“The Lord is my light;” whilst the form ניר is a later mode of writing נר.
Verse 30
In the strength of his God he could run hostile troops and leap walls, i.e., overcome every hostile power. ארוּץ, not from רצץ, to smash in pieces, but from רוּץ, to run; construed with the accusative according to the analogy of verbs of motion.
Verse 31
He derives this confidence from the acts of God, and also from His word. האל (God) is written absolutely, like הצּוּר in Deu 32:4. The article points back to בּאלהי. Jehovah is the God (האל), whose way is perfect, without blemish; and His word is refined brass, pure silver (cf. Psa 12:7). He who trusts in Him is safe from all foes. The last two clauses occur again in Agur's proverbs (Pro 30:5). The thought of the last clause is still further explained in 2Sa 22:32.
Verses 32-35
2Sa 22:32-35 32 For who is God save Jehovah,
And who a rock save our God? 33 This God is my strong fortress,
And leads the innocent his way. 34 He makes my feet like the hinds,
And setteth me upon my high places; 35 He teacheth my hands to fight,
And my arms span brazen bows.
There is no true God who can help, except or by the side of Jehovah (cf. Deu 32:31; 1Sa 2:2). צוּר, as in 2Sa 22:2. This God is “my strong fortress:” for this figure, comp. Psa 31:5 and Psa 27:1. חיל, strength, might, is construed with מעוּזי, by free subordination: “my fortress, a strong one,” like עז מחסי (Psa 71:7; cf. Ewald, §291, b.). יתּר for יתר, from תּוּר (vid., Ges. §72; Olshausen, Gram. p. 579), in the sense of leading or taking round, as in Pro 12:26. God leads the innocent his way, i.e., He is his leader and guide therein. The Keri דּרכּי rests upon a misunderstanding. There is an important difference in the reading of this verse in Ps 18, viz., “The God who girdeth me with strength, and makes my way innocent.” The last clause is certainly an alteration which simplifies the meaning, and so is also the first clause, the thought of which occurs again, word for word, in 2Sa 22:40, with the addition of למּלחמה. איּלה or איּלת, the hind, or female stag, is a figure of speech denoting swiftness in running. “Like the hinds:” a condensed simile for “like the hinds' feet,” such as we frequently
