The Meaning of Psalms 18:8 Explained

Psalms 18:8

KJV: There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

YLT: Gone up hath smoke by His nostrils, And fire from His mouth consumeth, Coals have been kindled by it.

Darby: There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals burned forth from it.

ASV: There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, And fire out of his mouth devoured: Coals were kindled by it.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

There went up  a smoke  out of his nostrils,  and fire  out of his mouth  devoured:  coals  were kindled  by it. 

What does Psalms 18:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 18:1-26 - A Wonderful Deliverance
There is another edition of this psalm in 2 Samuel 22:1-51. Psalms 18:2 and Psalms 18:49 are applied in the New Testament to the Lord Jesus, Hebrews 2:13 and Romans 15:9. We begin with the psalmist's good resolve, Psalms 18:1-3. No single metaphor can comprehend the whole of God's helpfulness to men; but can we say, "I love thee"? See John 21:17. "Thou knowest!"
The story of the past, Psalms 18:4-19. We also have our Red Seas. In our distress let us also cry. The voice of the sufferer may be weak and solitary, but it reaches through the gates of pearl and moves creation! Luke 8:46.
The confident claim of the righteous, Psalms 18:20-26. We cannot boast a righteousness of our own, but we stand in Christ. We are full of impurity and evil, but we may claim at least integrity of motive. Compare Psalms 18:26 with Leviticus 26:21-24. The wind blows in one direction; you can walk against it or with it-take your choice. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 18

1  David praises God for his manifold and marvelous blessings

What do the individual words in Psalms 18:8 mean?

Went up Smoke from His nostrils and fire from His mouth devouring Coals were kindled by it
עָ֘לָ֤ה עָשָׁ֨ן ׀ בְּאַפּ֗וֹ וְאֵשׁ־ מִפִּ֥יו תֹּאכֵ֑ל גֶּ֝חָלִ֗ים בָּעֲר֥וּ מִמֶּֽנּוּ

עָ֘לָ֤ה  Went  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
עָשָׁ֨ן ׀  Smoke 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָשָׁן  
Sense: smoke.
בְּאַפּ֗וֹ  from  His  nostrils 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אַף 
Sense: nostril, nose, face.
וְאֵשׁ־  and  fire 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
מִפִּ֥יו  from  His  mouth 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: פֶּה  
Sense: mouth.
תֹּאכֵ֑ל  devouring 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
גֶּ֝חָלִ֗ים  Coals 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: גַּחַל 
Sense: coal, burning coal, coals of fire, hot coals.
בָּעֲר֥וּ  were  kindled 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: בָּעַר 
Sense: to burn, consume, kindle, be kindled.
מִמֶּֽנּוּ  by  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.