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Psalm 18:44
As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
42Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of the streets.
43You have delivered me from the strivings of the people. You have made me the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known shall serve me.
44As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
45The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their strongholds.
46The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation,
Notice
Foreigners submit at the mere report of David, a stark picture of royal power within a song that credits God for victory over enemies.
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Where else Scripture says this
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Psalm 66:3Tell God, “How awesome are your deeds! Through the greatness of your power, your enemies submit themselves to you.Both passages describe submission before overwhelming power: foreigners submit to David, while God’s enemies submit to God.
2 Corinthians 10:5throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of …Both speak of obedience, though David describes foreign peoples submitting to him and Paul describes thoughts brought into obedience to Christ.
Psalm 81:15The haters of the LORD would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever.Both portray submission before authority, with foreigners yielding to David and the LORD’s haters cringing before him.
Deuteronomy 33:29You are happy, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD, the shield of your help, the sword of your excellency? Your enemies will submit themselves …Both describe enemies submitting to those whom the LORD has saved: David in the psalm’s setting and Israel in Deuteronomy.
1 Kings 21:29“See how Ahab humbles himself before me? Because he humbles himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but I will bring the evil on his house in …Both describe someone yielding before authority, though Ahab humbles himself before God and the foreigners submit to David.
2 Samuel 22:44–46You also have delivered me from the strivings of my people. You have kept me to be the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known will serve me.Both describe David’s rule extending beyond his own people, with foreign peoples serving or submitting to him.
2 Thessalonians 1:8punishing those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus,Obedience is the shared term: David reports obedience to his rule, while Paul describes punishment for disobedience to the Good News.
2 Timothy 1:5having been reminded of the sincere faith that is in you, which lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, in you also.The connection is slight: David describes submission to his rule; Paul recalls sincere faith in Timothy and his family.
1 Chronicles 14:17The fame of David went out into all lands; and the LORD brought the fear of him on all nations.Both link reports about David with responses among foreign nations: submission in the psalm and fear in Chronicles.
Psalm 17:1A Prayer by David. Hear, LORD, my righteous plea. Give ear to my prayer that doesn’t go out of deceitful lips.Hearing is the narrow shared thread: foreigners hear of David in Psalm 18, while David asks the LORD to hear his prayer.
Ezekiel 44:7in that you have brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to profane it, even my house, when you offer …Both mention foreigners, but the settings differ: submission to David’s rule and the profaning of God’s sanctuary.
Isaiah 62:8The LORD has sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, “Surely I will no more give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners will …Both concern foreigners in a setting of hostility: David describes their submission, while Isaiah promises an end to their taking Israel’s wine.
One step
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Encouragement
David’s words describe a king’s victory after violent conflict. They grant you no claim to another person’s submission. In the surrounding lines, even this victorious king credits God with his deliverance.
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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).