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And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: yea, they are fallen under my feet.
2 Samuel 22:39 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB I have consumed them, and struck them through, so that they can’t arise. Yes, they have fallen under my feet.
  • BSB I devoured and crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
  • NKJV And I have destroyed them and wounded them, So that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet.
  • NASB “And I have devoured them and smashed them, so that they would not rise; And they fell under my feet.
  • NLT I consumed them; I struck them down so they did not get up; they fell beneath my feet.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

David's enemies are struck down and unable to rise, fallen under his feet. God gave him total triumph over those who opposed him.

Overview

The complete defeat of his foes underscores that David's reign is being secured by God's power. The imagery of enemies under his feet evokes the rule of God's anointed king. Ultimately it points to Christ, under whose feet God will put all enemies, including the last enemy, death.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Mal 4:3And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
  • Ps 118:10–12All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them.
  • Ps 110:5–6The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
  • Ps 110:1The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
  • Mal 4:1For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
  • Ps 18:37I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 2 Samuel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 2 Samuel 22:39YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 2 SamuelMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.

How 2 Samuel 22:39 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.