Psalm 18:21 meaning, Cross Ref, ai commentary KJV NIV ESV NLT

Psalm 18:21 kjv

For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

Psalm 18:21 nkjv

For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God.

Psalm 18:21 niv

For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I am not guilty of turning from my God.

Psalm 18:21 esv

For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

Psalm 18:21 nlt

For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
I have not turned from my God to follow evil.

Psalm 18 21 Cross References

Verse	Text	Reference
Gen 15:6	"And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness."	Abraham's faith as righteousness, laying groundwork for future faithfulness.
Deut 10:12-13	"...fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways..."	Obeying God's ways is fundamental duty.
1 Sam 26:23	"May the Lord repay every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness..."	God rewards fidelity, echoing the principle of divine justice.
1 Kgs 8:32	"...condemning the wicked, bringing his way on his head, and justifying the righteous..."	God's just judgment of the wicked and vindication of the righteous.
Ps 7:3-5	"O Lord my God, if I have done this...then let my enemy pursue..."	David's self-affirmation of innocence against false accusations.
Ps 15:1-2	"Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle?...He who walks uprightly..."	Qualifications for being in God's presence, highlighting righteous conduct.
Ps 37:23-24	"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord..."	God guiding and upholding the righteous.
Ps 101:2-3	"I will behave wisely in a perfect way...I will walk within my house with a blameless heart."	David's commitment to personal integrity and governance.
Prov 10:9	"He who walks in integrity walks securely..."	Security and peace for those who live uprightly.
Isa 3:10	"Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them..."	Assurance of well-being for the righteous.
Ezek 18:5-9	"But if a man is just and does what is lawful and right..."	Definition of a righteous man in the Old Covenant.
Dan 4:27	"...break off your sins by righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy..."	A call to repentance through righteous actions.
Matt 5:6	"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness..."	Christ's blessing on those seeking God's righteous standards.
Matt 5:19	"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments... but whoever does and teaches them..."	Emphasis on doing God's commandments in the New Covenant.
Rom 2:13	"for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified."	God's justice applied to those who actively obey.
Phil 3:9	"...not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ..."	New Covenant perspective on righteousness found in Christ, not mere legalism.
1 John 3:7	"Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous..."	Christian righteousness evidenced by righteous living.
Rev 22:14	"Blessed are those who do His commandments..."	Final blessing on those who obey God's will.
Deut 4:9	"...beware lest you forget the things your eyes have seen..."	Warning against turning away or forgetting God's commands.
Jer 2:13	"For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters..."	Strong denunciation of spiritual apostasy.
Heb 3:12	"Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God."	Warning against apostasy and willful departure from God in the New Testament.
2 Pet 2:20-21	"For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world... they are again entangled in them..."	Reiteration of the danger of turning away from known truth.

Psalm 18 verses

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Psalm 18 21 Meaning

Psalm 18:21 is David's affirmation of his covenant faithfulness before God. It declares that God delivered him not because of a perfect, sinless life, but because he diligently adhered to God's moral and righteous standards ("kept the ways of the Lord") and did not deliberately or wickedly turn away from his personal relationship with God ("not wickedly departed from my God"). This verse explains the reason for the divine vindication and deliverance mentioned in the preceding verse (v. 20), emphasizing God's righteous judgment that blesses those who walk in integrity with Him.

Psalm 18 21 Context

Psalm 18 is a monumental psalm of thanksgiving and praise from David to the Lord, recounted in 2 Samuel 22. It celebrates God's mighty deliverance of David from all his enemies, especially from the hand of Saul. The psalm begins with David's declaration of love for God as his strength and fortress (vv. 1-3). It vividly describes David's desperate plight and God's powerful, dramatic intervention from heaven (vv. 4-19). Verse 20 introduces the theme of God's righteous vindication: "The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness." Verse 21, along with verses 22-24, serves as David's explanation and justification for why God dealt righteously with him. David asserts his adherence to God's statutes and judgments, not deviating from them. This self-affirmation is crucial within the psalm's context, demonstrating that God is a righteous Judge who responds to faithfulness, upholding His covenant with those who walk in His ways.

