Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.

PSALMS 44:10KJV
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Psalms 44:10 (KJV)

What does Psalms 44:10 mean?

Psalms 44:10 describes how God has allowed the people of Israel to be defeated by their enemies, causing them to retreat and letting those who hate them take their possessions. The verse expresses a sense of abandonment and loss, as the people see their enemies triumph and benefit at their expense.

In this psalm, the community of Israel is speaking directly to God, reflecting on a time when they suffered defeat in battle. The verse is part of a larger lament where the people remember past victories given by God but now feel forsaken. This honest expression of confusion and distress highlights their struggle to understand why God would let their enemies succeed.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 44:10

  • turn (שׁוּב, shuv): This word means "to turn back" or "to return." Here, it emphasizes that Israel is being forced to retreat, not by their own choice, but because God has allowed it.
  • back (אָחוֹר, achor): This word means "back" or "behind," reinforcing the idea of retreat or being driven away from the enemy.
  • enemy (צַר, tsar): This word refers to an adversary or oppressor. It highlights that those causing Israel's suffering are not just military opponents but also those who actively oppress or trouble them.
  • hate (שָׂנֵא, sane): This word means "to hate" or "to be hostile toward." It underlines the deep animosity Israel's enemies feel, making their victory even more painful.
  • spoil (שָׁסָה, shasah): This word means "to plunder" or "to take as spoil." It shows that the enemies are not just defeating Israel but are also taking their goods and possessions for themselves.

Why Psalms 44:10 matters

  • The verse clarifies that the defeat and loss are seen as coming from God's decision, not just from military weakness, which deepens the sense of confusion and lament.
  • It highlights the emotional honesty of the psalm, as Israel openly voices their pain and questions to God rather than hiding their struggles.
  • This verse connects to the wider passage by contrasting Israel's current suffering with their memories of God's past help, setting up the psalm's plea for God to act again on their behalf.

Where else these words appear

“spoil” Hebrew H8154 · used in 12 verses

  • Judges 2:14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.
  • 1 Samuel 23:1 Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors.
  • Isaiah 42:22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.

“back” Hebrew H268 · used in 41 verses

  • Genesis 49:17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
  • Psalms 44:18 Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;
  • Isaiah 42:17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.

“enemy” Hebrew H6862 · used in 102 verses

  • Genesis 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
  • Psalms 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
  • Proverbs 23:27 For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

“hate” Hebrew H8130 · used in 139 verses

  • Genesis 24:60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
  • Esther 9:1 Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them,(though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)
  • Proverbs 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: