Psalms 18:36 — Word Study
WLCתַּרְחִ֣יב צַעֲדִ֣י תַחְתָּ֑י וְלֹ֥א מָ֝עֲד֗וּ קַרְסֻלָּֽי׃
BSAto givenâthan shieldmâgên salvationyeshaʻ Ben]jaminyâmîyn to supportçâʻad gentlenessʻanvâh to multiplyrâbâh
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| תַּרְחִ֣יב | you have enlarged | Verb, Hiphil, imperfect second person masculine singular |
| צַעֲדִ֣י | step[s] my | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| תַחְתָּ֑י | under me | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| וְלֹ֥א | and not | Conjunction, particle |
| מָ֝עֲד֗וּ | they have slipped | Verb, Qal, perfect third person common plural |
| קַרְסֻלָּֽי׃ | ankles my | Noun common feminine dual construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way. |
| KJV | Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip. |
| ASV | Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped. |
| YLT | Thou enlargest my step under me, And mine ankles have not slidden. |
| WEB | You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped. |
| BBE | You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet are kept from slipping. |
Where they part company is תַּרְחִ֣יב — see How Translations Differ.
One main clause with a purpose clause following it, indicating the reason for God's action in broadening the path.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbוְ
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 18:36
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — A Song of Praise for Deliverancegenerated
Psalm 18:36 is part of a larger psalm where the author recounts God's deliverance from enemies and expresses trust in His guidance. The psalmist acknowledges that God has made the path safe and secure, preventing any missteps, which reflects a broader theme of divine protection throughout the psalm.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 4:1 | Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved my distress; show me grace and hear my prayer. |
| 2 | Job 18:7 | His vigorous stride is shortened, and his own schemes trip him up. |
| 3 | Job 36:16 | Indeed, He drew you from the jaws of distress to a spacious and broad place, to a table full of richness. |
| 4 | Luke 12:50 | But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! |
| 5 | Luke 24:46–48 | And He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 7 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — תַּרְחִ֣יב, tar.Chivgenerated
The verb תַּרְחִ֣יב (tar.Chiv) is in the Hiphil form, indicating an action performed by the subject — in this case, God — to make something wider or more spacious. This word emphasizes God's role in providing a secure and expansive path for the psalmist.
The action of enlarging the path suggests not just physical space but also a metaphorical sense of making the journey of life easier and more secure, allowing the psalmist to walk without fear of stumbling.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb תַּרְחִ֣יב governs the entire verse, indicating that God is the one who performs the action of enlarging the path. The structure follows a straightforward order, with the subject (God) acting upon the object (the path) and followed by a purpose clause.
The phrase תַּחְתָּ֑י (tach.Tai) indicates the location of the path, while the final clause describes the result of this action, ensuring the psalmist's ankles do not slip. This construction emphasizes the relationship between God's action and its protective outcome.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the Hebrew verb תַּרְחִ֣יב is rendered as ἔδωκάς (edōkas), which means 'you have given.' This choice shifts the focus from the action of enlarging to the act of providing, suggesting a broader interpretation of God's support.
This translation highlights the idea that God not only enlarges the path but also actively provides the means for the psalmist to walk securely.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 18:36 expresses the psalmist's gratitude for God's provision of a safe path to walk on. God has made the way secure, ensuring that the psalmist's ankles do not slip or stumble. This reflects God's protective care in the psalmist's life.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It means that God makes the way safe and secure for the psalmist, allowing for confident movement without fear of stumbling.
This verse shows God's protective nature, ensuring that His followers have a secure path in life.
The imagery of a path represents the journey of life, and a secure path symbolizes guidance and support from God.
We can learn to trust in God's guidance and provision, knowing that He makes our paths safe as we walk in faith.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what areas of my life do I need to trust God to broaden my path?
- How can I recognize the ways God has made my journey easier?
- What steps can I take to ensure I do not stumble in my walk with God?
- How does understanding God's provision for me affect my daily decisions?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early Church Fathers have commented on this verse, interpreting it as a reflection of God's guidance and support in the believer's journey.
