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands.Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ, ποίησιν δὲ χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγέλλει τὸ στερέωμα.
3Day to day * utters speech, and night to night proclaims knowledge.Ἡμέρα τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐρεύγεται ῥῆμα, καὶ νὺξ νυκτὶ ἀναγγέλλει γνῶσιν.
4There are no speeches or words, † in which their voices are not heard.Οὐκ εἰσὶ λαλιαὶ οὐδὲ λόγοι, ὧν οὐχὶ ἀκούονται αἱ φωναὶ αὐτῶν·
5✡ Their voice is gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.Εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν, καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ ῥήματα αὐτῶν·
6In the sun he has set his tabernacle; and he comes forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber: he will exult as a giant to run his course.ἐν τῷ ἡλίῳ ἔθετο τὸ σκήνωμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸς ὡς νυμφίος ἐκπορευόμενος ἐκ παστοῦ αὐτοῦ· ἀγαλλιάσεται ὡς γίγας δραμεῖν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ.
7His going forth is from the extremity of heaven, and his ‡ circuit to the other end of heaven: and no one shall be hidden from his heat.Ἀπʼ ἄκρου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἡ ἔξοδος αὐτοῦ· καὶ τὸ κατάντημα αὐτοῦ ἕως ἄκρου τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ἀποκρυβήσεται τὴν θέρμην αὐτοῦ.
8The law of the Lord is § perfect, converting souls: the testimony of the Lord is faithful, instructing babes.Ὁ νόμος τοῦ Κυρίου ἄμωμος ἐπιστρέφων ψυχὰς, ἡ μαρτυρία Κυρίου πιστὴ σοφίζουσα νήπια.
9The ordinances of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is bright, enlightening the eyes.Τὰ δικαιώματα Κυρίου εὐθέα εὐφραίνοντα καρδίαν, ἡ ἐντολὴ Κυρίου τηλαυγὴς φωτίζουσα ὀφθαλμούς.
10The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring for ever and ever: the judgments of the Lord are true, and justified altogether.Ὁ φόβος Κυρίου ἁγνὸς διαμένων εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος, τὰ κρίματα Κυρίου ἀληθινὰ δεδικαιωμένα ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό·
11To be desired more than gold, and much precious stone: sweeter also than honey and the honey-comb.Ἐπιθυμητὰ ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ λίθον τίμιον πολὺν, καὶ γλυκύτερα ὑπὲρ μέλι καὶ κηρίον.
12For your servant keeps to them: in the keeping of them there is great reward.Καὶ γὰρ ὁ δοῦλός σου φυλάσσει αὐτὰ, ἐν τῷ φυλάσσειν αὐτὰ ἀνταπόδοσις πολλή.
13Who will understand his transgressions? purge you me from my secret sins.Παραπτώματα τίς συνήσει; ἐκ τῶν κρυφίων μου καθάρισόν με,
14And spare your servant the attack of strangers: if they do not gain the dominion over me, then shall I be blameless, and I shall be clear from great sin.καὶ ἀπὸ ἀλλοτρίων φεῖσαι τοῦ δούλου σου· ἐὰν μή μου κατακυριεύσωσι, τότε ἄμωμος ἔσομαι, καὶ καθαρισθήσομαι ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας μεγάλης.
15So shall the sayings of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be pleasing continually before you, O Lord my helper, and my redeemer.Καὶ ἔσονται εἰς εὐδοκίαν τὸ λόγια τοῦ στόματός μου, καὶ ἡ μελέτη τῆς καρδίας μου ἐνώπιόν σου διαπαντός· Κύριε βοηθέ μου, καὶ λυτρωτά μου.
Translator's Notes
These notes come from the printed edition of Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), and record where the Greek differs from the English rendering or admits more than one reading.
- v. 2*Gr. eructat.
- v. 3†Gr. of which.
- v. 4✡Rom 10:18
- v. 6‡Gr. meeting.
- v. 7§Gr. spotless.
The Fathers on Psalms 18
Saint Augustine of Hippo comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Psalms 18:2Saint Augustine of Hippo2. “The heavens tell out the glory of God” (ver. 1). The righteous Evangelists, in whom, as in the heavens, God dwelleth, set forth the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, or the glory wherewith the Son glorified the Father upon earth. “And the firmament showeth forth the works of His hands.” And the firmament showeth forth the deeds of the Lord’s power, that now made heaven by the assurance of the Holy Ghost, which…
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On Psalms 18:3Saint Augustine of Hippo3. “Day unto day uttereth word” (ver. 2). To the spiritual the Spirit giveth out the fulness of the unchangeable Wisdom of God, the Word which in the beginning is God with God. “And night unto night announceth knowledge.” And to the fleshly, as to those afar off, the mortality of the flesh, by conveying faith, announceth future knowledge.
