2 Samuel 22:41 (LSB)

Passage

You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, And I destroyed those who hated me.

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 22:39 And I have consumed them and crushed them, so that they did not rise; And they fell under my feet.

2 Samuel 22:40 For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

2 Samuel 22:41 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, And I destroyed those who hated me.

2 Samuel 22:42 They looked, but there was none to save; Even to Yahweh, but He did not answer them.

2 Samuel 22:43 Then I beat them fine as the dust of the earth; I pulverized and stamped them as the mire of the streets.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 40's "For You have girded me with strength..." into verse 42's "They looked but there was none to...", so "enemies" and "turn" 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 "turn" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.