Texts in Conversation
Psalm 18 refers to God as a mountain where the psalmist takes shelter, language drawn from ancient Near Eastern traditions, such as the Royal Inscriptions of Sennacherib, where the god Assur is similarly described as a mountain.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
The Royal Inscriptions of Sennacherib
Ancient Near East
Sennacherib, great king, strong king, king of Assyria, unrivaled king, pious shepherd who reveres the great gods, guardian of truth who loves justice, renders assistance, goes to the aid of the weak, and strives after good deeds, perfect man, virile warrior, foremost of all rulers, the bridle that controls the insubmissive, and the one who strikes enemies with lightning. The god Aššur, the great mountain, granted to me unrivaled sovereignty and made my weapons greater than those of all who sit on royal dais. At the beginning of my kingship, after I sat on the lordly throne and took command of the population of Assyria amid obedience and peace, Marduk-apla-iddina, king of Karduniaš, an evildoer, a rebel, who had treacherous mind, an evildoer whose will was evil, sought friendship with Šutur-Nahundu of Elamite by presenting him with gold, silver, and precious stones. He continuously requested reinforcements.
Date: 704 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Psalm 18:2
Hebrew Bible
2 The Lord is my high ridge, my stronghold, my deliverer. My God is my rocky summit where I take shelter, my shield, the horn that saves me, and my refuge. 3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I was delivered from my enemies. 4 The waves of death engulfed me, the currents of chaos overwhelmed me. 5 The ropes of Sheol tightened around me, the snares of death trapped me. 6 In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried out to my God. From his heavenly temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help.
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Notes and References
"... The term צור in the Hebrew Bible refers to a large rock or boulder in which one can take shelter, such as a lookout (Numbers 23:9), a hiding place from enemies (1 Samuel 13:15), or where protection is sought from YHWH (for example, Exodus 33:22; Isaiah 2:10). It is used in word-pictures of YHWH in numerous places, and its use as a divine epithet is frequent in the Psalms. The significance of this word-picture is indicated by the number of its occurrences at the opening or conclusion of a psalm, and its use in statements of incomparability (for example, 1 Samuel 2:2; 2 Samuel 22:32 = Psalm 18:32; Isaiah 44:8). In the Song of Moses, which has a number of lexical and conceptual connections with Psalm 18 (for example, Deuteronomy 32:30–31, cf. Psalm 18:32), other deities are also referred to as צור ..."
Gray, Alison Ruth
Psalm 18 in Words and Pictures: A Reading through Metaphor
(pp. 62-63) Brill, 2014
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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