Psalm 18:42 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 18:29-50

In these verses, I. David looks back, with thankfulness, upon the great things which God had done for him. He had not only wrought deliverance for him, but had given him victory and success, and made him triumph over those who thought to triumph over him. When we set ourselves to praise God for one mercy we must be led by that to observe the many more with which we have been compassed about, and followed, all our days. Many things had contributed to David's advancement, and he owns the hand of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 18:42

Then did I beat them small, as the dust before the wind ,.... They being given up by God, and he not answering to their cries; the phrase denotes the utter ruin and destruction of them, and represents their case as desperate and irrecoverable; being, as it were, pounded to dust, and that driven away with the wind: just as the destruction of the four monarchies is signified by the iron, clay, brass, silver, and gold, being broken to pieces, and made like the chaff of the summer threshing... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 18:42

Then 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 more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 18:1-50

The authorship of David is generally allowed, and indeed has been questioned only by three recent critics—Olshausen, Von Lengerke, and Professor Cheyne. The period at which it was written is declared in the title to be "when the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul"—a date which is quite in accord with the contents of the poem. For while it celebrates his deliverance from perils of various kinds—from a "strong enemy" ( Psalms 18:17 ), from a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 18:1-50

The conqueror's song of praise and hope. It is not our purpose, nor is it our province, in this section of the 'Pulpit Commentary,' to write homilies on specific texts; but rather to deal with this psalm (as we have done with others) as a whole —for it is a unity—and to show how grand a basis it presents for the pulpit exposition of the provisions of "the everlasting covenant" to which allusion is made in the last verse of the psalm. The student and expositor might with advantage refer... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 18:1-50

A retrospect of life. The sailor tells of the perils of the sea; the traveller recounts the varied incidents of his career; and the soldier who has passed through battles and sieges can speak of hairbreadth escapes and moving accidents by flood and field. So it is with human life. We have the power of looking back; we can in imagination revive the past, and as scene after scene rises before us, our heart is thrilled with various emotions. And what we have experienced and recalled, we can... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 18:1-50

The retrospect of a life: a sermon for the close of the year. "In this magnificent hymn the royal poet sketches in a few grand outlines the history of his life. By God's help he had subdued every enemy, and now, in middle life, looking back with devout thankfulness on the past, he sings this great song of praise to the God of his life." Divisions of the psalm: 1 . The introduction, setting forth all that Jehovah is to David ( Psalms 18:1-3 ). 2 . The record of David's sufferings... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 18:28-45

As in the former narrative section ( Psalms 18:4-24 ) David seems to have had his earlier troubles in mind, so, in the present one, his troubles since he entered upon the kingdom seem especially to engage his thoughts. These consisted chiefly of wars with foreign enemies, in which, while he incurred many dangers, he was, upon the whole, eminently successful. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 18:42

Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind (comp. Psalms 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. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 18:42

Then 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 street, and did spread them abroad.” The... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 18:29-50

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 18:42

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 18:42

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 18:1-50

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 18:1-50

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 18:1-50

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 18:1-50

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 18:28-45

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 18:42

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 18:42

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