Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries; thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.
Parallel translations
- WEB You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries. You have made all of his enemies rejoice.
- BSB You have exalted the right hand of his foes; You have made all his enemies rejoice.
- NKJV You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries; You have made all his enemies rejoice.
- NASB You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries; You have made all his enemies rejoice.
- NLT You have strengthened his enemies and made them all rejoice.
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 has allowed the king's enemies to triumph and rejoice over him.
Overview
The "right hand" of the adversaries, their power, has been lifted, and foes celebrate the king's downfall. The psalmist sees God's hand even in this reversal. Yet the gospel reveals that the enemies' apparent triumph over God's Anointed at the cross became the means of their defeat (Col. 2:15).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Rev 11:10And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
- Ps 80:6Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.
- Lev 26:25And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
- Ps 13:2How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?
- Lam 2:17The LORD hath done that which he had devised; he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old: he hath thrown down, and hath not pitied: and he hath caused thine enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set up the horn of thine adversaries.
- Deut 28:43The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
- Deut 28:25The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
- Lev 26:17And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.
- John 16:20Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
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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 89:42 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
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