Psalms 18:44 (DBY)

Passage

At the hearing of the ear, they obey me: strangers come cringing unto me.

Nearby Context

Psalms 18:42 And I did beat them small as dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the mire of the streets.

Psalms 18:43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; thou hast made me the head of the nations: a people I knew not doth serve me.

Psalms 18:44 At the hearing of the ear, they obey me: strangers come cringing unto me.

Psalms 18:45 Strangers have faded away, and they come trembling forth from their close places.

Psalms 18:46 Jehovah liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of my salvation,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hearing", "obey", "strangers", "come", and "cringing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hearing" and "obey", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 43's "Thou hast delivered me from the strivings..." into verse 45's "Strangers have faded away and they come...", so "hearing" and "obey" 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 "hearing" and "obey" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.