2 Samuel 22:41 (WEB)

Passage

You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 22:39 I have consumed them, and struck them through, so that they can’t arise. Yes, they have fallen under my feet.

2 Samuel 22:40 For you have armed me with strength for the 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, that I might cut off those who hate me.

2 Samuel 22:42 They looked, but there was no one to save; even to Yahweh, but he didn’t answer them.

2 Samuel 22:43 Then I beat them as small as the dust of the earth. I crushed them as the mire of the streets, and spread them abroad.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "enemies", "turn", "backs", "might", and "hate". 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 armed me with strength..." into verse 42's "They looked but there was no one...", 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.