Charles Ellicott Commentary Psalms 18:2

"Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower." — Psalms 18:2 (ASV)

Rock. —It is better here to use cliff, keeping “rock” for the next clause. In the first figure the ideas of height and shelter, and in the second the ideas of broad-based and enduring strength, are predominant.

Fortress. —Properly, mountain castle. We have the joint figure of the lofty and precipitous cliff with the castle on its crest, a reminiscence—as, in fact, is every one of these epithets in this “towering of epithets”—of scenes and events in David’s early life.

My God ... —It is better to render this as, my God, my rock, I trust in Him. God is here El, “the strong one.” In Samuel, it is God of my rock.

Horn of my salvation. —The allusion seems to be not to a means of attack, like the horn of an animal, but to a mountain peak (called “horn” in all languages—for instance, κέρας, Xenophon, Anabasis 5.6; “Cornua Parnassi,” Statius, Thebaid 5.532; and so in Hebrew, Isaiah 5:1 (see margin)), such as often afforded David a safe retreat. Render as “my peak of safety.”

High tower. —The Septuagint and Vulgate have “helper.” (Compare to Psalm 9:9.) The word comes in so abruptly that doubtless the addition in Samuel, and my refuge, my Saviour, thou savest me from violence, was part of the original hymn, completing the rhythm.