Psalms 18:4 (YLT)

Passage

Compassed me have cords of death, And streams of the worthless make me afraid.

Nearby Context

Psalms 18:2 Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> my rock, and my bulwark, And my deliverer, My God <FI>is<Fi> my rock, I trust in Him: My shield, and a horn of my salvation, My high tower.

Psalms 18:3 The `Praised One' I call Jehovah, And from my enemies I am saved.

Psalms 18:4 Compassed me have cords of death, And streams of the worthless make me afraid.

Psalms 18:5 Cords of Sheol have surrounded me, Before me have been snares of death.

Psalms 18:6 In mine adversity I call Jehovah, And unto my God I cry. He heareth from His temple my voice, And My cry before Him cometh into His ears.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "compassed", "cords", "death", "streams", "worthless", "make", and "afraid". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "compassed" and "cords", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "The Praised One' I call Jehovah And..." into verse 5's "Cords of Sheol have surrounded me Before...", so "compassed" and "cords" 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 "compassed" and "cords" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.