2 Samuel 22:43 (GNV)

Passage

Then did I beate them as small as the dust of the earth: I did treade them flat as the clay of the streete, and did spread them abroad.

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 22:41 And thou hast giuen me the neckes of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.

2 Samuel 22:42 They looked about, but there was none to saue them, euen vnto the Lord, but he answered them not.

2 Samuel 22:43 Then did I beate them as small as the dust of the earth: I did treade them flat as the clay of the streete, and did spread them abroad.

2 Samuel 22:44 Thou hast also deliuered me from the contentions of my people: thou hast preserued me to be the head ouer nations: the people which I knewe not, doe serue me.

2 Samuel 22:45 Strangers shalbe in subiection to me: assoone as they heare, they shall obey me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "beate", "small", "dust", "earth", "treade", "flat", "clay", and "streete". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "beate" and "small", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 42's "They looked about but there was none..." into verse 44's "Thou hast also deliuered me from the...", so "beate" and "small" 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 "beate" and "small" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.