For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
Parallel translations
- WEB For you have armed me with strength to the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
- BSB You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.
- NKJV For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
- NASB For You have encircled me with strength for battle; You have forced those who rose up against me to bow down under me.
- NLT You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under 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
God arms David with strength for battle and subdues his adversaries beneath him. Every victory is attributed to the Lord's enabling power.
Overview
David repeatedly returns to the theme that God, not himself, accomplishes the conquest. The Lord both equips ('armed me with strength') and acts ('subdued under me'). This humble crediting of God models the believer's posture: our spiritual victories are wholly of grace, won for us in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- 2 Sam 22:40–41For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me.
- Ps 18:32It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
- 1 Cor 15:25–28For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
- Isa 45:14Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.
- Eph 1:22And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
- John 15:23He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
- 1 Chr 22:18Is not the LORD your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? for he hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand; and the land is subdued before the LORD, and before his people.
- Ezek 30:24–25And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh’s arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man.
- Prov 8:36But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
- Ps 34:21Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.
- Lam 5:5Our necks are under persecution: we labour, and have no rest.
- Phil 3:21Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
- Ps 66:3Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 18:39 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.