For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?

PSALMS 18:31KJV
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Psalms 18:31 (KJV)

What does Psalms 18:31 mean?

Psalms 18:31 declares that there is no one like the LORD, and no one else can be a secure foundation or protector like God. The verse uses the image of a "rock" to highlight God's unmatched strength and reliability.

King David is speaking these words, reflecting on his experiences of deliverance and help from God during times of danger and trouble. In the context of the psalm, David is praising God for being his only true source of safety and support, contrasting God with any other supposed gods or sources of strength.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 18:31

  • "God" (אֵל, 'el, H433): This word is a general term for deity or a mighty one, emphasizing power. Here, it asks if any other being can compare to the true God.
  • "LORD" (יְהוָה, YHWH, H3068): This is the personal name of Israel’s God, highlighting a unique, covenant relationship. The verse points out that only YHWH is truly God.
  • "Rock" (צוּר, tsur, H6697): This word means a solid, unmovable stone or cliff, often used in the Psalms as a metaphor for God’s protection and dependability. It stresses that God alone is a sure refuge.

Why Psalms 18:31 matters

  • Psalms 18:31 clears up any idea that there are many equal gods or sources of security; it singles out the LORD as the only true God and protector.
  • The verse emphasizes the personal experience of David, who found God to be uniquely reliable in crisis, giving weight to the metaphor of God as a "rock."
  • This statement ties into the larger theme of the psalm, where David recounts God’s specific acts of rescue, making the claim not just theoretical but rooted in lived experience.

Where else these words appear

“save” Hebrew H1107 · used in 16 verses

  • Genesis 14:24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.
  • 2 Samuel 22:32 For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God?
  • Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

“save” Hebrew H2108 · used in 16 verses

  • Deuteronomy 1:36 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD.
  • 2 Samuel 7:22 Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
  • Isaiah 26:13 O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.

“God” Hebrew H433 · used in 56 verses

  • Deuteronomy 32:15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
  • Job 12:6 The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.
  • Job 31:6 Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity.

“rock” Hebrew H6697 · used in 74 verses

  • Exodus 17:6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
  • 1 Chronicles 11:15 Now three of the thirty captains went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim.
  • Psalms 81:16 He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.