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Psalm 144:6

Throw out lightning, and scatter them. Send out your arrows, and rout them.

4Man is like a breath. His days are like a shadow that passes away.
5Part your heavens, LORD, and come down. Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.
6Throw out lightning, and scatter them. Send out your arrows, and rout them.
7Stretch out your hand from above, rescue me, and deliver me out of great waters, out of the hands of foreigners,
8whose mouths speak deceit, whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
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← Psalm 144:5Psalm 144:7 →
Notice

Lightning and arrows make this a violent plea for God to rout enemies, spoken amid a cry for rescue from people whose words are deceitful.

Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.

How does the plea for rescue in verse 7 shape your reading of the arrows in verse 6?

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What troubles you about asking God to scatter and rout human enemies?

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Connect

Where else Scripture says this

8 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.

This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Psalm 18:14He sent out his arrows, and scattered them. He routed them with great lightning bolts.Both describe God's arrows and lightning scattering enemies; Psalm 144 asks for the action that Psalm 18 recounts.
Deuteronomy 32:23“I will heap evils on them. I will spend my arrows on them.Both portray God's arrows as weapons directed against people, with Deuteronomy announcing harm and the psalm asking God to rout enemies.
Psalm 18:13–14The LORD also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice: hailstones and coals of fire.Both use the force of a storm to portray God's might, with thunder in Psalm 18 and lightning in Psalm 144.
Deuteronomy 32:42I will make my arrows drunk with blood. My sword shall devour flesh with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the head of the leaders of the enemy.”Both depict God wielding arrows against enemies, while Deuteronomy makes the bloodshed explicit.
Psalm 89:10You have broken Rahab in pieces, like one of the slain. You have scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.Both speak of enemies being scattered by God's power, one as a plea and the other as an act already accomplished.
Psalm 21:12For you will make them turn their back, when you aim drawn bows at their face.Both picture God aiming weapons against opponents and causing them to retreat.
2 Samuel 22:12–15He made darkness a shelter around himself, gathering of waters, and thick clouds of the skies.Both portray God through imagery of the skies, though Samuel describes clouds and darkness while the psalm asks for lightning.
Job 40:11Pour out the fury of your anger. Look at everyone who is proud, and bring him low.Both use forceful language about bringing people down, though Job names the proud and the psalm asks for enemies to scatter.
Where this verse fits

Injustice and anger. fear for the future. sermon or Bible study notes.

What the Bible says about anger →What the Bible says about fear →
One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Ask God to protect people facing violent threats

prayeroncelight
Encouragement

This cry for rescue asks God to wield force against enemies. It gives you no command to attack someone; the lightning and arrows are his to command.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 144:6. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.

Keep goingPsalm 144 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).