2 Samuel 22:1-25

David’s Song of Praise

1 David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

2 He said: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield^[a] and the horn^[b] of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent people you save me.

4 “I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies.

5 The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

6 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.

7 “In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears.

8 The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens^[c] shook; they trembled because he was angry.

9 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.

10 He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.

11 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared^[d] on the wings of the wind.

12 He made darkness his canopy around him— the dark^[e] rain clouds of the sky.

13 Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth.

14 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.

15 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them.

16 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of breath from his nostrils.

17 “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.

18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.

19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.

20 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

21 “The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I am not guilty of turning from my God.

23 All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees.

24 I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.

25 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness^[f] in his sight.

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2 Samuel 22:1-25 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 22

This chapter contains a song or psalm, the same with the eighteenth psalm, and which, according to Jarchi, was composed by David in his old age, and, as Kimchi says, at the end or close of his days; but Abarbinel is of opinion that it was written in his youthful time, in the midst of his troubles, and was sung by him as often as he had a deliverance from any; and which may account for the several variations in it from the eighteenth psalm, which, the same writer observes, are seventy four; and are not to be ascribed to the difference of copies, or neglect of copiers: and very probably, towards the close of his days, he revised it, and made it fit for general use, and sent it with the rest of his psalms to the chief musician; but the particular consideration of it, and of the differences in it from Ps 18:1-50 are referred to the exposition of that book in its course.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 43

1. S Exodus 15:1; Judges 5:1; Psalms 18:2-50
2. S 1 Samuel 2:2; Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalms 71:3
3. Psalms 31:3; Psalms 91:2
4. Psalms 144:2
5. S Deuteronomy 23:15; S Deuteronomy 32:37; Psalms 14:6; Psalms 31:2; Psalms 59:16; Psalms 71:7; Psalms 91:2; Psalms 94:22; Proverbs 10:29; Isaiah 25:4; Jeremiah 16:19; Joel 3:16
6. S Genesis 15:1
7. S Deuteronomy 33:17; S Luke 1:69
8. Psalms 9:9; Psalms 52:7
9. Psalms 48:1; Psalms 96:4; Psalms 145:3
10. Psalms 69:14-15; Psalms 93:4; John 2:3
11. Psalms 116:3; Acts 2:24
12. Genesis 35:3; S Judges 2:15; 2 Chronicles 15:4; Psalms 4:1; Psalms 77:2; Psalms 120:1; Isaiah 26:16
13. Psalms 34:6,15; Psalms 116:4
14. Judges 5:4; Psalms 97:4
15. S Exodus 19:18; S Judges 5:4; Psalms 68:8; Psalms 77:18; Jeremiah 10:10
16. Job 9:6; Job 26:11; Psalms 75:3
17. Psalms 50:3; Psalms 97:3; Hebrews 12:29; S Revelation 11:5
18. Isaiah 6:6; Ezekiel 1:13; Ezekiel 10:2
19. S Exodus 19:9; Leviticus 16:2; S Deuteronomy 33:26; 1 Kings 8:12; Job 26:9; Psalms 104:3; Isaiah 19:1; Jeremiah 4:13; Nahum 1:3
20. S Genesis 3:24; S Exodus 25:22
21. Psalms 104:3
22. S Exodus 19:9
23. ver 9; Job 37:3; Psalms 77:18
24. S 1 Samuel 2:10
25. S Deuteronomy 32:23
26. Psalms 6:1; Psalms 50:8,21; Psalms 106:9; Nahum 1:4
27. S Exodus 14:21; Isaiah 30:33; Isaiah 40:24
28. Psalms 144:7
29. Exodus 2:10
30. Luke 1:71
31. Psalms 23:4
32. Job 36:16; Psalms 31:8
33. Psalms 118:5
34. Psalms 22:8; Isaiah 42:1; Matthew 12:18
35. S 2 Samuel 15:26
36. S 1 Samuel 26:23
37. Psalms 26:6
38. Job 17:9; Job 22:30; Job 42:7-8; Psalms 24:4
39. Genesis 18:19; Psalms 128:1; Proverbs 8:32
40. Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalms 119:30-32
41. Psalms 119:102
42. S Genesis 6:9; Ephesians 1:4
43. ver 21; S 1 Samuel 26:23

Footnotes 6

[a]. Or "sovereign"
[b]. "Horn" here symbolizes strength.
[c]. Hebrew; Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:7) "mountains"
[d]. Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:10); most Hebrew manuscripts "appeared"
[e]. Septuagint (see also Psalm 18:11); Hebrew "massed"
[f]. Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:24) "to the cleanness of my hands"