Psalms 89:23 — Word Study
WLCוְכַתּוֹתִ֣י מִפָּנָ֣יו צָרָ֑יו וּמְשַׂנְאָ֥יו אֶגּֽוֹף׃
BSAnotlôʼ to exactnâshâʼ enemyʼôyêb sonbên injusticeʻevel notlôʼ be occupiedʻânâh
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְכַתּוֹתִ֣י | and I will crush | Verb, Qal, sequential perfect first person common singular |
| מִפָּנָ֣יו | from before him | Preposition, noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| צָרָ֑יו | opponents his | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| וּמְשַׂנְאָ֥יו | and [those who] hate him | Conjunction, verb piel participle (active) masculine plural common, suffix |
| אֶגּֽוֹף׃ | I will strike down | Verb, Qal, imperfect first person common singular |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him. |
| KJV | And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him. |
| ASV | And I will beat down his adversaries before him, And smite them that hate him. |
| YLT | And I have beaten down before him his adversaries, And those hating him I plague, |
| WEB | I will beat down his adversaries before him, and strike those who hate him. |
| BBE | I will have those who are against him broken before his face, and his haters will be crushed under my blows. |
Translations agree on the meaning of כָּתַת — see How Translations Differ.
The verse consists of two main clauses connected by a conjunction, with additional phrases providing context and detail.
6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Ellicott & more — read them ›
clause
verbנָשָׁא
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 89:23
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — God's Promises to His Anointedgenerated
Psalm 89:23 is part of a larger passage where God reassures His anointed king of His unwavering support. The psalm reflects on God's faithfulness and the protection He grants, emphasizing that no enemy will prevail against Him. The surrounding verses highlight God's commitment to His covenant and the security He provides to His chosen leader.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Samuel 3:1 | Now the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was protracted. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker. |
| 2 | 2 Samuel 7:1–9 | After the king had settled into his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, |
| 3 | 2 Samuel 22:40–44 | You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me. |
| 4 | Psalm 2:1–6 | Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? |
| 5 | Psalm 21:8–9 | Your hand will apprehend all Your enemies; Your right hand will seize those who hate You. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 10 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — כָּתַת, kathathgenerated
The verb כָּתַת (kathath) means to crush or beat down, often with a violent connotation. It suggests a decisive action against foes, indicating total defeat or destruction. The parsing as a sequential perfect first person common singular shows that this action is a promise made by the speaker, emphasizing God's intent to act.
This word carries a weighty implication of God's power to eliminate opposition. The use of this verb in the context of divine judgment underscores the seriousness with which God addresses those who stand against Him.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
In this study, the verse is read in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses crush for כָּתַת.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb of the verse is כָּתַת, and I will crush, which governs the action of defeating foes. The structure also includes a prepositional phrase מִפָּנָ֣יו, before him, indicating the location of this action, and a noun phrase צָרָ֑יו, his foes, which serves as the object of the verb.
The second action is introduced by the conjunction וּ, and, leading to another verb אֶגּֽוֹף, I will strike down. The sentence's structure emphasizes the decisive actions God will take against His enemies.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, כָּתַת is rendered as ὠφελήσει, which suggests a sense of help or benefit. This choice indicates a broader interpretation of God's actions, focusing on the positive outcome for His people rather than just the defeat of enemies.
The translation of מְשַׂנְאָ֥יו as οὐ in the Septuagint reflects a different emphasis, potentially softening the direct confrontation implied in the Hebrew.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 89:23 declares that God will defeat His enemies and punish those who hate Him. This verse reassures the reader of God's power and faithfulness to protect His anointed leader.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It signifies God's decisive action against those who oppose Him, ensuring their defeat.
The foes refer to any enemies or adversaries that stand against God's anointed.
It shows God's commitment to justice and protection for His chosen leaders.
It emphasizes God's authority to judge and punish those who oppose Him.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I seen God act against those who oppose Him in my life?
- How can I better understand God's protection over His people?
- What does this verse teach me about the nature of God's justice?
- How can I apply the message of this verse to my own challenges and adversities?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early church fathers referenced this verse to discuss God's judgment and protection of His people, with Augustine of Hippo quoting it to emphasize God's decisive action against enemies.
"I will cut in pieces His enemies before His face" [Psalms 89:23].Early Church Fathers on Psalms 89 →
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 89:23 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd I will beat down his foes before his face,.... In Judea, and in the Gentile world; more especially in Rome Pagan, and Rome Papal; in the most public manner, before his Gospel, and the ministry of
Read John Gill on Psalms 89 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThen thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 89 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 89:23 And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.Ver. 23. And I will beat down his foes, &c.] Victory over enemies is of the Lord; he may better say than any mortal monarch, Cui adhaereo, praeest, He whom I take part with is sure to prevail. That hate hint] That secretly malign him, though they can do him no mischief.
Read John Trapp on Psalms 89 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(23) Beat down.—Probably bray, as in a mortar. Plague.—Or, smite.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 89 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges23. But I will beat down his adversaries before him, And smite them that hate him.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 89 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleAnd I will beat down his foes before his face - I will crush them, or destroy them: showing that the power of doing this was not his own, but was the power of God exerted in his behalf.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 89 →The verse in English, compared — 16 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him.
I will beat down his adversaries before him, and strike those who hate him.
I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him.
I will crush his enemies before him; I will strike down those who hate him.
Tyndale line
And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.
And I will beat down his adversaries before him, And smite them that hate him.
And I will beat down his adversaries before him, and smite them that hate him.
And I will beat down his foes before his face, and afflict them that hate him.
But I will destroy his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.
Strictly literal
But I will beat down his adversaries before his face, and will smite them that hate him.
And I have beaten down before him his adversaries, And those hating him I plague,
And I have beaten down his adversaries before him, || And I plague those hating him,
(89:24) And I will beat down before his face his assailants, and those that hate him will I plague.
I will crush his enemies before him; I will kill those who hate him.
Simplified
I will wipe out his enemies before him; I will strike down those who hate him.
I will have those who are against him broken before his face, and his haters will be crushed under my blows.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text reads וְכַתּוֹתִ֣י מִפָּנָ֣יו צָרָ֑יו וּמְשַׂנְאָ֥יו אֶגּֽוֹף׃, and this aligns closely with the Septuagint, which matches all five words. The Dead Sea Scrolls show some damage, with only partial words surviving, but they do not significantly alter the meaning.
וְכַתּוֹתִ֣י מִפָּנָ֣יו צָרָ֑יו וּמְשַׂנְאָ֥יו אֶגּֽוֹף׃
5 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
[לא] [יוסיף] אואב ובן על לענות׳ו
4 words on the leather — 2 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 89:23
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
כָּתַת (kathath) is a Hebrew verb meaning to beat or crush, often with a violent connotation. It encompasses actions like crushing fine, breaking into pieces, and shattering. The entries indicate various forms of the verb, including Qal, Piel, Pual, Hiphil, and Hophal, which express different nuances of beating or being beaten.
[כָּתַת] vb. beat, crush by beating
Qal
beat or crush fine
beat, hammer (ploughshares into swords)
Pi. Pf.;—as Qal 1. beat or crush fine
Pu. and they were beaten in pieces, one nation against another.
Hiph. beat in pieces an enemy
Hoph. and to ruins is the gate crushed
base
H3807 [כָּתַת] beat, crush by beating .. beat or crush fine
. beat, hammer (ploughshares into swords)
. Pf.;—as Qal 1. beat or crush fine
. and they were beaten in pieces, one nation against another.
. beat in pieces an enemy
. and to ruins is the gate crushed
3807 kathath kaw-thath'
a primitive root; to bruise or violently strike:--beat (down,
to pieces), break in pieces, crushed, destroy, discomfit,
smite, stamp.
כָּתַת (ka.tat) — to crush.
1) to beat, crush by beating, crush to pieces, crush fine
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to beat or crush fine
1a2) to beat, hammer
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to beat or crush fine
1b2) to beat, hammer
1c) (Pual) to be beaten
1d) (Hiphil) to beat in pieces, shatter
1e) (Hophal) to be beaten, be crushed
Hc/Vqq1cs — Verb · Qal · sequential perfect first person common singularHc/Vqq1cs
The Hebrew word פָּנֶה (*pāneh*) is a noun meaning 'face' or 'presence,' and it appears in various contexts, including the faces of seraphim and animals, as well as the surface of the ground. It can also function as an adverb meaning 'before' or 'in front of.' The word is built from a root that suggests turning or facing, and it encompasses a wide range of applications, both literal and figurative.
[פָּנֶה], pl. פָּנִים 2123 n.m. face, also faces
face, faces
presence, person
technically, see one's face, i.e. appear before one, in one's presence
face of seraphim
face of animals
face (= surface) of ground
as adv.loc. before
for other phrases
with prepositions
base
H6440 פָּנֶה, pl. פָּנִים face, also faces . . face, faces
. . presence, person
. technically, see one's face, i.e. appear before one, in one's presence
. face of seraphim
. face of animals
. face (= surface) of ground
. as adv. loc. before
. for other phrases
. with prepositions
6440 paniym paw-neem'
plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun (paneh
{paw-neh'}; from 6437); the face (as the part that turns);
used in a great variety of applications (literally and
figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a
preposition (before, etc.):--+ accept, a-(be- )fore(-time),
against, anger, X as (long as), at, + battle, + because (of),
+ beseech, countenance, edge, + employ, endure, + enquire,
face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er
time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, X him(-self), +
honourable, + impudent, + in, it, look(-eth) (- s), X me, +
meet, X more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), X on,
open, + out of, over against, the partial, person, + please,
presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, + regard, right
forth, + serve, X shewbread, sight, state, straight, + street,
X thee, X them(-selves), through (+ - out), till, time(-s)
פָּנֶה (pa.neh) — face: before.
: before/to/front
1) face
1a) face, faces
1b) presence, person
1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim)
1d) face (of animals)
1e) face, surface (of ground)
1f) as adv of loc/temp
1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before
1g) with prep
1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of
פָּנֶה (pa.neh) — face.
: face
1) face
1a) face, faces
1b) presence, person
1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim)
1d) face (of animals)
1e) face, surface (of ground)
1f) as adv of loc/temp
1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before
1g) with prep
1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from…
HR/Ncmpc/Sp3ms — Preposition · noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHR/Ncmpc/Sp3ms
The Hebrew word צַר (tsar) is built from the root meaning 'narrow' or 'tight.' It encompasses a range of meanings including 'distress,' 'adversary,' and 'hard pebble' or 'flint.' The term can refer to physical tightness or metaphorical trouble, as well as an enemy or foe. It appears in contexts of anguish and tribulation, with a specific verse reference in Isaiah 5:28.
צַר adj. narrow, tight
base
צַר n.[m.] straits, distress
base
צַר 68 n.m. adversary, foe
base
צַר n.[m.] hard pebble, flint;—Is 5:28
ref
H6862a צַר narrow, tight H6862b צַר straits, distress H6862c צַר adversary, foe H6862d צַר hard pebble, flint
6862 tsar tsar
or tsar {tsawr}; from 6887; narrow; (as a noun) a tight place
(usually figuratively, i.e. trouble); also a pebble (as in
6864); (transitive) an opponent (as crowding):--adversary,
afflicted(-tion), anguish, close, distress, enemy, flint, foe,
narrow, small, sorrow, strait, tribulation, trouble.
see HEBREW for 06887
see HEBREW for 06864
צַר (tsar) — narrow.
narrow, tight
צַר (tsar) — distress.
straits, distress
צַר (tsar) — enemy.
adversary, foe, enemy, oppressor
צַר (tsar) — hard.
hard pebble, flint
HNcmpc/Sp3ms — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp3ms
שָׂנֵא (sane') is a primitive root meaning 'to hate.' It covers various forms of hatred, including personal animosity and enmity, and can refer to both humans and God. The word appears in different grammatical forms, with uses in Qal, Niphal, and Piel, indicating actions of hating or being hated. Its Aramaic equivalent is שְׂנָא.
שָׂנֵא 145 vb. hate
Qal 128 hate
Niph. is hated
Pi. enemy
base
H8130 שָׂנֵא hate
8130 sane' saw-nay'
a primitive root; to hate (personally):--enemy, foe, (be)
hate(-ful, -r), odious, X utterly.
שָׂנֵא (sa.ne) — to hate.
1) to hate, be hateful
1a) (Qal) to hate
1a1) of man
1a2) of God
1a3) hater, one hating, enemy (participle) (subst)
1b) (Niphal) to be hated
1c) (Piel) hater (participle)
1c1) of persons, nations, God, wisdom
Aramaic equivalent: se.ne (שְׂנָא "to hate" H8131)
HC/Vprmpc/Sp3ms — Conjunction · verb piel participle (active) masculine plural common · suffixHC/Vprmpc/Sp3ms
The Hebrew word נָגַף (nagaph) is a primitive root meaning to strike or smite. It covers various actions such as to push, defeat, or inflict harm, and can also refer to stumbling. The word appears in different forms, including Qal (to strike), Niphal (to be stricken), and Hithpael (to stumble).
נָגַף vb. strike, smite
Qal strike, smite
Niph. be smitten
Hithp. = stumble
base
H5062 נָגַף
5062 nagaph naw-gaf'
a primitive root; to push, gore, defeat, stub (the toe),
inflict (a disease):--beat, dash, hurt, plague, slay, smite
(down), strike, stumble, X surely, put to the worse.
נָגַף (na.gaph) — to strike.
1) to strike, smite
1a) (Qal) to strike, smite
1b) (Niphal) to be stricken, be smitten
1c) (Hithpael) to stumble
HVqi1cs — Verb · Qal · imperfect first person common singularHVqi1cs