Psalms 18:6 (ASV)

Passage

In my distress I called upon Jehovah, And cried unto my God: He heard my voice out of his temple, And my cry before him came into his ears.

Nearby Context

Psalms 18:4 The cords of death compassed me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

Psalms 18:5 The cords of Sheol were round about me; The snares of death came upon me.

Psalms 18:6 In my distress I called upon Jehovah, And cried unto my God: He heard my voice out of his temple, And my cry before him came into his ears.

Psalms 18:7 Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations also of the mountains quaked And were shaken, because he was wroth.

Psalms 18:8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, And fire out of his mouth devoured: Coals were kindled by it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "distress", "upon", "jehovah", "cried", "heard", "voice", and "temple". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "distress", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "The cords of Sheol were round about..." into verse 7's "Then the earth shook and trembled The...", so "called" and "distress" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "called" and "distress" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.