Psalm 18:1
“I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Psalm 18 is David's song of thanksgiving after God delivered him from all his enemies, including Saul. This opening verse expresses his heartfelt love before he recounts the rescue.
What Does Psalm 18:1 Mean?
Psalm 18:1 begins a great song of deliverance with one of the most intimate statements in the Psalms: "I will love thee, O LORD, my strength." After being rescued from his enemies, David's first response is not a request but an outpouring of affection for God Himself.
What makes this verse remarkable is its tenderness. The Hebrew word David uses for love here is unusually warm and personal, expressing deep, heartfelt devotion. It is the language of a child clinging to a parent or a person embracing one they cherish. David does not merely respect or fear God; he loves Him with feeling. And he addresses God as "my strength" -- the word pictures firmness and rooted power, the kind of strength that holds a person up. David recognizes that whatever capacity he has to stand and to overcome has come from God. So his love and his dependence are woven together: he loves the One who is his strength, and he draws strength from the One he loves. This brief opening sets the tone for the long psalm that follows, in which David piles up image after image of God as his rock, fortress, and deliverer. Before he recounts all that God has done, he simply says that he loves Him. Gratitude, at its deepest, becomes love.
In the Original Language
David uses the verb racham (in an unusual form), a tender word rooted in deep affection and compassion, expressing intimate, heartfelt love for God.
Cross References
“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”
- Deuteronomy 6:5
“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust.”
- Psalm 18:2
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”
- Mark 12:30
Application
Let gratitude for God's deliverance deepen into genuine affection for God Himself, loving Him not merely out of duty but as the strength who holds your life together.