Psalms 18:40 (DBY)

Passage

And mine enemies didst thou make to turn their backs unto me, and those that hated me I destroyed.

Nearby Context

Psalms 18:38 I crushed them, and they were not able to rise: they fell under my feet.

Psalms 18:39 And thou girdedst me with strength to battle; thou didst subdue under me those that rose up against me.

Psalms 18:40 And mine enemies didst thou make to turn their backs unto me, and those that hated me I destroyed.

Psalms 18:41 They cried, and there was none to save; unto Jehovah, and he answered them not.

Psalms 18:42 And I did beat them small as dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the mire of the streets.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mine", "enemies", "didst", "thou", "make", "turn", "backs", and "hated". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mine" and "enemies", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 39's "And thou girdedst me with strength to..." into verse 41's "They cried and there was none to...", so "mine" and "enemies" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "mine" and "enemies" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.