Psalms 18:39 (YLT)

Passage

And Thou girdest me <FI>with<Fi> strength for battle, Causest my withstanders to bow under me.

Nearby Context

Psalms 18:37 I pursue mine enemies, and overtake them, And turn back not till they are consumed.

Psalms 18:38 I smite them, and they are not able to rise, They fall under my feet,

Psalms 18:39 And Thou girdest me <FI>with<Fi> strength for battle, Causest my withstanders to bow under me.

Psalms 18:40 As to mine enemies--Thou hast given to me the neck, As to those hating me--I cut them off.

Psalms 18:41 They cry, and there is no saviour, On Jehovah, and He doth not answer them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "girdest", "strength", "battle", "causest", "withstanders", and "under". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "girdest", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 38's "I smite them and they are not..." into verse 40's "As to mine enemies--Thou hast given to...", so "thou" and "girdest" 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 "thou" and "girdest" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.