Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yes, you turn back the edge of his sword, and haven’t supported him in battle.
- BSB You have bent the edge of his sword and have not sustained him in battle.
- NKJV You have also turned back the edge of his sword, And have not sustained him in the battle.
- NASB You also turn back the edge of his sword, And have not made him stand in battle.
- NLT You have made his sword useless and refused to help him in battle.
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 seems to have blunted the king's sword and withheld support in battle.
Overview
The king's weapon is turned back and he stands unaided in war, a picture of military collapse. The lament boldly charges this loss to God's withdrawn help. It deepens the cry for God to remember His covenant and act, a longing answered in Christ's ultimate victory.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Josh 7:8–12O LORD, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!
- 2 Chr 25:8But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down.
- Ezek 30:21–25Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword.
- Num 14:45Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.
- Num 14:42Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.
- Lev 26:36–37And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.
- Josh 7:4–5So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
- Ps 44:10Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.
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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 89:43 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.