He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them.
Parallel translations
- WEB He sent out his arrows, and scattered them; Yes, great lightning bolts, and routed them.
- KJV Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
- NKJV He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.
- NASB He sent out His arrows, and scattered them, And lightning flashes in abundance, and routed them.
- NLT He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; great bolts of lightning flashed, and they were confused.
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 sends out his arrows and lightning to scatter and rout David's enemies. It matters because God actively overthrows the foes of his people.
Overview
David pictures God shooting arrows and flashing lightning bolts that scatter and confuse his enemies. The Lord himself fights for his servant and disperses the opposing forces. This portrayal of God routing the wicked anticipates Christ's decisive victory over every spiritual enemy.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Ps 144:6Flash forth Your lightning and scatter them; shoot Your arrows and rout them.
- Hab 3:11Sun and moon stood still in their places at the flash of Your flying arrows, at the brightness of Your shining spear.
- Josh 10:10And the LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, pursued them along the ascent to Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
- Isa 30:30And the LORD will cause His majestic voice to be heard and His mighty arm to be revealed, striking in angry wrath with a flame of consuming fire, and with cloudburst, storm, and hailstones.
- Num 24:8God brought him out of Egypt with strength like a wild ox, to devour hostile nations and crush their bones, to pierce them with arrows.
- Deut 32:42I will make My arrows drunk with blood, while My sword devours flesh—the blood of the slain and captives, the heads of the enemy leaders.”
- Deut 32:23I will heap disasters upon them; I will spend My arrows against them.
- Ps 77:17The clouds poured down water; the skies resounded with thunder; Your arrows flashed back and forth.
- Job 6:4For the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me; my spirit drinks in their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.
- Zech 9:14–15Then the LORD will appear over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning. The Lord GOD will sound the ram’s horn and advance in the whirlwinds of the south.
- Ps 21:12For You will put them to flight when Your bow is trained upon them.
- Job 38:35Can you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
- Job 40:9–12Do you have an arm like God’s? Can you thunder with a voice like His?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 18:14 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.