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Psalm 18:10
He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
8Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it.
9He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.
10He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
11He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.
Notice
The wind becomes God's means of travel in this poem, a startling picture of his freedom and might amid fire and thick darkness.
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What stands out to you about God riding the wind amid the darkness of these surrounding verses?
Write on thisHow does God riding a cherub compare with the ways you tend to picture his power?
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Where else Scripture says this
11 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Acts 2:2Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.Wind links these scenes: Psalm 18 describes God's flight, while Acts describes a sound from the sky filling a house.
Psalm 68:33to him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which are of old; behold, he utters his voice, a mighty voice.Both psalms picture God riding above the earth, with Psalm 68 naming the ancient heavens as the realm of his ride.
Psalm 104:3He lays the beams of his rooms in the waters. He makes the clouds his chariot. He walks on the wings of the wind.Both passages use the phrase “the wings of the wind” to portray God's movement and command over creation.
Psalm 68:17The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands. The Lord is among them, from Sinai, into the sanctuary.Both portray God's majesty through images of transport: a cherub in Psalm 18 and countless chariots in Psalm 68.
Habakkuk 3:8Was the LORD displeased with the rivers? Was your anger against the rivers, or your wrath against the sea, that you rode on your horses, on your chariots of …Both portray God as a rider, with a cherub and wind in the psalm and horses and chariots in Habakkuk.
Deuteronomy 33:26“There is no one like God, Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens for your help, in his excellency on the skies.Both describe God riding through the skies; Deuteronomy states that this incomparable God rides to help his people.
Psalm 99:1The LORD reigns! Let the peoples tremble. He sits enthroned among the cherubim. Let the earth be moved.Cherubim appear in both portrayals of God's majesty: he rides on a cherub in Psalm 18 and sits enthroned among cherubim in Psalm 99.
Isaiah 6:2Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew.Wings and flight link these scenes, though Isaiah describes flying seraphim and the psalm describes God riding a cherub.
Ezekiel 10:18The LORD’s glory went out from over the threshold of the house and stood over the cherubim.Both associate God's presence with cherubim: the psalm portrays him riding a cherub, while Ezekiel places his glory over them.
2 Samuel 22:11He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he was seen on the wings of the wind.Both contain the same description of God riding a cherub and flying, followed by an image of the wind's wings.
1 Kings 6:23In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high.Cherubim are the shared detail, though Kings describes carved sanctuary figures and the psalm portrays a cherub bearing God.
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One step
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Encouragement
David's song portrays God moving with majesty through a fearsome scene. The wind is under his command; even here, amid darkness and fire, God is sovereign.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).