God’s Word Translation
Psalms 18:42
42I beat them into a powder as fine as the dust blown by the wind. I threw them out as though they were dirt on the streets.
Psalms 18:42 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.
- New International Version (NIV)I beat them as fine as windblown dust; I trampled them like mud in the streets.
- English Standard Version (ESV)I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets.
Context of Psalms 18:42
40You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and I destroyed those who hated me. 41They cried out for help, but there was no one to save them. They cried out to the Lord, but he did not answer them. I beat them into a powder as fine as the dust blown by the wind. I threw them out as though they were dirt on the streets. 43You rescued me from my conflicts with the people. You made me the leader of nations. A people I did not know will serve me: 44As soon as they hear of me, they will obey me. Foreigners will cringe in front of me.
Read all of Psalms 18Psalms 18:42 word by word
וְֽאֶשְׁחָקֵ֗ם כְּעָפָ֥ר עַל־פְּנֵי־ר֑וּחַ כְּטִ֖יט חוּצ֣וֹת אֲרִיקֵֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 18:42
- Psalms 50:22Consider this, you people who forget God. Otherwise, I will tear you to pieces, and there will be no one left to rescue you.
- 2 Kings 13:7Jehoahaz had no army left except for 50 horses, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers because the king of Aram had destroyed the rest. He had made them like dust that people trample.
- Isaiah 41:2“Who has raised up from the east someone to whom the Lord gives victory with every step he takes? Nations are handed over to him. He defeats kings. With his sword he turns them into dust. With his bow he turns them into straw blown by the wind.
- Isaiah 10:6I send them against a godless nation. In my fury I order them against the people to take their belongings, loot them, and trample on them like mud in the streets.
- Isaiah 25:10The Lord’s power will be on this mountain. Moab will be trampled beneath him like straw that is trampled in a pile of manure.
- Zechariah 10:5Together they will be like warriors who trample the enemy in the mud on the streets. They will fight because the Lord is with them. They will put to shame those who ride on horses.
- Malachi 4:3You will trample on wicked people, because on the day I act they will be ashes under the soles of your feet,” says the Lord of Armies.
Commentaries on Psalms 18:42
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 42Then did I beat them - God was with him, and they had only an arm of flesh. No wonder then that his enemies were destroyed. Small as the dust before the wind - This well expresses the manner in which he treated the Moabites, Ammonites, and the people of Rabbah: "He put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron; and made them pass through the brick-kiln," etc. See 2 Samuel 12:31; (note), and the notes there.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 42Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind - As the fine dust is driven by the wind, so they fled before me. There could be no more striking illustration of a defeated army flying before a conqueror. DeWette says correctly that the idea is, “I beat them small, and scattered them as dust before the wind.” I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets - In the corresponding place in 2 Samuel 22:43, this is, “I did stamp them as the mire of the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 29-50Verses 29-50 When we praise for one mercy, we must observe the many more, with which we have been compassed all our days. Many things had contributed to David's advancement, and he owns the hand of God in them all, to teach us to do likewise. In verse #(32), and the following verses, are the gifts of God to the spiritual warrior, whereby he is prepared for the contest, after the example of his victorious Leader. Learn that we must seek release being made…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 37-42With help from the Divine Warrior, the psalmist experienced victory over his enemies.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4242. This conquest was complete.Read the comment
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries