1 Samuel 2:4

2:4 The bows of warriors are shattered,

but those who stumble find their strength reinforced.

Mazmur 46:10

46:10 He says, ¹  “Stop your striving and recognize ²  that I am God!

I will be exalted ³  over ⁴  the nations! I will be exalted over ⁵  the earth!”

Yeremia 49:35

49:35 The Lord who rules over all said,

“I will kill all the archers of Elam,

who are the chief source of her military might. ⁶ 

[46:10]  ¹ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[46:10]  ² tn Heb “do nothing/be quiet (see 1 Sam 15:16) and know.” This statement may be addressed to the hostile nations, indicating they should cease their efforts to destroy God’s people, or to Judah, indicating they should rest secure in God’s protection. Since the psalm is an expression of Judah’s trust and confidence, it is more likely that the words are directed to the nations, who are actively promoting chaos and are in need of a rebuke.

[46:10]  ³ tn Elsewhere in the psalms the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”) when used of God, refers to his exalted position as king (Pss 18:46; 99:2; 113:4; 138:6) and/or his self-revelation as king through his mighty deeds of deliverance (Pss 21:13; 57:5, 11).

[46:10]  ⁴ tn Or “among.”

[46:10]  ⁵ tn Or “in.”

[49:35]  ⁶ tn Heb “I will break the bow of Elam, the chief source of their might.” The phrase does not mean that God will break literal bows or that he will destroy their weapons (synecdoche of species for genus) or their military power (so Hos 1:5). Because of the parallelism, the “bow” here stands for the archers who wield the bow, and were the strongest force (or chief contingent) in their military.