“You have made room for my steps under me,” the steps, namely, by which I cross from iniquity to moral excellence, from things perceived by my senses to those perceived by my mind, from the present to the future age,Early Church Fathers on Psalms 18 →
"You have enlarged my steps under me" [Psalms 18:36]. Nor shall the straits of the flesh hinder me;Early Church Fathers on Psalms 18 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 18:36 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThou hast enlarged my steps under me,.... Which is opposed to those straitened circumstances in which the psalmist was, Psalms 18:4; and is expressive of deliverance from his enemies, by whom he was
Read John Gill on Psalms 18 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryFor thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. Here follows the fourth section of the psalm.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 18 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThou hast enlarged my steps; which before were straitened and confined to a little compass, and entangled with the narrowness and difficulty of the way. Thou hast set my feet in a large room, 118:5, i.e. thou hast brought me out of all my straits and difficulties into a state of freedom and safety. Slip, or stumble, as they are apt to do in narrow and uneven ways.
Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 18 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 18:36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.Ver. 36. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me] Or, Thou hast widened my passage, and made room for me; when the wicked man’ s strong passages are straitened, Job 18:7, his pace impeded. And my feet did not slip] Heb. mine ankles, or my heels; Sept. my footsteps.
Read John Trapp on Psalms 18 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(36) Thou hast enlarged my steps.—Comp. Psalms 31:8, which explains the phrase; also Psalms 18:19 above.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 18 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 36. Enlarged my steps] See on Psalms 18:19. From the hand of God he had continual prosperity; and while he walked with God no enemy was able to prevail against him. He details his successes in the following verses.
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 18 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges36. enlarged my steps &c.] Given me free space for unobstructed movement (cp. Psalms 18:19; Proverbs 4:12), and the power to advance with firm, unwavering steps.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 18 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleThou hast enlarged my steps under me - The idea here is, “Thou hast made room for my feet, so that I have been enabled to walk without hindrance or obstruction.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 18 →The verse in English, compared — 16 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.
You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped.
You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.
You widen my path; my feet do not slip.
Tyndale line
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped.
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
Thou hast enlarged my steps vnder mee, and mine heeles haue not slid.
Strictly literal
Thou didst enlarge my steps under me, and mine ankles have not wavered.
Thou enlargest my step under me, And mine ankles have not slidden.
You enlarge my step under me, || And my ankles have not slipped.
(18:37) Thou enlargest my steps under me, so that my joints do not slip.
You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me so that my feet have not slipped.
Simplified
You gave me space in which to walk, and prevented my feet from slipping.
You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet are kept from slipping.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text of תַּרְחִ֣יב matches the Septuagint's rendering with all six words corresponding directly. The Dead Sea Scrolls show some restoration, but the essential meaning remains consistent with the Masoretic Text.
תַּרְחִ֣יב צַעֲדִ֣י תַחְתָּ֑י וְלֹ֥א מָ֝עֲד֗וּ קַרְסֻלָּֽי׃
6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
[ותתן] [ל׳י] [מגן] [ישע׳ך] וימינ׳ך [תסעד׳ני] [וענות׳ך] [תרב׳ני]
nothing on the leather here — 1 partly restored, 7 supplied entire by an editor.
[ותתן] ל׳י מגן [ישע׳ך] [וימינ׳ך] [תסעד׳ני] [וענות׳ך] [תרב׳ני]
1 word on the leather — 1 partly restored, 6 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 18:36
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
רָחַב (rachab) is a Hebrew verb meaning to be or grow wide or large. It encompasses various forms, including being widened or enlarged (Qal), describing broad or roomy pastures (Niphal), and the act of making something large or enlarging it (Hiphil). The entries collectively emphasize both literal and figurative uses of the term.
רָחַב [? also רָחֹב] vb. be or grow, wide, large
Qal be widened, enlarged
Niph. broad, roomy, pasture.
Hiph.
make large
enlarge
base
H7337 רָחַב [? also רָחֹב] be or grow, wide, large
7337 rachab raw-khab'
a primitive root; to broaden (intransitive or transitive,
literal or figurative):--be an en-(make) large(-ing), make
room, make (open) wide.
רָחַב (ra.chav) — to enlarge.
1) to be or grow wide, be or grow large
1a) (Qal) to be widened, be enlarged
1b) (Niphal) broad or roomy pasture (participle)
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to make large
1c2) to enlarge
HVhi2ms — Verb · Hiphil · imperfect second person masculine singularHVhi2ms
צַ֫עַד (tsa`ad) refers to a step or pace, indicating a regular movement or stride. It can also metaphorically represent the steps one takes in life. The word is derived from a related term, צָעַד (tsa`ad), which emphasizes the concept of movement.
