2 Samuel 23:1-7

The Last Words of David

1 Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of ¹the man who was raised on high, ²the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel: ^[a]

2 ³“The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; his word is on my tongue.

3 The God of Israel has spoken; ⁴the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling ⁵in the fear of God,

4 he ⁶dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain^[b] that makes grass to sprout from the earth.

5 “For does not my house stand so with God? ⁷For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?

6 But worthless men^[c] are all like thorns that are thrown away, for they cannot be taken with the hand;

7 but the man who touches them arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they are utterly consumed with fire. ” ^[d]

2 Samuel 23:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 23

In this chapter are recorded the last words of David under a divine inspiration, 2Sa 23:1-7; and an account is given of his great men, famous for warlike exploits, particularly of three mighty men who did very marvellous things, 2Sa 23:8-17; and of two others next unto them, which belonged to another class of three, 2Sa 23:18-23; and then of thirty one more, 2Sa 23:24-39; who are all mentioned by name.

Cross References

• 1. 23:1 [ch. 7:8, 9; Ps. 78:70, 71]
• 2. 23:1 [See ch. 22:51 above]
• 3. 23:2 [2 Pet. 1:21]
• 4. 23:3 See ch. 22:2, 3, 32, 47
• 5. 23:3 Ex. 18:21; 2 Chr. 19:7, 9
• 6. 23:4 [Judg. 5:31; Prov. 4:18; Hos. 6:5]
• 7. 23:5 ch. 7:15, 16; Ps. 89:29; Isa. 55:3

Footnotes

• [a] 23:1 Or 'the favorite of the songs of Israel'
• [b] 23:4 Hebrew 'from rain'
• [c] 23:6 Hebrew 'worthlessness'
• [d] 23:7 Hebrew 'consumed with fire in the sitting'