2 Samuel 22:9-19

9 Gone up hath smoke by His nostrils. And fire from His mouth devoureth, Brands have been kindled by it.

10 And He inclineth heaven, and cometh down, And thick darkness [is] under His feet.

11 And He rideth on a cherub, and doth fly, And is seen on the wings of the wind.

12 And He setteth darkness Round about Him -- tabernacles, Darkness of waters -- thick clouds of the skies.

13 From the brightness before Him Were brands of fire kindled!

14 Thunder from the heavens doth Jehovah, And the Most High giveth forth His voice.

15 And He sendeth forth arrows, And scattereth them; Lightning, and troubleth them;

16 And seen are the streams of the sea, Revealed are foundations of the world, By the rebuke of Jehovah, From the breath of the spirit of His anger.

17 He sendeth from above -- He taketh me, He draweth me out of many waters.

18 He delivereth me from my strong enemy, From those hating me, For they were stronger than I.

19 They are before me in a day of my calamity, And Jehovah is my support,

2 Samuel 22:9-19 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.