Psalms 18:4 (LSB)

Passage

The cords of death encompassed me, And the torrents of vileness terrified me.

Nearby Context

Psalms 18:2 Yahweh is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalms 18:3 I call upon Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.

Psalms 18:4 The cords of death encompassed me, And the torrents of vileness terrified me.

Psalms 18:5 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.

Psalms 18:6 In my distress I called upon Yahweh, And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "cords", "death", "encompassed", "torrents", "vileness", and "terrified". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "cords" and "death", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "I call upon Yahweh who is worthy..." into verse 5's "The cords of Sheol surrounded me The...", so "cords" and "death" 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 "cords" and "death" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.