Psalm 18:28

ESV For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
NIV You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.
NASB For You light my lamp; The Lord my God illumines my darkness.
CSB Lord, you light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness.
NLT You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
KJV For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

What does Psalm 18:28 mean?

God receives credit and ample praise from David in this section of Scripture. David thanks the Lord for keeping him alive during the wilderness years. During that long period, being hunted by Saul (2 Samuel 22:1), David was confident the Lord would preserve his life. He held similar confidence in other situations where danger lurked.

Light symbolizes life, goodness, and truth in Hebrew culture. Job 18:5–6 and 21:17 allude to the death of the wicked as God putting out their lamps. In Psalm 27:1 David testified: "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

When the kingdom of Israel divided, the Lord promised to preserve the tribe of Judah. He explained, "that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem" (1 Kings 11:36). In Psalm 132:17 we find the Lord's promise regarding Zion, which is another name for Jerusalem: "There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed."
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