2 Samuel 22:41 (DRB)

Passage

My enemies thou hast made to turn their back to me: them that hated me, and I shall destroy them.

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 22:39 I will consume them and break them in pieces, so that they shall not rise: they shall fall under my feet.

2 Samuel 22:40 Thou hast girded me with strength to battle: thou hast made them that resisted me to bow under me.

2 Samuel 22:41 My enemies thou hast made to turn their back to me: them that hated me, and I shall destroy them.

2 Samuel 22:42 They shall cry, and there shall be none to save: to the Lord, and he shall not hear them.

2 Samuel 22:43 I shall beat them as small as the dust of the earth: I shall crush them and spread them abroad like the mire of the streets.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 40's "Thou hast girded me with strength to..." into verse 42's "They shall cry and there shall be...", so "enemies" and "thou" belong inside that flow. In 2 Samuel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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