2 Samuel 22:31-51

31 This God— ¹his way is perfect; the ²word of the Lord proves true; he is ³a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

32 “For who is God, but the Lord? ⁴And who is a rock, except our God?

33 This God is my ⁵strong refuge and has made my^[a] way blameless. ^[b]

34 ⁶He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure ⁷on the heights.

35 ⁸He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

36 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great.

37 ⁹You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet^[c] did not slip;

38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, and did not turn back until they were consumed.

39 I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise; they fell ¹⁰under my feet.

40 For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made ¹¹those who rise against me sink under me.

41 You ¹²made my enemies turn their backs to me, ^[d] those who hated me, and I destroyed them.

42 They looked, but there was none to save; they cried to the Lord, but ¹³he did not answer them.

43 I beat them fine ¹⁴as the dust of the earth; I crushed them and stamped them down ¹⁵like the mire of the streets.

44 “You delivered me from strife with my people; ^[e] you kept me as the head of ¹⁶the nations; ¹⁷people whom I had not known served me.

45 Foreigners came cringing to me; as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.

46 Foreigners lost heart and came trembling^{[f] 18}out of their fortresses.

47 “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be ¹⁹my God, ²⁰the rock of my salvation,

48 the God who gave me vengeance and ²¹brought down peoples under me,

49 who brought me out from my enemies; you exalted me above ²²those who rose against me; you delivered me from ²³men of violence.

50 ²⁴“For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.

51 ²⁵Great salvation he brings^[g] to his king, and shows steadfast love to ²⁶his anointed, to David and his offspring ²⁷forever. ”

2 Samuel 22:31-51 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.

Cross References

• 1. 22:31 Deut. 32:4; Matt. 5:48
• 2. 22:31 Prov. 30:5
• 3. 22:31 ver. 3; Ps. 5:12; 33:20; 59:11; 84:9
• 4. 22:32 See ver. 2
• 5. 22:33 ver. 2; Ps. 28:8; 31:3, 4
• 6. 22:34 See ch. 2:18
• 7. 22:34 Deut. 32:13; 33:29; Isa. 58:14
• 8. 22:35 Ps. 144:1
• 9. 22:37 Prov. 4:12
• 10. 22:39 [Mal. 4:3]
• 11. 22:40 Ps. 44:5; 59:1
• 12. 22:41 Ex. 23:27
• 13. 22:42 1 Sam. 28:6; Prov. 1:28; [Isa. 1:15; Mic. 3:4]
• 14. 22:43 2 Kgs. 13:7
• 15. 22:43 Isa. 10:6; Mic. 7:10; Zech. 10:5
• 16. 22:44 See ch. 8:1-14
• 17. 22:44 Isa. 55:5
• 18. 22:46 Mic. 7:17
• 19. 22:47 ver. 3, 32
• 20. 22:47 Deut. 32:15; Ps. 89:26; 95:1
• 21. 22:48 Ps. 144:2
• 22. 22:49 [See ver. 40 above]
• 23. 22:49 Ps. 140:1
• 24. 22:50 Cited Rom. 15:9
• 25. 22:51 [Ps. 144:10]
• 26. 22:51 [1 Sam. 16:12, 13; Ps. 89:20]
• 27. 22:51 ch. 7:12, 13; Ps. 89:29

Footnotes

• [a] 22:33 Or 'his'; also verse 34
• [b] 22:33 Compare Psalm 18:32; Hebrew 'he has blamelessly set my way free', or 'he has made my way spring up blamelessly'
• [c] 22:37 Hebrew 'ankles'
• [d] 22:41 Or 'You gave me my enemies’ necks'
• [e] 22:44 Septuagint 'with the peoples'
• [f] 22:46 Compare Psalm 18:45; Hebrew 'equipped themselves'
• [g] 22:51 Or 'He is a tower of salvation'