Psalm 18:39
New International Version
You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me.

New Living Translation
You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet.

English Standard Version
For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.

Berean Standard Bible
You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.

King James Bible
For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

New King James Version
For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

New American Standard Bible
For You have encircled me with strength for battle; You have forced those who rose up against me to bow down under me.

NASB 1995
For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

NASB 1977
For Thou hast girded me with strength for battle; Thou hast subdued under me those who rose up against me.

Legacy Standard Bible
For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

Amplified Bible
For You have encircled me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

Christian Standard Bible
You have clothed me with strength for battle; you subdue my adversaries beneath me.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You have clothed me with strength for battle; You subdue my adversaries beneath me.

American Standard Version
For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

Contemporary English Version
You helped me win victories, and you forced my attackers to fall victim to me.

English Revised Version
For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You armed me with strength for battle. You made my opponents bow at my feet.

Good News Translation
You give me strength for the battle and victory over my enemies.

International Standard Version
You clothed me with strength for war; you will subdue under me those who rise up against me.

Majority Standard Bible
You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.

NET Bible
You give me strength for battle; you make my foes kneel before me.

New Heart English Bible
For you have equipped me with strength for the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

Webster's Bible Translation
For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

World English Bible
For you have armed me with strength to the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And You gird me [with] strength for battle, "" You cause my withstanders to bow under me.

Young's Literal Translation
And Thou girdest me with strength for battle, Causest my withstanders to bow under me.

Smith's Literal Translation
Thou wilt gird one with strength for war: thou wilt bend under me those rising up against me.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And thou hast girded me with strength unto battle; and hast subdued under me them that rose up against me.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And you have wrapped me with virtue for the battle. And those rising up against me, you have subdued under me.

New American Bible
You girded me with valor for war, subjugated my opponents beneath me.

New Revised Standard Version
For you girded me with strength for the battle; you made my assailants sink under me.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For thou hast girded me with strength to the battle; thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
You have girded me with power in war, and you will make those who stand against me to bow under me.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle; Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For thou hast girded me with strength for war: thou hast beaten down under me all that rose up against me.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The LORD is My Rock
38I crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet. 39You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me. 40You have made my enemies retreat before me; I put an end to those who hated me.…

Cross References
Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

2 Samuel 22:40
You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

Isaiah 41:10
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. / That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

1 Samuel 17:45-47
But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. / This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. / And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.”

Romans 8:37
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

1 Chronicles 29:12
Both riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler over all. In Your hands are power and might to exalt and give strength to all.

Isaiah 40:29-31
He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak. / Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. / But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.

2 Timothy 4:17
But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion.

Zechariah 4:6
So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.

1 Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Exodus 15:2
The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.


Treasury of Scripture

For you have girded me with strength to the battle: you have subdued under me those that rose up against me.

girded

Psalm 18:32
It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

Ezekiel 30:24,25
And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man

subdued [heb.

Psalm 66:3
Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.

2 Samuel 22:40
For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me.

1 Chronicles 22:18
Is not the LORD your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? for he hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand; and the land is subdued before the LORD, and before his people.

necks

Lamentations 5:5
Our necks are under persecution: we labour, and have no rest.

that

Psalm 34:21
Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.

2 Samuel 22:41
Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.

Proverbs 8:36
But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

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Adversaries Armed Assailants Battle Bow Causest Feet Fight Gird Girded Girdest Low Rose Sink Strength Subdue Subdued Withstanders
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Adversaries Armed Assailants Battle Bow Causest Feet Fight Gird Girded Girdest Low Rose Sink Strength Subdue Subdued Withstanders
Psalm 18
1. David praises God for his manifold and marvelous blessings














For You have armed me
This phrase acknowledges the divine source of strength and preparation. The Hebrew root word for "armed" is "azar," which means to gird or equip. In ancient times, warriors were girded with armor and weapons, signifying readiness and protection. Spiritually, this implies that God Himself equips His followers with the necessary spiritual armor to face life's battles, as echoed in Ephesians 6:10-18, where believers are encouraged to put on the full armor of God.

with strength for battle
The word "strength" in Hebrew is "chayil," often translated as might or power. This strength is not merely physical but encompasses moral and spiritual fortitude. The historical context of David, the psalmist, reflects a life filled with literal battles, yet the strength he speaks of is divinely endowed, enabling him to overcome adversities. This strength is a reminder of Philippians 4:13, where believers are assured that they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them.

You have subdued my foes
The term "subdued" comes from the Hebrew "kara," meaning to bring down or humble. This indicates a complete victory over enemies, not by personal might but through divine intervention. In the biblical narrative, God often intervenes on behalf of His people, as seen in the accounts of the Israelites' victories over their enemies. This phrase reassures believers that God is actively involved in their struggles, bringing about triumph over spiritual adversaries.

beneath me
The imagery of foes being placed "beneath" signifies total domination and defeat. In ancient warfare, a victor would often place their foot on the neck of a defeated enemy, symbolizing complete subjugation. Spiritually, this reflects the promise of Romans 16:20, where God will soon crush Satan under the feet of believers. It is a powerful reminder of the ultimate victory believers have in Christ, who has overcome the world and its challenges.

Verse 39. - For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle. Having boasted of his own actions during the space of two verses (vers. 37, 38), David falls back upon his habitual acknowledgments, that all which he has done has been done wholly through the strength of the Divine arm, which has upheld him, sustained him, and given him the victory. Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me; rather, thou hast bowed down mine adversaries under me (Hengstenberg, Kay, Cheyne).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You have armed me
וַתְּאַזְּרֵ֣נִי (wat·tə·’az·zə·rê·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - second person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 247: To gird, encompass, equip

with strength
חַ֭יִל (ḥa·yil)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2428: A force, an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength

for battle;
לַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה (lam·mil·ḥā·māh)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4421: A battle, war

You have subdued
תַּכְרִ֖יעַ (taḵ·rî·a‘)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3766: To bend the knee, to sink, to prostrate

my foes
קָמַ֣י (qā·may)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 6965: To arise, stand up, stand

beneath me.
תַּחְתָּֽי׃ (taḥ·tāy)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 8478: The bottom, below, in lieu of


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OT Poetry: Psalm 18:39 For you have girded me with strength (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 18:38
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