John Gill Commentary Psalms 18:5

"The cords of Sheol were round about me; The snares of death came upon me." — Psalms 18:5 (ASV)

The sorrows of hell compassed me about
Or "the cords of the grave" ^F19 , under the power of which he was detained for awhile; the allusion may be to the manner of burying among the Jews, who wound up their dead bodies in linen clothes; so that they were as persons bound hand and foot; and thus were they laid in the grave; see (John 11:44) ; and so was Christ, till he was raised from the dead, when he showed himself to have the keys of hell and death, and to be no more under their power, or be held by them;

the snares of death prevented me ;
or "met" or "got before me" ^F20 the sense is, he was taken in them: this phrase designs the insidious ways and methods which the enemies of Christ took to ensnare him, and take away his life, and in which they succeeded; see (Matthew 26:4) .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F19: (lwav ylbx) "funes sepulchri", Musculus, Gejerus.
• F20: (ynwmdq) "praeoccupaverunt me", V. L. "anteverterunt me", Vatablus; "occurrerunt", Cocceius.