He struck down great nations and slaughtered mighty kings—
Parallel translations
- WEB who struck many nations, and killed mighty kings,
- KJV Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings;
- BSB He struck down many nations and slaughtered mighty kings:
- NKJV He defeated many nations And slew mighty kings—
- NASB He struck many nations And brought death to mighty kings,
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
God struck many nations and killed mighty kings as He brought Israel into the promised land.
Overview
The psalm moves from the Exodus to the conquest, celebrating Yahweh's victories over the powerful kings who opposed His people. No earthly might could withstand Him as He gave Israel the land He had promised. This triumph foreshadows the King who conquers every enemy, including sin and death, securing an inheritance for His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Ps 136:17–22To him who struck great kings; for his loving kindness endures forever;
- Ps 44:2–3You drove out the nations with your hand, but you planted them. You afflicted the peoples, but you spread them abroad.
- Num 21:24Israel struck him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, even to the children of Ammon; for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 135:10 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.