Psalms 18:4 (WEB)

Passage

The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

Nearby Context

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

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

Psalms 18:4 The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

Psalms 18:5 The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares of death came on me.

Psalms 18:6 In my distress I called on Yahweh, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry before him came into his ears.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "cords", "death", "surrounded", "floods", "ungodliness", and "afraid". 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 on Yahweh who is worthy..." into verse 5's "The cords of Sheol were around me...", 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.