How is God portrayed in Psalm 18?

Answer 1

A:Psalm 18:7-8 portray volcanic eruptions as resulting from God's anger: "Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it."

Psalm 18:12:14 portray God as a weather god: "At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire. The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire. Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them." This was a common theme during the early monarchy and is confirmed by Psalm 144:6: "Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.".

Psalm 18:34 onwards portray God asa God of War, consistent with the archaeological evidence of Yahweh as the Judahite war god: "He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip. I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed. I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet. For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me."

In Psalm 18:10, we see that God can travel through the heavens on the back of a cherub (a common Near Eastern hybrid, with the body of a lion, wings of a bird (eagle or vulture) and a human face. Here, he seems not to be able to travel through the air unaided.

Verse 50, which attributes the psalm to King David, seems strangely discordant with the remainder of the psalm and could therefore be a late interpolation. It also appears out of place after verse 6, which says that the author called on God out of his temple, since biblical tradition says that there was no temple in the time of David.