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On Psalms 18:4Saint Augustine of Hippo4. “There is no speech nor language, in which their voices are not heard” (ver. 3). In which the voices of the Evangelists have not been heard, seeing that the Gospel was preached in every tongue.
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On Psalms 18:5Saint Augustine of Hippo5. “Their sound is gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world” (ver. 4).
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On Psalms 18:6Saint Augustine of Hippo6. “In the sun hath He set His tabernacle.” Now that He might war against the powers of temporal error, the Lord, being about to send not peace but a sword on earth, in time, or in manifestation, set so to say His military dwelling, that is, the dispensation of His incarnation. “And He as a bridegroom coming forth out of His chamber” (ver. 5). And He, coming forth out of the Virgin’s womb, where God was united to…
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On Psalms 18:7Saint Augustine of Hippo7. “His going forth is from the highest heaven” (ver. 6). From the Father is His going forth, not that in time, but from everlasting, whereby He was born of the Father. “And His meeting is even to the height of heaven.” And in the fulness of the Godhead He meets even to an equality with the Father. “And there is none that may hide himself from His heat.” But whereas, “the Word was even made flesh, and dwelt in…
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On Psalms 18:8Saint Augustine of Hippo8. “The law of the Lord is undefiled, converting souls” (ver. 7). The law of the Lord, therefore, is Himself who came to fulfil the law, not to destroy it; an undefiled law, “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth,” not oppressing souls with the yoke of bondage, but converting them to imitate Him in liberty. “The testimony of the Lord is sure, giving wisdom to babes.” “The testimony of the Lord is…
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On Psalms 18:9Saint Augustine of Hippo9. “The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart” (ver. 8). All the statutes of the Lord are right in Him who taught not what He did not; that they who should imitate Him might rejoice in heart, in those things which they should do freely with love, not slavishly with fear. “The commandment of the Lord is lucid, enlightening the eyes.” “The commandment of the Lord is lucid,” with no veil of carnal…
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On Psalms 18:10Saint Augustine of Hippo10. “The fear of the Lord is chaste, enduring for ever” (ver. 9). “The fear of the Lord;” not that distressing fear under the law, dreading exceedingly the withdrawal of temporal goods, by the love of which the soul commits fornication; but that chaste fear wherewith the Church, the more ardently she loves her Spouse, the more carefully does she take heed of offending Him, and therefore, “perfect love casteth”…
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On Psalms 18:11Saint Augustine of Hippo11. “The judgments of the Lord are true, justified together.” The judgments of Him, who “judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son,” are justified in truth unchangeably. For neither in His threatenings nor His promises doth God deceive any man, nor can any withdraw either from the ungodly His punishment, or from the godly His reward. “To be desired more than gold, and much precious stone” (ver.…
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On Psalms 18:12Saint Augustine of Hippo12. “For Thy servant keepeth them” (ver. 11). For to him who keepeth them not the day of the Lord is bitter. “In keeping them there is great reward.” Not in any external benefit, but in the thing itself, that God’s judgments are kept, is there great reward; great because one rejoiceth therein.
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On Psalms 18:12Saint Augustine of Hippo14. “Cleanse me, O Lord, from my secret faults.” From the lusts which lie hid in me, cleanse me, O Lord. “And from the” faults “of others preserve Thy servant” (ver. 13). Let me not be led astray by others. For he is not a prey to the faults of others, who is cleansed from his own. Preserve therefore from the lusts of others, not the proud man, and him who would be his own master, but, Thy servant. “If they get…
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On Psalms 18:15Open Psalms 18 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint Augustine of Hippo15. “And the words of my mouth shall be pleasing, and the meditation of my heart is always in Thy sight” (ver. 14). The meditation of my heart is not after the vain glory of pleasing men, for now there is pride no more, but in Thy sight alway, who regardest a pure conscience. “O Lord, my Helper, and my Redeemer” (ver. 15). O Lord, my Helper, in my approach to Thee; for Thou art my Redeemer, that I might set out…
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