What is the meaning of Psalm 21:12? For You will put them to flight David has just celebrated how the LORD “seizes” and “consumes” His king’s enemies (Psalm 21:8-9). Verse 12 zooms in on the final scene: God Himself scattering the attackers. • “Put them to flight” pictures a panicked retreat—enemies running because the Lord’s presence overwhelms them, as in Deuteronomy 28:7: “The LORD will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will march out against you in one direction but flee in seven.” • The verb leaves no doubt about outcome. When the Almighty acts, no coalition can stand (Psalm 18:40; Joshua 10:10). • The plural “them” gathers every hostile force named earlier—those who “devise a plot” (v 11). God’s king does not merely out-strategize; God Himself routs. • Behind the imagery lies the covenant promise that God fights for His people (Exodus 14:14). Psalm 21 puts that pledge on display through the triumph of Israel’s anointed king. when Your bow is trained upon them The verse now explains why the enemy flees: the divine Archer has zeroed in. • “Your bow” presents God as Warrior. Similar language appears in Psalm 7:12-13, “If one does not repent, He sharpens His sword…He bends His bow and prepares it; He readies His deadly weapons.” • “Trained” speaks of aim and focus. The LORD’s judgments are never random. Habakkuk 3:9 says, “You brandished Your bow; You called for many arrows.” • The picture reassures the faithful. While earthly bows may miss, heaven’s bow never does (Isaiah 42:13; Zechariah 9:13-14). • For the enemies, nothing remains but terror. Like fleeing soldiers hearing arrows whistle overhead, they know the shot is sure (Psalm 64:7: “But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be wounded”). • The line also hints at ultimate fulfillment in the Messiah’s victory over every rebellious power (Revelation 19:11-15). summary Psalm 21:12 promises that God personally drives back every foe of His king. The adversaries scatter in panic because the Lord has fixed His warrior’s bow on them. In one vivid sentence, the Spirit assures believers that divine judgment is certain, precise, and undefeatable—leaving God’s people secure and His enemies in flight. |
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