2 Samuel 22

Chapters 21–24, the closing section of 2 Samuel, are commonly called the "appendix." This section gathers events from David's reign without regard to chronological order. 2 Samuel 21 recounts the episode involving the Gibeonites and the battles with the Philistine giants. This chapter follows with David's long psalm of praise, which leads into "the last words of David" in 2 Samuel 23.

Outline

• Verse 1: The superscription. It states that this is the song David sang on the day the LORD delivered him from all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
• Verses 2–4: David addresses God as his rock, fortress, shield, horn of salvation (an expression signifying strength and victory), and high tower.
• Verses 5–7: Surrounded by the waves of death and the cords of Sheol, David cries out, and the LORD hears him from His temple (sanctuary).
• Verses 8–16: A depiction of God's appearing. The earth shakes, and smoke and fire go forth. God descends riding upon a cherub and scatters the enemy with thunder and lightning.
• Verses 17–20: God draws David out of many waters and brings him into a large place.
• Verses 21–25: David confesses that because he kept the ways of the LORD, the LORD rewarded him according to his righteousness.
• Verses 26–28: God shows Himself merciful to the merciful and brings down the haughty.
• Verses 29–37: God is David's lamp; He enables him to leap over a wall and teaches his hands to war.
• Verses 38–43: David pursues his enemies to the end and destroys them.
• Verses 44–46: God delivers David from the strivings of the people and makes him head of the nations.
• Verses 47–51: The conclusion, praising the living God. It ends with the confession that God shows everlasting mercy to His king and His anointed, that is, to David and his descendants.

Key Verses

• 2 Samuel 22:2 "The LORD is my rock, and my fortress" — a confession that summarizes God's protection, the theme of the entire song.
• 2 Samuel 22:31 "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried" — "tried" means pure, as though refined. The verse is frequently cited as a basis for trusting the word of God.
• 2 Samuel 22:51 "and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore" — a conclusion that connects to the Davidic covenant of 2 Samuel 7.

People and Places

• David — the king of Israel who sang this song.
• Saul — the first king of Israel, who pursued David. He is named in verse 1.
• Cherub — a heavenly being that attends God. In verse 11, God appears riding upon a cherub. This topic is treated in detail in the article Seraphim and Cherubim.

Points for Reflection

• Relationship to Psalm 18: This song is nearly identical to Psalm 18. Psalm 18 includes an additional opening line, "I will love thee, O LORD, my strength"; otherwise the two differ only slightly in wording.
• "According to my righteousness" (verses 21–25): These verses may seem out of place in light of the Bathsheba episode (2 Samuel 11). Several interpretations have been offered.
• One interpretation takes the passage not as a claim to complete sinlessness but as a confession that David did not follow other gods and remained faithful to the covenant.
• Another view holds that the song was composed early in David's life.
• Connections to the New Testament:
• Verse 50 (identical to Psalm 18:49) is quoted in Romans 15:9. Paul uses this verse as scriptural support for the Gentiles' coming to praise God.
• Some interpreters hold that "I will put my trust in him" in Hebrews 2:13 also derives from the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) text of verse 3. Others, however, trace the same phrase to Isaiah 8.
• The anointed: "His anointed" in verse 51 refers in the first instance to David. Many church traditions read the expression as looking forward to the Messiah who would come from among his descendants. The meaning of "the anointed" is discussed in the article Anointing.