2 Samuel 23:44-51 – God Saves So We Can Fulfill His Calling

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church of Manhattan, KS, 15 Jan. 2023
(Parallel psalm preached 8 Feb. 2015)

Introduction

I. Saved to be a King vs.44-46

II. Saved to Sing Praises Among the Nations vs. 47-50

III. Saved to Trust God Forevermore v. 51


Psalm 18: For What Purpose Was I Saved?

Amos Wilson February 8, 2015


My God you have delivered me,

Yet for what purpose was I saved?

– I surely don't deserve your grace,

I should slave,

Into the grave –

For what purpose, tell?

Listen, listen well.


Against the striving of my kin,

You made me head to reign supreme.

Even the tribes from lands unknown,

Will tribute bring,

To me as king –

Then for what purpose saved?

To rule o'er what You gave.


I will exalt the Lord who saved.

Life is Christ – so I will praise,

Since God destroyed and fought my foes,

To God of days,

I write my lays –

So for what purpose then?

To sing His praise to men.


For years He has delivered me,

And showed me mercy just,

To me and mine forever more,

O Lord of us,

In You I trust

Then for what purpose, say?

To know where I must stay.

2 Samuel 22:44-51 Side-by side comparison of versionsA

PSALM 17 LXX

2 SAM 22 LXX

Brenton

DRB

KJV

NAW

2 SAM 22
MT

PSALM 18 MT

40 καὶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου ἔδωκάς μοι νῶτον καὶ τοὺς μισοῦντάς με ἐξωλέθρευσας X.

41 καὶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου ἔδωκάς μοι νῶτον, τοὺς μισοῦντάς με, καὶ ἐθανάτωσας αὐτούς.

41 And thou hast caused mine enemies to flee before me, [even] them that hated me, and thou hast slain them.

41 X My enemies thou hast made to turn [their] back to me: them that hated me, and I shall destroy them.

41 Thou hast also given me the neck[s] of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.

41 And as for my enemies, You gave to me the bowed-neck of those who hate me, and I annihilated them.

מא וְאֹיְבַי תַּתָּה לִּי עֹרֶףB מְשַׂנְאַי וָאַצְמִיתֵםC.

מא וְאֹיְבַי Dנָתַתָּה לִּי עֹרֶף וּמְשַׂנְאַי אַצְמִיתֵם.

41 ἐκέκραξαν, καὶ οὐκ ν σῴζων, πρὸς κύριον, καὶ οὐκ εἰσήκου­σεν αὐτῶν.

42 βοήσονται, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν βοηθός, πρὸς κύριον, καὶ οὐχ ὑπήκουσεν αὐτῶν.

42 They shall cry, and there shall be no helper; to the Lord, but he hearkens not to them.

42 They shall cry, and there shall be none to save: to the Lord, and he shall not hear them.

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

42 They {hollered}, but there was no savior, to Yahweh but He did not answer them.

מב יִשְׁעוּE וְאֵין מֹשִׁיעַ אֶל יְהוָה וְלֹא עָנָם.

מב יְשַׁוְּעוּ וְאֵין מוֹשִׁיעַ עַל יְהוָה וְלֹא עָנָם.

42 καὶ λεπτυνῶ αὐτοὺς ὡς χοῦν κατὰ πρόσωπον ἀνέμου, ὡς πηλὸν πλατειῶν λεανῶ αὐτούς.

43 καἐλέανα αὐτοὺς ὡς X χοῦν

γῆς, ὡς
πηλὸν ἐξόδων
ἐλέπτυνα αὐτούς X X.

43 And I ground them as the dust of the earth, I beat them small as [the] mire of the streets X X.

43 X I shall beat them as [small as] the dust of the earth: I shall crush them [andF] spread them abroad like [the] mire of the streets.

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

43 So I pulverized them like the dust on the ground; like mud on the streets I crushed them {}.

מג וְאֶשְׁחָקֵם כַּעֲפַר אָרֶץG כְּטִיט חוּצוֹת אֲדִקֵּםH Iאֶרְקָעֵם.

מג וְאֶשְׁחָקֵם כְּעָפָר עַל פְּנֵי רוּחַ כְּטִיט חוּצוֹת אֲרִיקֵם X.

43 X ῥύσῃ με ξ ἀντιλογιῶν λαοῦ, κατα­στήσεις με εἰς κεφαλὴν ἐθνῶν· λαός, ὃν οὐκ ἔγνων, ἐδούλευσέν μοι,

44 καὶ ῥύσῃ με ἐκ μάχης
λα
ῶν X, φυλάξεις με εἰς κεφαλὴν ἐθνῶν· λαός, ὃν οὐκ ἔγνων, ἐδούλευσάν μοι,

44 And thou shalt deliver me from the strivingX of the people[s], thou shalt keep me to be the head of the Gentiles: a people which I knew not Χ served me.

44 X Thou wilt save me from the contradict­ions of my people: thou wilt keep me to be the head of the Gentiles: [the] people which I know not, Χ shall serve me,

44 Thou 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 Χ shall serve me.

44 You have also delivered me from the impeachments of my people. You kept me at the head of nations – [even of] an ethic-group I did not know – they serve me.

מד וַתְּפַלְּטֵנִיJ מֵרִיבֵי עַמִּיK תִּשְׁמְרֵנִיL לְרֹאשׁ גּוֹיִם Mעַם לֹא יָדַעְתִּי יַעַבְדֻנִי.

מד xתְּפַלְּטֵנִי מֵרִיבֵי עָםx תְּשִׂימֵxנִי לְרֹאשׁ גּוֹיִם עַם לֹא יָדַעְתִּי יַעַבְדוּנִי.

44 εἰς ἀκοὴν ὠτίου ὑπήκουσν μοι· υἱοὶ ἀλλότριοι ἐψεύσαντό μοι,

45 υἱοὶ ἀλλότριοι ἐψεύσαντό μοι, εἰς ἀκοὴν ὠτίου ἤκουσάν μου·

45 The strange children feigned obedience to me; they hearkened to me as soon as they heard X.

45 The sons of the stranger will resist me, at the hearing of the ear they will obey me.

45 X X Stran­ger[s] shall submit them­selves unto me: as soon as they hear X, they shall be obed­ient unto me.

45 Sons of the foreigner make themselves obsequious toward me; as soon as the sound is at-ear they become heedful toward me.

מה Nבְּנֵי נֵכָר יִתְכַּחֲשׁוּ לִי לִשְׁמוֹעַ אֹזֶן יִשָּׁמְעוּO לִי.

מה לְשֵׁמַע אֹזֶן יִשָּׁמְעוּ לִי בְּנֵי נֵכָר יְXכַחֲשׁוּP לִי.

45 υἱοὶ ἀλλό­τριοι ἐπαλαιώ­θησαν καὶ ἐχώλαναν ἀπὸ τῶν τρίβων αὐτῶν.

46 υἱοὶ ἀλλό­τριοι ἀπορ­ριφήσονται καὶ σφαλοῦσιν ἐκ τῶν συγκλεισ­μῶν αὐτῶν.

46 The strange children shall be cast away, and shall be overthrown out of their hiding places.

46 The strang­erXs are melted away, and shall be straitened in their distresses.

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

46 Sons of the foreigner wilt, and they become jumpy from their borders.

מו בְּנֵי נֵכָר Qיִבֹּלוּ וְיַחְגְּרוּ מִמִּסְגְּרוֹתָםR.

מו בְּנֵי נֵכָר יִבֹּלוּ
וְיַחְרְגוּS מִמִּסְגְּרוֹתֵיהֶם.

46 ζῇ κύριος, καὶ εὐλογητὸς θεός μου,
καὶ ὑψωθήτω
θεὸς X X X
τῆς σωτηρίας μου,

47 ζῇ κύριος, καὶ εὐλογητὸς ὁ φύλαξ μου, καὶ ὑψωθήσ­εται ὁ θεός [μου,]φύλαξ τῆς σωτηρίας μου.

47 The Lord lives, and blessed be my guardian, and [my] God, [my] strong keeper, shall be exalted.

47 The Lord liveth, and my God is blessed: and the strong God of my salvation shall be exalted:

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

47 Life is Yahweh, so let my landmark-rock be blessed, and let the God of the landmark-rock of my salvation be exalted!

מז חַי יְהוָהT וּבָרוּךְ צוּרִיU וְיָרֻם אֱלֹהֵי צוּרV יִשְׁעִי.

מז חַי יְהוָה וּבָרוּךְ צוּרִי וְיָרוּם אֱלוֹהֵי x יִשְׁעִי.

47
θεὸς διδοὺς ἐκδικήσεις ἐμοὶ καὶ ὑποτάξας λαοὺς ὑπ᾿ ἐμέ,

48 [ἰσχυρὸςW] κύριοςδιδ­οὺς ἐκδικήσεις ἐμοί, X παιδεύ­ων λαοὺς ὑποκάτω μου

48 The Lord who X avenges me [is strong], X chastening [the] nations under me,

48 X God who giveth me revenge, and bringest down peopleX under me,

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

48 This God is the One who deals out retributions for me, and who brings down peoples under me,

מח Xהָאֵל הַנֹּתֵן נְקָמֹת לִי וּמוֹרִידY עַמִּים תַּחְתֵּנִי.

מח הָאֵל הַנּוֹתֵן נְקָמוֹת לִי וַיַּדְבֵּרZ עַמִּים תַּחְתָּי.

48 X ῥύστης μου ἐξ ἐχθρῶν μου ὀργίλων,AA ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπ­ανιστανομένων ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ ὑψώσ­εις με, ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς ἀδίκου ῥύσῃ με.

49 καὶ ἐξάγων με ἐξ ἐχθρῶν μου, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐπεγειρομένων μοι ὑψώσεις με, ἐξ ἀνδρὸς ἀδικημάτων ῥύσῃ με.

49 and bringing me out from my enemies: and thou shalt set me on high from among those that rise up against me: thou shalt deliver me from the violentX man.

49 X Who bringest me forth from my enemies, and liftest me up from them that resist X me: from the wickedX man thou shalt deliver me.

49 And 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 violentX man.

49 and who brings me out from my enemies. You even elevate me above those who rise up against me; You cause me to escape from the man characterized by acts-of-violence.

מט וּמוֹצִיאִיAB מֵאֹיְבָיAC וּמִקָּמַי תְּרוֹמְמֵנִי מֵאִישׁ חֲמָסִיםAD תַּצִּילֵנִיAE.

מט xמְפַלְּטִי מֵאֹיְבָי
אַף מִן קָמַי תְּרוֹמְמֵנִי מֵאִישׁ
חָמָסx תַּצִּילֵנִי.

49 διὰ τοῦτο ἐξ­ομολογήσομαί σοι ἐν X ἔθνεσιν, κύριε, καὶ τῷ ὀνόματί σου ψαλῶ,

50 διὰ τοῦτο ἐξ­ομολογήσομαί σοι, κύριε, ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν καὶ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί σου ψαλῶ,

50 Therefore will I confess to thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing to thy name.

50 Therefore will I give thanks to thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and will sing to thy name.

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

50 Therefore I respond to You, Yahweh, along with the nations, and I will make music about Your name.

נ עַל כֵּן אוֹדְךָ יְהוָה בַּגּוֹיִםAF וּלְשִׁמְךָ אֲזַמֵּרAG.

נ עַל כֵּן אוֹדְךָ בַגּוֹיִם יְהוָה וּלְשִׁמְךָ אֲזַמֵּרָה.

50 μεγαλύνων τὰς σωτηρίας τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτοῦ καὶ ποιῶν ἔλεος τῷ χριστῷ αὐτοῦ, τῷ Δαυιδ καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ ἕως αἰῶνος.

51 μεγαλύνων σωτηρίας βασιλέως αὐτοῦ καὶ ποιῶν ἔλεος τῷ χριστῷ αὐτοῦ, τῷ Δαυιδ καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ ἕως αἰῶνος.

51 He magnifies the salvationX of his king, and works mercy for his anoint­ed, even for David and for his seed for ever.

51 Giving great salva­tionX to his king, and shewing mercy to David his anointed, and to his seed for ever.

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

51 He causes to increase the victories of His king, and enacts loving-kindness toward His anointed one – to David and to his seed, until forever.

נא מַגְדִּילAH יְשׁוּעוֹת מַלְכּוֹ וְעֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד לִמְשִׁיחוֹ לְדָוִד וּלְזַרְעוֹ עַד עוֹלָם.

נא מַגְדִּלAI יְשׁוּעוֹת מַלְכּוֹ וְעֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד לִמְשִׁיחוֹ לְדָוִד וּלְזַרְעוֹ עַד עוֹלָם.



1cf. Goldman in the Soncino commentary on 2 Samuel: “...my people … the reference… must be… to that long war between the house of Saul and the house of David (iii. I) in the opening years of his rule.” (italics original) Keil & Delitzsch, on the other hand attributed it to later events in David’s reign, “the opposition of Ishbosheth and the rebellions of Absalom and Sheba,” but I think the first verse locates the time somewhat earlier than those later events.

214 {Now,} after whom are {you,} the King of Israel coming out? {And} what are you chasing after? After a dead dog {or} after one flea? 15 Yahweh therefore will become adjudicator, and he will judge between me and you, and He will see and contend for my case, and He will bring justice for me out of your hand." (NAW)

33 Then Absalom would say to him, "Look, there are good and straight-forward things about your case, but there is no one from the king who will give heed to you… Who will install me as a judge in the land, so that every man who has a dispute or an adjudication might come to me and I will make things right for him?!" (NAW)

4God also prophesied of the Messiah in Micah 7:17 that “...[Nations] will shake רגז out of their fortresses/borders ממסגרתיהם to Yahweh our God. They will be in dread פּחד and fear of Him.” NAW

5As evidence for the assertion that these are strong words, I offer that in most other instances, this Hebrew phrase is the introduction to an oath (“as the LORD lives”), although here there does not seem to be a corresponding oath-promise.

6For instance, Jepthah was one of the Judges who brought God’s “vengeance” against the Ammonites in Judges 11:36.

7“[H]e prophesieth of the passion, resurrection, ascension of Christ, of the reiection of the Iewes, and the calling of the Gentiles: as the Apostle, Rom. 15.9. alleadgeth the 49. vers. of this Psalme [18], I will praise thee among the nations, &c. to proue the vocation of the Gentiles” ~Andrew Willett

8The other instances in the O.T. of this word in the plural are Psalm 28:8; 42:5; 44:4; 74:12; 116:13.

9“Angels” from the album, Straight Ahead

10 e.g. Psalms 5:7; 6:4; 13:5; 17:7

11Tsumura, in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament, suggested that David was quoting in v.51 from Hannah’s song.

12K&D: “The king whose salvation the Lord had magnified, was not David as an individual, but ‘David and his seed for ever’ - that is to say, the royal family of David which culminated in Christ.”

AMy original chart includes the NASB, NIV, and ESV, but their copyright restrictions have forced me to remove them from the publicly-available edition of this chart. NAW is my translation. When a translation adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done so by the use of italics or greyed-out text, I put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is different from all the other translations, I underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text, I use strikeout. And when a version omits a word which is in the original text, I insert an X. I also place an X at the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English translation is singular. I occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between the various editions and versions when there are more than two different translations of a given word. The only known Dead Sea Scrolls containing 2 Samuel 22 are 4Q51 Samuela containing parts of verses 16-50 and dated between 50-25 BC. Where the DSS is legible and in agreement with the MT, the MT is colored purple. Where the DSS supports the LXX or Vulgate with omissions or text not in the MT, I have highlighted with yellow the LXX and its translation into English, and where I have accepted that into my NAW translation, I have marked it with {pointed brackets}.
In the parallel Greek and Hebrew readings from Psalm 18, I have colored orange the words which are spelled differently and colored grey the words which are not in the 2 Sam. text. In most cases, the orange words are synonyms for the words in the 2 Sam. 22 text. It is clear that the differences between them are not the result of accidental copy errors, but rather are a result of a purposeful editing process. Tsumura commented that in almost every case the Psalms edition uses standardized Hebrew spelling with full spellings of long vowel consonants, so it was written to be read, whereas the 2 Samuel edition would sound practically the same but was written to be heard. The 2 Sam. 22 text seems to be the earlier edition, and Ps. 18 the later edition.