[צַ֫עַד] n.m. step, pace
base
H6806 צַ֫עַד
6806 tsa`ad tsah'-ad
from 6804; a pace or regular step:--pace, step.
see HEBREW for 06804
צַ֫עַד (tsa.ad) — step.
1) step, pace, stride
1a) step, pace
1b) step, steps (of course of life) (fig)
HNcmsc/Sp1bs — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp1bs
תַּחַת (tachath) refers to the concept of being underneath or below. It can function as a noun meaning 'the under part,' or as an adverb and preposition indicating position or substitution, such as 'instead of' or 'for the sake of.' The word encompasses various uses, including physical placement and metaphorical meanings related to subjection or exchange.
תַּחַת n.[m.] the under part, hence as adv. accus. and prep. underneath, below, instead of
base
H8478 תַּחַת the under part, hence as adv. accus. and prep. underneath, below, instead of
8478 tachath takh'-ath
from the same as 8430; the bottom (as depressed); only
adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix
underneath), in lieu of, etc.:--as, beneath, X flat,
in(-stead), (same) place (where...is), room, for...sake, stead
of, under, X unto, X when...was mine, whereas, (where-)fore,
with.
see HEBREW for 08430
תַּחַת (ta.chat) — underneath: under.
: under/below
1) the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas n m
1a) the under part adv accus
1b) beneath prep
1c) under, beneath
1c1) at the foot of (idiom)
1c2) sweetness, subjection, woman, being burdened or oppressed (fig)
1c3) of subjection or conquest
1d) what is under one, the place in which one stands
1d1) in one's place, the place in which one stands (idiom with reflexive pronoun)
1d2) in place of, instead of (in transferred sense)
1d3) in place of, in exchange or return for (of things mutually interchanged)
conj
1e) instead of, instead of that
1f) in return for that, because that in compounds
1g) in, under, into the place of (after verbs of motion)
1h) from under, from beneath, from under the hand of, from his place, under, beneath
תַּחַת (ta.chat) — underneath: instead.
: instead/in_place/exchange
HNcmpc/Sp1bs — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp1bs
לֹא (lo') is a Hebrew word meaning 'not' or 'no.' It serves as a simple negation and can imply absence or prohibition. The word can also be used in various contexts, often combined with other particles for emphasis or clarification. Its Aramaic equivalent is לָא (la), which also means 'not.'
לֹא or לוֹא adv. not
base
H3808 לֹא or לוֹא not
3808 lo' lo
or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle;
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often
used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else,
ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never,
no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out
of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, +
of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.
לֹא (lo) — not.
1) not, no
1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition)
1b) not (with modifier-negation)
1c) nothing (subst)
1d) without (with particle)
1e) before (of time)
Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)
HC/Tn — Conjunction · particleHC/Tn
מָעַד (ma'ad) is a Hebrew verb meaning to slip or slide. It can describe the action of slipping or tottering in its basic form (Qal), and in the Hiphil form, it means to cause something to shake or totter. The entries collectively emphasize the physical instability implied by the word.
[מָעַד] vb. slip, slide, totter, shake (only Heb.);—
Qal slip
Pu. pass. not needed here
Hiph. cause to shake, i.e. make them totter
base
H4571 מָעַד, מוּעֶדֶת, עָמַד
4571 ma`ad maw-ad'
a primitive root; to waver:--make to shake, slide, slip.
מָעַד (ma.ad) — to slip.
1) to slip, slide, totter, shake
1a) (Qal) to slip
1b) (Hiphil) to cause or make to shake or totter
HVqp3cp — Verb · Qal · perfect third person common pluralHVqp3cp
The Hebrew word קַרְסֹל (*qarcol*) means 'ankle' and is derived from the root meaning related to a protuberance or joint. It is consistently defined across entries as referring specifically to the ankle, with no significant disagreement among lexicons.
[קַרְסֹל] n.[f.] ankle
base
H7166 קַרְסֹל
7166 qarcol kar-sole'
from 7164; an ankle (as a protuberance or joint):--foot.
see HEBREW for 07164
קַרְסֹל (qar.sol) — ankle.
ankle
HNcfdc/Sp1bs — Noun common feminine dual construct · suffixHNcfdc/Sp1bs