New Living Translation
Psalms 18:42
42I ground them as fine as dust in the wind. I swept them into the gutter like dirt.
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 placed my foot on their necks. I have destroyed all who hated me. 41They called for help, but no one came to their rescue. They even cried to the Lord, but he refused to answer. I ground them as fine as dust in the wind. I swept them into the gutter like dirt. 43You gave me victory over my accusers. You appointed me ruler over nations; people I don’t even know now serve me. 44As soon as they hear of me, they submit; foreign nations cringe before 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 50:22Repent, all of you who forget me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you.
- 2 Kings 13:7Finally, Jehoahaz’s army was reduced to 50 charioteers, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers. The king of Aram had killed the others, trampling them like dust under his feet.
- Isaiah 41:2“Who has stirred up this king from the east, rightly calling him to God’s service? Who gives this man victory over many nations and permits him to trample their kings underfoot? With his sword, he reduces armies to dust. With his bow, he scatters them like chaff before the wind.
- Isaiah 10:6I am sending Assyria against a godless nation, against a people with whom I am angry. Assyria will plunder them, trampling them like dirt beneath its feet.
- Isaiah 25:10For the Lord’s hand of blessing will rest on Jerusalem. But Moab will be crushed. It will be like straw trampled down and left to rot.
- Zechariah 10:5They will be like mighty warriors in battle, trampling their enemies in the mud under their feet. Since the Lord is with them as they fight, they will overthrow even the enemy’s horsemen.
- Malachi 4:3On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the Lord of Heaven’s 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
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries