Psalm 18:42
New International Version
I beat them as fine as windblown dust; I trampled them like mud in the streets.

New Living Translation
I ground them as fine as dust in the wind. I swept them into the gutter like dirt.

English Standard Version
I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

Berean Standard Bible
I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; I trampled them like mud in the streets.

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

New King James Version
Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets.

New American Standard Bible
Then I beat them fine like the dust before the wind; I emptied them out like the mud of the streets.

NASB 1995
Then I beat them fine as the dust before the wind; I emptied them out as the mire of the streets.

NASB 1977
Then I beat them fine as the dust before the wind; I emptied them out as the mire of the streets.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then I beat them fine as the dust before the wind; I emptied them out as the mire of the streets.

Amplified Bible
Then I beat them fine as the dust before the wind; I emptied them out as the dirt of the streets.

Christian Standard Bible
I pulverize them like dust before the wind; I trample them like mud in the streets.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I pulverize them like dust before the wind; I trample them like mud in the streets.

American Standard Version
Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the mire of the streets.

Contemporary English Version
I ground them to dust blown by the wind, and I poured them out like mud in the streets.

English Revised Version
Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the mire of the streets.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
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.

Good News Translation
I crush them, so that they become like dust which the wind blows away. I trample on them like mud in the streets.

International Standard Version
I ground them like wind-swept dust; I emptied them out like dirt in the street.

Majority Standard Bible
I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; I trampled them like mud in the streets.

NET Bible
I grind them as fine windblown dust; I beat them underfoot like clay in the streets.

New Heart English Bible
Then I ground them as fine as the dust on the surface of a path. Like the mud in the streets, I trampled them.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I cast them out as the dirt in the streets.

World English Bible
Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of the streets.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And I beat them as dust before wind, "" I empty them out as mire of the streets.

Young's Literal Translation
And I beat them as dust before wind, As mire of the streets I empty them out.

Smith's Literal Translation
And I will beat them in pieces as dust upon the face of the wind: I will pour them out as the mire of the streets.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I shall beat them as small as the dust before the wind; I shall bring them to nought, like the dirt in the streets.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And I will crush them into dust before the face of the wind, so that I will obliterate them like the mud in the streets.

New American Bible
I ground them to dust before the wind; I left them like mud in the streets.

New Revised Standard Version
I beat them fine, like dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then I will beat them small as the dust before the wind; I will tread over them as the mire of the streets.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
I shall pulverize them like the dust upon the face of the wind; like mud of the street I shall tread upon them.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the mire of the streets.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
I will grind them as the mud of the streets: and I will beat them small as dust before the wind.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The LORD is My Rock
41They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—to the LORD, but He did not answer. 42I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; I trampled them like mud in the streets. 43You have delivered me from the strife of the people; You have made me the head of nations; a people I had not known shall serve me.…

Cross References
Isaiah 41:2
Who has aroused one from the east and called him to his feet in righteousness? He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow.

Isaiah 41:15-16
Behold, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. / You will winnow them, and a wind will carry them away; a gale will scatter them. But you will rejoice in the LORD; you will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

Micah 4:13
Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion, for I will give you horns of iron and hooves of bronze to break to pieces many peoples. Then you will devote their gain to the LORD, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

2 Samuel 22:43
I ground them as the dust of the earth; I crushed and trampled them like mud in the streets.

Job 38:13-14
that it might spread to the ends of the earth and shake the wicked out of it? / The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its hills stand out like the folds of a garment.

Isaiah 10:6
I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.

Jeremiah 51:33
For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “The Daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time it is trampled. In just a little while her harvest time will come.”

Daniel 2:35
Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Isaiah 17:13
The nations rage like the rush of many waters. He rebukes them, and they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweeds before a gale.

Isaiah 29:5
But your many foes will be like fine dust, the multitude of the ruthless like blowing chaff. Then suddenly, in an instant,

Isaiah 41:25
I have raised up one from the north, and he has come—one from the east who calls on My name. He will march over rulers as if they were mortar, like a potter who treads the clay.

