2 Samuel 22:43 (YLT)

Passage

And I beat them as dust of the earth, As mire of the streets I beat them small--I spread them out!

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 22:41 And mine enemies--Thou givest to me the neck, Those hating me--and I cut them off.

2 Samuel 22:42 They look, and there is no saviour; Unto Jehovah, and He hath not answered them.

2 Samuel 22:43 And I beat them as dust of the earth, As mire of the streets I beat them small--I spread them out!

2 Samuel 22:44 And--Thou dost deliver me From the strivings of my people, Thou placest me for a head of nations; A people I have not known do serve me.

2 Samuel 22:45 Sons of a stranger feign obedience to me, At the hearing of the ear they hearken to me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "beat", "dust", "earth", "mire", "streets", "small--i", and "spread". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "beat" and "dust", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 42's "They look and there is no saviour..." into verse 44's "And--Thou dost deliver me From the strivings...", so "beat" and "dust" 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 "beat" and "dust" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.