2 Samuel 7:23

23 Soothly what folk in (the) earth is as the people of Israel, for which the Lord God went, that he should again-buy it to him into a people, and should set to himself a name, and should do to it great things, and horrible, on [the] earth, in casting out thereof the folks, and gods thereof, from the face of thy people, which thou again-boughtest to thee from Egypt? (Yea, what nation on earth is like the people of Israel, for whom the Lord God went, and redeemed, or rescued, them in order to be a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to do for them great and wonderful things on the earth, in throwing out from here the nations, and their gods, from before thy people, whom thou hast redeemed, or rescued, for thyself from Egypt?)

2 Samuel 7:23 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 7:23

And what one nation in the earth [is] like thy people, [even]
like Israel
For the knowledge and worship of the true God among them, for laws and or given them, and for blessings of goodness bestowed upon them:

whom God went to redeem for a people to himself;
the words are plural, "whom the gods went to redeem"; the Targum is,

``they that were sent from the Lord,''

meaning Moses and Aaron, of whom Jarchi interprets them, of the first of which it is said, "I have made thee a god unto Pharaoh", ( Exodus 7:1 ) ; but Kimchi and R. Isaiah understand it of the true God, only suppose, as the former, that the plural expression is used for the sake of honour and glory; whereas, no doubt, respect is had to the three divine Persons in the Trinity, who were all concerned in the redemption of Israel, see ( Isaiah 63:9-12 ) , where mention is made of the Lord, and of the Angel of his presence, and of his holy Spirit, as engaged therein:

and to make him a name;
either to get himself a name, and honour and glory in the world, to show forth his power and might, as well as his mercy and goodness, or to make his people famous, great, and glorious in the earth:

and to do for you great things and terrible;
as he did in the land of Ham, at the Red sea, and in the wilderness, and in the land of Canaan, great things for his people, and terrible ones to their enemies:

for thy land;
which is either spoken to God, whose was the land of Israel, and which he had chosen to dwell in, and had given to his people; or else to Israel, to whom the grant of this land was made, and who were put into the possession of it:

before thy people which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt:
that is, the great and terrible things were done in their sight, when they were redeemed from the bondage of Egypt, see ( Psalms 78:12 ) ;

[from] the nations, and their gods?
meaning, that they were redeemed not only from Egypt, but the nations of the Canaanites were driven out before them; nor could their idols save them, but destruction came upon them as upon the gods of the Egyptians: some leave out the supplement "from", and interpret this of the persons redeemed, even of the nations and tribes of Israel, and their great men, their rulers and civil magistrates, sometimes called gods.

2 Samuel 7:23 In-Context

21 thou hast done all these great things, for thy word, and by thine heart (for thy word's sake, and according to thy heart), so that thou madest those known to thy servant.

22 Therefore, Lord God, thou art made great, for none is like thee, nor there is no God except thee, in all things which we have heard with our ears. (And so, Lord God, thou art truly great, and from everything that we have heard with our ears, no one is like thee, nor is there any God except thee.)

23 Soothly what folk in (the) earth is as the people of Israel, for which the Lord God went, that he should again-buy it to him into a people, and should set to himself a name, and should do to it great things, and horrible, on [the] earth, in casting out thereof the folks, and gods thereof, from the face of thy people, which thou again-boughtest to thee from Egypt? (Yea, what nation on earth is like the people of Israel, for whom the Lord God went, and redeemed, or rescued, them in order to be a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to do for them great and wonderful things on the earth, in throwing out from here the nations, and their gods, from before thy people, whom thou hast redeemed, or rescued, for thyself from Egypt?)

24 And thou hast confirmed to thee thy people Israel into a people everlasting, and thou, Lord, art made into God to them. (And thou hast confirmed thy people Israel to be thy own people forevermore, and O Lord, thou hast become their God.)

25 Now therefore, Lord God, raise up (into) without end the word that thou hast spoken upon thy servant, and upon his house, and do as thou hast spoken;