Matthew 21:44
He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”

Luke 20:18
Everyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”

Revelation 2:27
He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery—just as I have received authority from My Father.

Revelation 19:15
And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.


Treasury of Scripture

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

beat

Psalm 50:22
Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

2 Kings 13:7
Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing.

Isaiah 41:2,15,16
Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow…

cast

Isaiah 10:6
I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

Isaiah 25:10
For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.

Zechariah 10:5
And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded.

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Psalm 18
1. David praises God for his manifold and marvelous blessings














I ground them as dust
The phrase "I ground them as dust" evokes a vivid image of complete and utter defeat. The Hebrew root for "ground" is "דָּקַק" (daqaq), which means to crush or pulverize. This imagery is often used in the Old Testament to describe the total destruction of enemies, leaving them as insignificant as dust. Dust, in biblical times, symbolized mortality and insignificance, as seen in Genesis 3:19, where humanity is reminded, "for dust you are and to dust you will return." This phrase underscores the power and authority given by God to David over his enemies, emphasizing that those who oppose God's anointed are reduced to nothingness.

in the face of the wind
The "face of the wind" suggests the ease and swiftness with which the enemies are scattered. The Hebrew word for "wind" is "רוּחַ" (ruach), which can also mean spirit or breath. This dual meaning enriches the text, suggesting that just as the wind disperses dust effortlessly, so does the Spirit of God empower David to overcome his adversaries. The wind, an uncontrollable and powerful force of nature, symbolizes the divine intervention that aids David in his victories. Historically, the wind is often seen as a tool of God's judgment, as in the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21), reinforcing the idea that God is actively working through David.

I trampled them
The act of trampling signifies dominance and victory. The Hebrew root "רָמַס" (ramas) means to tread down or crush. This imagery is common in ancient Near Eastern texts to depict a king's triumph over his foes. In a spiritual sense, trampling represents the believer's victory over sin and evil through God's strength. The act of trampling is not just physical but also symbolic of the spiritual authority granted to God's people. It reflects the promise found in Romans 16:20, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet."

like mud in the streets
"Mud in the streets" conveys the idea of worthlessness and defilement. In ancient times, streets were often unpaved and muddy, especially during the rainy season. Mud was trampled underfoot, considered dirty and of no value. The Hebrew word for "mud" is "טִיט" (tit), which can also mean mire or clay. This imagery highlights the complete degradation of the enemies, reduced to a state of utter humiliation and disgrace. Scripturally, it serves as a reminder of the fate of those who oppose God's will, as seen in Isaiah 10:6, where God uses the imagery of trampling to describe the judgment on Assyria. This phrase reassures believers of God's ultimate justice and the futility of standing against His purposes.

(42) Before the wind.--In Samuel, the weaker "of the earth."

Cast them out--i.e., sweep them before me. In Samuel "stamp and tread them out." So LXX. here "grind," or "pound."

Verse 42. - Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind (comp. Psalm 35:5). The enemy were beaten and dispersed so that they seemed driven as dust before the wind. I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets. They were made no account of, treated with as little ceremony as the clay in the streets. Language of utter contempt.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
I ground them
וְֽאֶשְׁחָקֵ֗ם (wə·’eš·ḥā·qêm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - first person common singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 7833: To rub away, beat fine, pulverize

as dust
כְּעָפָ֥ר (kə·‘ā·p̄ār)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6083: Dust, clay, earth, mud

in
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the face of
פְּנֵי־ (pə·nê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

the wind;
ר֑וּחַ (rū·aḥ)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit

I trampled them
אֲרִיקֵֽם׃ (’ă·rî·qêm)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 7324: Arm, cast out, draw out, make empty, pour forth out

like mud
כְּטִ֖יט (kə·ṭîṭ)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2916: Mud, clay, calamity

in the streets.
חוּצ֣וֹת (ḥū·ṣō·wṯ)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2351: Separate by a, wall, outside, outdoors


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OT Poetry: Psalm 18:42 Then I beat them small as (Psalm Ps Psa.)
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