Psalm 18:42 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

NIV: I beat them as fine as windblown dust; I trampled them like mud in the streets.

NASB: Then I beat them fine like the dust before the wind; I emptied them out like the mud of the streets.

CSB: I pulverize them like dust before the wind; I trample them like mud in the streets.

NLT: I ground them as fine as dust in the wind. I swept them into the gutter like dirt.

KJV: Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.

NKJV: Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets.

Hyperbole is the literary term which means "exaggerating for effect." This was an extremely common practice in ancient literature. A modern equivalent would be someone saying, "I've told you a million times," or "this suitcase weighs a ton!" The speaker doesn't mean it literally, and the one hearing them understands the metaphor.

Still praising God's intervention, David writes that he beat his enemies "fine as dust before the wind." Dust is no match for the wind. The wind blows dust swiftly and far according to its velocity.

David's disdain for his enemies was equivalent to what he felt about trash or useless waste. Just as people swept garbage or grime into the gutter, David flung his enemies aside like waste. Dust and dirt thrown into the street are trampled and completely ignored by those who walk on them (Matthew 5:13). Although God loves everyone and gave His Son to die for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2), someday He will cast aside for eternity all who reject His offer of salvation (John 3:36). Revelation 20:11–15 pictures the great white throne judgment: a moment at the beginning of eternity which reveals that all whose names are not found written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire.

Psalm 18:28–45 celebrates the Lord's goodness to David during his wilderness experience (2 Samuel 22:1). Second Samuel 22:29–46 is a companion passage, and 2 Samuel chapter 8 features several of David's victories. Other passages that focus on the victory God gives His people are Romans 8:28–39, 1 Corinthians 15:50–58, 2 Corinthians 1:8–11, 2:14–17, Ephesians 6:10–20, Philippians 1:12–26, 1 Peter 1:3–9, and 1 John 5:1–5.

In 2 Samuel chapter 22, David expresses praise for all the times in his life where God gave him victory. That prayer or song is copied almost identically here. Psalm 18, itself, might have been adapted for use in public worship. David remembers dire situations where God rescued him. He dramatically recounts how God provided rescue and power. David also credits God with rewarding his obedience by making him a powerful and successful military leader. For these reasons, David commits himself to the praise and worship of the Lord.

This psalm is David's prayer to the Lord in which David praises the Lord for making him victorious over his enemies. Second Samuel 5, 8, and 10 are companion chapters, and 2 Samuel 22 provides another version of this psalm. Second Samuel 22:1 tells us David composed Psalm 18 on the day the Lord delivered him from his enemies and Saul. Second Samuel 19 reports David's victorious return to Jerusalem after David vanquished his enemies.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.