Psalms 135:10
in Psalms 135He struck down many nations and slaughtered mighty kings:
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Who smote many nations, And slew mighty kings,
KJV
Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings;
⋯
This verse in Psalms 135
Commentary
9 notes on this verseWho smote great nations, and slew mighty kings. Or "many nations" (l). The seven nations of the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites; the kings of which were mighty and many, even thirty one in number, Jos 12:
This site's exposition
struck down the firstborn of Egypt
on Psalms 135:8-12
The recital runs from the firstborn of Egypt and the signs against Pharaoh to the kings struck down and their land given to Israel. John Gill reads Sihon and Og as named because they were the first slain and the most powerful. Psalm 136:19 to 22 names the same two.
This site's exposition
slaughtered mighty kings
Verse 10 names the victory in general, and verse 11 gives the names. Deuteronomy 7:1 counts the nations of Canaan as seven, greater and stronger than Israel. Joshua 12 lists the kings struck down on both sides of the Jordan.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"Who smote many nations," who possessed that land, which God willed to give His people.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
It came to them by inheritance, for their ancestors had the promise of it, though not the possession; and it descended as an inheritance to their seed. This was done long before, yet God is now praised for it; and with good reason, for the children were now enjoying the benefit of it. He triumphs in the perpetuity of God's glory and grace.
The people were numerous, and warlike, and confederate against Israel. Yet, if a great nation has a meek and mean-spirited prince, it lies exposed; but these great nations had mighty kings, and yet they were all smitten and slain-- Sihon and Og, and all the kingdoms of Canaan,
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings. The nations of Canaan joined in the desperate resistance offered by their monarchs, and so they were smitten; while their kings, the ringleaders of the fight, were slain. Those who resist the divine purpose will find it hard to kick against the pricks. The greatness of the nations and the might of the kings availed nothing against the Lord. He is prepared to mete out vengeance to those who oppose his designs: those who dream of him as too tender to come to blows have mistaken the God of Israel.
Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings. The nations of Canaan joined in the desperate resistance offered by their monarchs, and so they were smitten; while their kings, the ringleaders of the fight, were slain. Those who resist the divine purpose will find it hard to kick against the pricks. The greatness of the nations and the might of the kings availed nothing against the Lord. He is prepared to mete out vengeance to those who oppose his designs: those who dream of him as too tender to come to blows have mistaken the God of Israel. He intended to bless the world through his chosen people, and he would not be turned from his purpose: cost what it might, he would preserve the candle of truth which he had lighted, even though the blood of nations should be spilt in its defence. The wars against the Canaanite races were a price paid for the setting up of a nation which was to preserve for the whole world the lively oracles of God.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Who smote great nations ... - To wit, those specified in the following verse.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שֶֽׁ֭הִכָּה | shehikah | who <he> struck down | H5221 → | 499 times |
| גּוֹיִ֣ם | goyim | nations | H1471 → | 561 times |
| רַבִּ֑ים | rabim | many | H7227 → | 454 times |
| וְ֝הָרַ֗ג | veharag | and he killed | H2026 → | 167 times |
| מְלָכִ֥ים | melakhim | kings | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| עֲצוּמִֽים׃ | ʾatzumim | mighty | H6099 → | 31 times |
שֶֽׁ֭הִכָּהwho <he> struck down
shehikahH5221 →499 times
גּוֹיִ֣םnations
goyimH1471 →561 times
רַבִּ֑יםmany
rabimH7227 →454 times
וְ֝הָרַ֗גand he killed
veharagH2026 →167 times
מְלָכִ֥יםkings
melakhimH4428 →2525 times
עֲצוּמִֽים׃mighty
ʾatzumimH6099 →31 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Numbers 21:24And Israel put him to the sword and took possession of his land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok—but only up to the border of the Ammonites, because it was fortified.
it leads to
- Amos 2:9
Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, though his height was like that of the cedars, and he was as strong as the oaks. Yet I destroyed his fruit above and…
- Genesis 32:22
During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
- Psalms 136:19
Sihon king of the Amorites His loving devotion endures forever.
- Joshua 24:8
Later, I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan. They fought against you, but I delivered them into your hand, that you should possess their land when I…
- Nehemiah 9:22
You gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner of the land. So they took the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and of Og king of Bashan.
- Amos 2:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Psalms
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 135; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 7; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.