Bible Strands
Psalms 44:10
You have made us retreat from the foe, and those who hate us have plundered us.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist speaks for Israel to God immediately after noting the withdrawal of divine military support (Psalms 44:9). The moment records a national military collapse where the community faces enemy victory.
The words — The Hebrew תְּשִׁיבֵנוּ אָחוֹר (te.shi.Ve nu 'A.chor) literally renders "you have made us turn back," while שָׁסוּ (sha.su) means "they have plundered." These terms describe forced retreat and the violent seizure of possessions.
The thread — This pattern of enemy dominance and forced retreat echoes the covenant curses in Leviticus 26:17 and the defeat narrative in Joshua 7:8-12. Each reference links Israel's military failure to divine opposition or hidden disobedience.
Why it lands — The verse demands acknowledgment that national defeat stems from God's withdrawal of protection rather than mere enemy strength. It requires the reader to confront the reality of divine judgment without excuse or comfort.
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
Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 26:17 And I will set My face against you, so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one pursues you.
- Joshua 7:8 O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has turned its back and run from its enemies?
- Joshua 7:12 This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they themselves have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove from among you whatever is devoted to destruction.
- Psalms 89:41 All who pass by plunder him; he has become a reproach to his neighbors.
- Deuteronomy 28:25 The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them in one direction but flee from them in seven. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
- Isaiah 10:6 I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.
- Leviticus 26:14 If, however, you fail to obey Me and to carry out all these commandments,
- Leviticus 26:36 As for those of you who survive, I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies, so that even the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. And they will flee as one flees the sword, and fall when no one pursues them.
- 1 Samuel 4:17 The messenger answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”
- 1 Samuel 31:1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.