He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
Parallel translations
- WEB He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
- KJV He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
- NKJV He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
- NASB He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
- NLT He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.
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 trains David's hands for warfare so that he can bend even a bow of bronze. His military skill is a divine endowment, not mere natural talent.
Overview
David acknowledges that his prowess in combat is taught by God, who strengthens his arms for feats beyond ordinary human ability. The bronze bow conveys extraordinary, God-given strength. Scripture consistently traces deliverance to the Lord rather than to human power, foreshadowing the greater victory won not by Israel's armies but by Christ over sin and death.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Ps 144:1Of David. Blessed be the LORD, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.
- Ps 46:9He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.
- Isa 28:6a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and a strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.
- Isa 45:1This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him, to disarm kings, to open the doors before him, so that the gates will not be shut:
- 2 Sam 22:36You have given me Your shield of salvation, and Your gentleness exalts me.
- Jer 49:35This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Behold, I will shatter Elam’s bow, the mainstay of their might.
- Hos 1:5And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
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 18:34 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.