2 Samuel 22

King James Version

Full text for 2 Samuel Chapter 22

1¶ And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day [that] the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:

2¶ And he said, The LORD [is] my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

3The God of my rock; in him will I trust: [he is] my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

4I will call on the LORD, [who is] worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

5When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid;

6The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;

7In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry [did enter] into his ears.

8Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth.

9There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

10He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness [was] under his feet.

11And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.

12And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, [and] thick clouds of the skies.

13Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.

14The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice.

15And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them.

16And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

17He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters;

18He delivered me from my strong enemy, [and] from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.

19They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.

20He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

21The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

22For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

23For all his judgments [were] before me: and [as for] his statutes, I did not depart from them.

24I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from mine iniquity.

25Therefore the LORD hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.

26With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, [and] with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.

27With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury.

28And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes [are] upon the haughty, [that] thou mayest bring [them] down.

29For thou [art] my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.

30For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall.

31[As for] God, his way [is] perfect; the word of the LORD [is] tried: he [is] a buckler to all them that trust in him.

32For who [is] God, save the LORD? and who [is] a rock, save our God?

33God [is] my strength [and] power: and he maketh my way perfect.

34He maketh my feet like hinds' [feet]: and setteth me upon my high places.

35He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.

36Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.

37Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.

38I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them.

39And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: yea, they are fallen under my feet.

40For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me.

41Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.

42They looked, but [there was] none to save; [even] unto the LORD, but he answered them not.

43Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the street, [and] did spread them abroad.

44Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people, thou hast kept me [to be] head of the heathen: a people [which] I knew not shall serve me.

45Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me.

46Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places.

47The LORD liveth; and blessed [be] my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.

48It [is] God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me,

49And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

50Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.

51[He is] the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

David sings a song of praise to the LORD, recounting God's mighty deliverance from all his enemies, including Saul. He describes God as his rock, fortress, and deliverer, who intervened with cosmic power in his distress. David attributes his victories and establishment as king to God's faithfulness and his own uprightness before the LORD.

Medium Summary

In 2 Samuel 22, David offers a profound song of thanksgiving to the LORD for delivering him from all his adversaries, especially Saul. He extols God as his ultimate refuge, strength, and saviour, vividly recalling how he cried out in distress. The chapter then describes God's dramatic, almost cataclysmic intervention, with the earth shaking and heavens bowing, demonstrating divine power. David asserts that God rewarded him according to his righteousness and uprightness, empowering him to overcome formidable foes. The song concludes with David's renewed commitment to praise God among the nations, acknowledging God's enduring mercy to him and his lineage.

Long Summary

Second Samuel chapter 22 presents David's extensive song of praise to the LORD, offered on the day God delivered him from all his enemies, including Saul. David begins by proclaiming God as his rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, and saviour, in whom he places his trust. He recounts a time of extreme peril, when the "waves of death" and "sorrows of hell" encompassed him, prompting his desperate cry to God. In response, the chapter describes a magnificent display of divine power: the earth shook, smoke and fire issued from God, who bowed the heavens, rode on a cherub, and thundered from above, scattering David's foes with lightning. God is depicted as actively reaching down to rescue David from overwhelming forces, bringing him into a place of safety because He delighted in him. David then declares that the LORD recompensed him according to his righteousness and the cleanness of his hands, for he had kept God's ways and statutes. He affirms God's character of responding to individuals according to their conduct, saving the afflicted while humbling the haughty. David further credits God as his lamp and strength, enabling him to achieve military victories, pursue and destroy his enemies, and be established as head over both his own people and foreign nations. The song culminates in an affirmation of God's eternal life and a renewed vow to praise His name among the heathen, recognizing God's enduring salvation and mercy to David and his seed forevermore.

Core Concepts

  • Divine DeliveranceGod's active and powerful intervention to rescue David from overwhelming enemies and life-threatening situations, drawing him out of distress and danger.
  • God as Refuge and StrengthDavid consistently portrays God using metaphors like rock, fortress, shield, and high tower, emphasizing His protective and empowering nature as his ultimate source of security.
  • Theophany and Divine PowerThe chapter contains a vivid, poetic description of God's dramatic appearance and cosmic intervention in response to David's cry, demonstrating overwhelming divine might.
  • Righteousness and RecompenseDavid asserts that God rewarded him based on his upright conduct and adherence to God's ways, indicating a divine principle of just recompense.
  • Victory over EnemiesGod's empowerment of David to pursue, subdue, and utterly destroy his adversaries, leading to his triumph and establishment of dominion.
  • God's Covenant FaithfulnessThe song concludes with an affirmation of God's enduring mercy and salvation for David, His anointed king, and for his lineage forevermore.
  • Praise and ThanksgivingThe overarching theme of the chapter is a profound song of gratitude and exaltation to God for His mighty acts of salvation and deliverance in David's life.