Psalm 18:28
New International Version
You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.

New Living Translation
You light a lamp for me. The LORD, my God, lights up my darkness.

English Standard Version
For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.

Berean Standard Bible
For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.

King James Bible
For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

New King James Version
For You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

New American Standard Bible
For You light my lamp; The LORD my God illumines my darkness.

NASB 1995
For You light my lamp; The LORD my God illumines my darkness.

NASB 1977
For Thou dost light my lamp; The LORD my God illumines my darkness.

Legacy Standard Bible
For You light my lamp; Yahweh my God illumines my darkness.

Amplified Bible
For You cause my lamp to be lighted and to shine; The LORD my God illumines my darkness.

Christian Standard Bible
LORD, you light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
LORD, You light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness.

American Standard Version
For thou wilt light my lamp: Jehovah my God will lighten my darkness.

Contemporary English Version
You, the LORD God, keep my lamp burning and turn darkness to light.

English Revised Version
For thou wilt light my lamp: the LORD my God will lighten my darkness.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
O LORD, you light my lamp. My God turns my darkness into light.

Good News Translation
O LORD, you give me light; you dispel my darkness.

International Standard Version
For you, LORD, make my lamp shine; my God enlightens my darkness.

Majority Standard Bible
For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.

NET Bible
Indeed, you are my lamp, LORD. My God illuminates the darkness around me.

New Heart English Bible
For you light my lamp. The LORD my God lights up my darkness.

Webster's Bible Translation
For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

World English Bible
For you will light my lamp, Yahweh. My God will light up my darkness.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For You light my lamp, "" My God YHWH enlightens my darkness.

Young's Literal Translation
For Thou -- Thou lightest my lamp, Jehovah my God enlighteneth my darkness.

Smith's Literal Translation
For thou wilt enlighten my lamp Jehovah my God will give light to my darkness.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For thou lightest my lamp, O Lord: O my God enlighten my darkness.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For you illuminate my lamp, O Lord. My God, enlighten my darkness.

New American Bible
For you, LORD, give light to my lamp; my God brightens my darkness.

New Revised Standard Version
It is you who light my lamp; the LORD, my God, lights up my darkness.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For thou wilt light my lamp; the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
You will light my lamp, LORD JEHOVAH; my God will enlighten my darkness.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For Thou dost light my lamp; The LORD my God doth lighten my darkness.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For thou, O Lord, wilt light my lamp: my God, thou wilt lighten my darkness.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The LORD is My Rock
27For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes. 28For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness. 29For in You I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall.…

Cross References
John 8:12
Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

2 Samuel 22:29
For You, O LORD, are my lamp; the LORD lights up my darkness.

Isaiah 42:16
I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light before them and rough places into level ground. These things I will do for them, and I will not forsake them.

John 1:4-5
In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. / The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Ephesians 5:8
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,

1 John 1:5-7
And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. / If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. / But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Isaiah 60:19-20
No longer will the sun be your light by day, nor the brightness of the moon shine on your night; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your splendor. / Your sun will no longer set, and your moon will not wane; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and the days of your sorrow will cease.

Matthew 5:14-16
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. / Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. / In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Proverbs 4:18
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.

2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Micah 7:8
Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.

Psalm 27:1
Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?

Luke 1:78-79
because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high, / to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Isaiah 9:2
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.


Treasury of Scripture

For you will light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

thou wilt

Psalm 112:4
Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.

Job 18:6
The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him.

Job 29:3
When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness;

candle.

Psalm 132:17
There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.

2 Samuel 22:29
For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.

1 Kings 11:36
And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.

my God

Isaiah 42:16
And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

Matthew 4:16
The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

Luke 1:79
To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

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Psalm 18
1. David praises God for his manifold and marvelous blessings














For You, O LORD
This phrase acknowledges the personal relationship between the psalmist and God. The use of "LORD" in all caps signifies the Hebrew name Yahweh, the covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal, self-existent nature. Historically, this name was revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14, symbolizing God's unchanging faithfulness and His role as the covenant-keeping God of Israel. The psalmist's invocation of Yahweh reflects a deep trust and reliance on God's character and promises.

light my lamp
The imagery of a lamp is significant in ancient Near Eastern culture, where lamps were essential for illumination in the darkness. The Hebrew word for "lamp" (נֵר, ner) often symbolizes life, guidance, and hope. In the context of the psalm, the lamp represents the psalmist's life and spirit, which God sustains and enlightens. This metaphor suggests that God provides clarity, direction, and vitality, dispelling confusion and despair. The act of lighting the lamp signifies God's active intervention and presence in the believer's life.

my God
This phrase underscores the personal and possessive relationship the psalmist has with God. The use of "my" indicates intimacy and personal commitment. The Hebrew word for God here is "Elohim," a plural form that denotes majesty and power. It reflects the psalmist's recognition of God's supreme authority and his personal allegiance to Him. This relationship is foundational to the psalmist's confidence in God's ability to transform his circumstances.

lights up my darkness
The contrast between light and darkness is a powerful biblical motif. Darkness often symbolizes chaos, evil, ignorance, or distress, while light represents order, goodness, knowledge, and salvation. The Hebrew verb for "lights up" (יָגִיהַ, yagiah) conveys the action of making something shine or illuminate. In this context, it signifies God's transformative power to bring clarity, hope, and deliverance into the psalmist's life. Historically, light is associated with God's presence and revelation, as seen in the creation narrative (Genesis 1:3) and the guiding pillar of fire in the wilderness (Exodus 13:21). This phrase assures believers that God is capable of dispelling any form of darkness they may encounter, providing divine guidance and comfort.

(28) For thou wilt.--Better, Thou makest bright my lamp. In Samuel, "It is thou Jehovah who art my lamp." This obvious metaphor is common in Hebrew, as in all literature. Light is an emblem of prosperity, happiness, or life itself. (Comp. Job 18:6; Job 21:17; Proverbs 13:9, &c). It happens to be used very frequently of David and his family (1Kings 11:36; 1Kings 15:4; 2Kings 8:19). Comp. Psalm 132:17. . . . Verses 28-45. - As in the former narrative section (vers. 4-24) David seems to have had his earlier troubles in mind, so, in the present one, his troubles since he entered upon the kingdom seem especially to engage his thoughts. These consisted chiefly of wars with foreign enemies, in which, while he incurred many dangers, he was, upon the whole, eminently successful. Verse 28. - For thou wilt light my candle; rather, my lamp - the word generally used of the lamps supported by the seven-branched candelabrum of the tabernacle (see Exodus 25:37; Exodus 37:22, 23; Exodus 40:25). David himself is called "the lamp of Israel" in 2 Samuel 21:17. The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. The true lamp of David, which "enlightened his darkness," was "the light of God's countenance." While this shone upon him, his whole path was bright, and he himself, reflecting the Divine rays, was a lamp to others.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

You,
אַ֭תָּה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

O LORD,
יְהוָ֥ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

light
תָּאִ֣יר (tā·’îr)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 215: To be or become light

my lamp;
נֵרִ֑י (nê·rî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5216: A lamp, light

my God
אֱ֝לֹהַ֗י (’ĕ·lō·hay)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

enlightens
יַגִּ֥יהַּ (yag·gî·ah)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5050: To glitter, to illuminate

my darkness.
חָשְׁכִּֽי׃ (ḥā·šə·kî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2822: The dark, darkness, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness


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OT Poetry: Psalm 18:28 For you will light my lamp Yahweh (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 18:27
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