1 Corinthians 15:25. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
There is a similar passage in Joshua 10:24, on which see the note (#220). The monuments of ancient Egypt, Assyria, and Persia give numerous illustrations of the custom of conquerors trampling on the vanquished. In the cave at Beit el Walley in Nubia is a hieroglyphic description of Rameses II. trampling on his enemies. It reads: “Kol, the strange land, is beneath thy sandals.” At the foot of a wooden mummy case is the British Museum are painted the soles of two shoes, and on each is the figure of a man with his arms and hands tied behind him, and his feet tied at the ankles. In this helpless state he is supposed to be trampled on by the wearer of the shoes. It was a very expressive illustration of mingled triumph and contempt.
These customs strikingly illustrate the text, and numerous parallel passages. See Psalm 8:6; 110:1; 119:118; Isaiah 14:19; 25:10; 28:3,18; 63:6; Lamentations 1:15; 3:34; Daniel 8:13; Micah 7:10; Malachi 4:3; Luke 21:24; Romans 16:20; Hebrews 10:29.