Psalm 18 21 Word analysis

For (Hebrew: kî / כִּי): A causal conjunction, meaning "because" or "for." It links this verse as the explanation or justification for the preceding statement (Psalm 18:20), where David affirms that God dealt with him according to his righteousness.
I have kept (Hebrew: shāmar / שָׁמַרְתִּי): From the root shāmar, meaning to watch, guard, keep, observe, preserve, or obey. In this context, it signifies a diligent and conscious adherence to, and careful preservation of, the principles and laws of God. It implies ongoing commitment, not just a one-time act.
the ways (Hebrew: darkê / דַּרְכֵי): From the root derekh, meaning way, path, course, or conduct. Here it refers to God's precepts, statutes, moral character, and prescribed manner of living. It encompasses the entirety of divine teaching and righteousness.
of the Lord (Hebrew: YHWH / יְהוָה): The proper, personal, covenantal name of God revealed to Israel. It emphasizes that these "ways" are divinely ordained by the sovereign covenant-making God.
and have not wickedly departed (Hebrew: wəloʾ hiršiʿ / וְלֹא־הִרְשַׁעְתִּי): wəloʾ means "and not." hiršiʿ is the Hiphil conjugation of rāshaʿ (רָשַׁע), which means to be or act wickedly, to commit injustice, or to be in the wrong. The Hiphil intensive form means to "cause to do evil," or here, to actively commit wickedness or to wickedly depart. It conveys a strong sense of deliberate rebellion or sustained unfaithfulness, implying an intentional turning away from righteousness.
from my God (Hebrew: mêʾelohāy / מֵאֱלֹהָי): mê means "from" and ʾelohāy means "my God" (ʾelohim with the first person possessive suffix). This signifies a deeply personal, covenantal relationship. To "depart from my God" indicates a betrayal of that trust and relationship, a spiritual apostasy.
Words-group analysis:
- "I have kept the ways of the Lord": This phrase emphasizes proactive and continuous obedience. David’s commitment wasn’t passive; he actively walked in the path God laid out. It signifies a life aligning with God’s established order and commandments, highlighting covenant faithfulness.
- "and have not wickedly departed from my God": This negative parallel reinforces the positive statement. It denotes the absence of willful and rebellious turning away from God Himself, not just His rules. "Wickedly departed" (from rāshaʿ) implies active evil-doing or rebellion, demonstrating that David's claim is against intentional, covenant-breaking sin, and spiritual desertion. It’s a denial of apostasy or malicious rebellion.

Psalm 18 21 Bonus section

The parallel account in 2 Samuel 22:22-25 closely mirrors this verse and expands on it, providing further context to David's assertions of righteousness, clarifying that it refers to his blamelessness concerning the specific charges of his enemies and his general commitment to God's covenant: "For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His judgments were before me; and as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. I was also blameless before Him, and I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness." This underlines that David's righteousness here is ethical, moral, and covenantal, relating to his consistent walk before God. This passage, alongside its context, reveals a vital aspect of Old Testament theology: God's blessing and deliverance are not arbitrary but are tied to covenant faithfulness, emphasizing the divine recompense for those who endeavor to walk uprightly. It points towards a consistent ethical demand throughout God's revelation.

Psalm 18 21 Commentary

Psalm 18:21 is David's testament to his conduct and its alignment with God's justice. It's not a claim of sinless perfection (David was a sinner, as shown in the accounts of Bathsheba or the census), but rather an affirmation of his integrity in contrast to his enemies and his commitment to the covenant. He argues that his deliverance by God was justified because, unlike his adversaries who were genuinely wicked, he strove to live righteously before God and had not willfully or deliberately turned his back on the Lord. This verse highlights the Old Testament principle that God blesses and vindicates the righteous who diligently pursue His commands and maintain faithfulness, reflecting His character as a just judge. It provides an encouraging truth: faithful living, while imperfect, is honored by God. Practically, it encourages believers to continually assess their "ways," ensuring they remain aligned with God's Word and avoid any conscious, deliberate turning away from His presence and precepts.