Bible Strands
Psalms 135:10
He struck down many nations and slaughtered mighty kings:
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist speaks to the worshiping community while cataloging God’s past judgments, transitioning from the Egyptian plagues to the defeat of Canaanite rulers.
The words — The text employs הִכָּה (hi.kah), meaning struck down, and עֲצוּמִים ('a.tzu.Mim), meaning mighty, to identify the specific targets of divine action.
The thread — This motif of divine judgment against rulers recurs in Psalms 136:17, which records He struck down great kings, and Psalms 44:2, which describes Him driving out nations and crushing peoples.
Why it lands — The verse demands acknowledgment that historical outcomes are dictated by divine sovereignty rather than human power. It requires the reader to ground their confidence in the One who executes judgment and secures deliverance.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings;
Cross-references
- Psalms 136:17 He struck down great kings His loving devotion endures forever.
- Numbers 21:24 And 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.
- Psalms 44:2 With Your hand You drove out the nations and planted our fathers there; You crushed the peoples and cast them out.