Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.

PSALMS 89:10KJV
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Psalms 89:10 (KJV)

What does Psalms 89:10 mean?

Psalms 89:10 says that God has defeated a powerful enemy, called Rahab, as if crushing a slain foe, and has scattered His enemies with His strong arm. The verse highlights God's unmatched power to overcome and disperse those who oppose Him.

The psalmist, traditionally understood as Ethan the Ezrahite, is speaking to God in praise, recalling God's mighty acts in history. In this verse, "Rahab" is a poetic name often used for Egypt, representing a proud and formidable adversary. The verse uses vivid language to show how God’s strength is far greater than any enemy, emphasizing His authority and ability to protect His people.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 89:10

  • רַהַב (Rahab, transliterated "Rahav"): This word is often used in Hebrew poetry as a symbol for Egypt, especially as an arrogant or chaotic force. Its use here paints Egypt as a defeated enemy, not just a nation.
  • דָּכָא (broken, transliterated "daka’"): This verb means to crush or shatter. The verse uses it to describe God’s total defeat of Rahab, showing the completeness of the victory.
  • חָלָל (slain, transliterated "chalal"): This word refers to someone killed in battle. Comparing Rahab to the slain suggests God’s enemies are left powerless.
  • זְרוֹעַ (arm, transliterated "zeroa’"): In Hebrew, "arm" often stands for strength or power. Saying God scatters enemies with His "strong arm" is a way of describing His unstoppable might.

Why Psalms 89:10 matters

  • The verse clears up that "Rahab" is not the woman from Jericho but a poetic name for Egypt, making sense of the historical reference.
  • It emphasizes God’s power over even the greatest earthly powers, reinforcing the theme of God’s sovereignty in the psalm.
  • This verse connects to the wider passage by recalling God’s past victories as a reason to trust Him in the present, especially when facing threats or uncertainty.

Where else these words appear

“Rahab” Hebrew H7294 · used in 3 verses

  • Psalms 87:4 I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.
  • Isaiah 51:9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?

“scattered” Hebrew H6340 · used in 10 verses

  • Esther 3:8 And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them.
  • Psalms 141:7 Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.
  • Jeremiah 3:13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.

“broken” Hebrew H1792 · used in 18 verses

  • Job 4:19 How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?
  • Job 34:25 Therefore he knoweth their works, and he overturneth them in the night, so that they are destroyed.
  • Isaiah 19:10 And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.

“arm” Hebrew H2220 · used in 84 verses

  • Genesis 49:24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob;(from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
  • Job 38:15 And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken.
  • Isaiah 59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.