Misinterpretations of this verse often strip it of its historical and poetic context from 1 Samuel 5-6, leading some to crudely literalize 'smote his enemies in the hinder parts' as endorsing scatological violence or divine scat humor, or to misuse it as a call for personal revenge against foes rather than recognizing it as part of a psalm highlighting God's merciful interventions amid Israel's rebellion; others overlook the metaphorical intent of utter humiliation, projecting modern vengeance theology onto an ancient expression of covenant faithfulness.
Psalms 78:66
King James Version (1769)
66 And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.
Psalms 78:66 poetically recounts God's decisive victory over the Philistines, who had captured the ark of the covenant, by afflicting them with a humiliating plague—often understood as tumors or hemorrhoids—resulting in their perpetual shame and demonstrating His sovereign protection of Israel despite their repeated unfaithfulness, emphasizing divine justice and power in restoring His people's honor.