Psalm 18 (17):43Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

I will gradually bring them low, for they are parched and do not accept the refreshing grace of God. They are elevated and filled with arrogance, moving forward bolstered by a steadfast and unwavering hope, as if relying on the solid ground beneath them. Like clay in the streets, I will bring about their ruin. In their reckless and chaotic journey along the wide avenues of destruction, frequented by many, I will bring them to ruin.

I will be like dust before the wind; He declares that He will annihilate His adversaries, just as the wind scatters fine dust. The wind, in its rush, lifts the light dust from the ground and disperses it into the atmosphere. I will smooth out the detritus from the wide pathways. He proclaims that He will wipe away or tread upon His foes: for the chaff within the broad streets of the city is crushed beneath the feet of many, becoming leveled and refined. Thus, David, through the act of refining, illustrates the act of trampling, for the breeze is first trampled and subsequently softened and purified. The roads are referred to as the major route to the marketplace, where people congregate; it is also known as the thoroughfare, accommodating the passage of chariots. This thoroughfare is labeled wide to set it apart from the so-called non-turning road, which offers no space for anyone to veer aside due to the throng of people.

He presents an additional reason for triumphing over his adversaries: God answered his supplications, while his foes dismissed his entreaties, despite their own cries to the Lord. Consequently, neither Saul, Absalom, Ahithophel, Semei, nor any of his other opponents had God as their ally; the Philistines and various foreign nations, although they invoked their idol deities, gained no advantage from them. Thus, it is clear that God does not heed the prayers or acknowledge the requests of unrepentant sinners and brazen hypocrites who disrespect His sacred name.

The Jewish people, who lack the cleansing grace of Holy Baptism, resemble parched dust, blown away by the tempest of divine anger even to the abyss. Just as refuse is trampled underfoot by throngs of men and livestock, the unrighteous among the Jews face destruction at the hands of God’s fury, and their legacy will be erased. They have intoxicated the world with the poison of infidelity and erected altars in honor of evil spirits.