Psalms 18:31

For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — David speaks in a psalm of deliverance, positioned between declarations of God's perfect way and shield (v. 30) and His provision of strength and clear paths (v. 32). The verse functions as a rhetorical pivot affirming divine exclusivity amid recounted rescue.

The words — The text hinges on the interrogative מִי (mi, "who?") paired with the prepositions מִבַּלְעֲדֵי (mi-bal'adei, "besides") and זוּלָתִי (zulati, "except"). These frame the exclusive claims for אֱלֹהִים ('Elohîm, "God") and צוּר (tsûr, "Rock").

The thread — The same exclusive rhetorical structure appears in Deuteronomy 32:31 when contrasting Israel's enemies with their own Rock, and in Deuteronomy 32:39 where Yahweh declares absolute sovereignty. Psalm 86:8 echoes the motif with "there is none like You among the gods."

Why it lands — The verse asserts that no other being shares the identity or function of Yahweh as God and Rock. It requires the reader to abandon reliance on any alternative source of power and place trust solely in the one who perfects His way and arms them for action.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

כִּ֤יkifor מִ֣יmiwho?אֱ֭לוֹהַּ'E.lo.ah[is] God מִבַּלְעֲדֵ֣יmi./bal.'a.Dei<from>/ except יְהוָ֑הYah.wehYahweh וּמִ֥יu./Miand/ who?צ֝֗וּרTzur[is] a rock זוּלָתִ֥יzu.la.Tiexcept אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃'e.lo.Hei./nuGod/ our

King James Version

For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God?

Cross-references

Deuteronomy 32:31 For their rock is not like our Rock, even our enemies concede.
Psalms 86:8 O Lord, there is none like You among the gods, nor any works like Yours.
Deuteronomy 32:39 See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.
2 Samuel 22:32 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
Isaiah 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God but Me. I will equip you for battle, though you have not known Me,
1 Samuel 2:2 There is no one holy like the LORD. Indeed, there is no one besides You! And there is no Rock like our God.
Isaiah 45:21 Speak up and present your case—yes, let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the LORD? There is no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me.