Psalms 18:40 (WEB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Psalms 18:38 I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet.

Psalms 18:39 For you have armed me with strength to the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

Psalms 18:40 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.

Psalms 18:41 They cried, but there was no one to save; even to Yahweh, but he didn’t answer them.

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

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 39's "For you have armed me with strength..." into verse 41's "They cried but there was no one...", so "enemies" and "turn" 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 "enemies" and "turn" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.