BLit. “nape [of the neck]” In the first Biblical instance of this word (Gen. 49:8), it is in parallel with bowing down, which bends the neck and exposes the nape in submission to the superior person. I see no use of this word which demands the interpretation of turning one’s back in flight instead of bowing one’s neck, although the Biblical accounts seem to see the former leading inevitably to the latter, and thus some passages could be interpreted either way without harm. In favor of the interpretation of natan oreph as “bowing” would be the concept of a “stiff-necked” people (Ex. 32:9, 2 Chr. 36:13, etc.), who rebelliously refuse bend their neck in a submissive bow to God, not who refuse to run away. In 2 Chron. 29:6 the parallelism requires the interpretation of giving the neck as turning your back in rebellion, another view of the nape of the neck, but with a totally different meaning than that of admission of defeat and submission.

CSyriac & DSS follow the reading of Psalm 18, which puts the “and” before “my enemies” instead of before “I annihilated,” but it doesn’t change the meaning. It is curious, however, that the LXX changes the last verb to second person in both Psalm 18 and here. No Hebrew manuscripts or other ancient versions have been brought to my attention which read 2 sg, but even so, it does not create an actual contradiction in the Bible, since David attributes his victories both to God and to himself, such that both are true.

DThis spelling variant is just a matter of whether or not the first letter of the word should disappear due to its alphabetical “weakness,” not a matter of a different stem or tense.

Ecf. the MT of Psalm 18, where a single vowel change transforms the root from “look around for help” to “holler for help,” but both carry the same basic idea. However, since the LXX, Syriac, Targums, and Vulgate all read “holler” here, I suspect that the error lies in the Masoretic pointing which should have placed a qibbutz or qamets-hatuf under the shin rather than placing a shevah under it.

FThis “and” is not in the Vulgate; it was supplied for the English translation.

GVulgate, LXX, and Targums support the MT here, but Syriac and DSS follow the MT of Psalm 18 פְּנֵי רוּחַ “upon the face of the wind” (although the DSS פני ארח appears to be a misspelling “upon the face of the length”). Nevertheless, the differences in prepositions and object do not destroy the general idea.

HPs. 18 changes one letter to a very similar-looking letter to get, “I emptied them,” which doesn’t change the general idea of ignominy.

IThe DSS, Syriac, and LXX follow the MT of Ps. 18, rather than the MT of 2 Sam. 22, with only one verb instead of two here. The second verb in the MT of 2 Sam. 22 is a synonym, so no meaning is lost by omitting it, and omitting it would fix the bad grammar of there being no conjunction before it. None of the ancient versions or manuscripts contain a conjunction here, so all the English versions that kept both verbs had to add a conjunction to make the sentence make sense.

JSyriac and Vulgate follow the MT text of Psalm 18 which omits the initial “and/also,” but the conjunction is in the LXX, DSS, Targums, and MT of 2 Sam. 22.

KSyriac, Targums, and Lucian Rescription follow the MT of Psalm 18 with “the people,” but the consonantal Hebrew of 2 Sam. 22 can be read “my people” or “peoples of,” depending on vowel pointing. LXX and some rabbinical writings went with “peoples,” and Vulgate and MT went with “my people.” “My people” would differentiate foreign enemies from internal political rivals, but both types of adversaries seem to be indicated in the course of this psalm.

LSyriac adds a conjunction, but otherwise follows the MT of Psalm 18 (as does the Lucian Rescription) with “made/put” instead of “kept,” which is the MT of 2 Sam. 22 (followed by the LXX and Vulgate). One Targums tradition of 2 Sam. 22 reads “kept,” while another reads “put,” so that doesn’t help settle the matter, nor does consulting with the DSS, which is obliterated at this point. In Hebrew, the addition of one letter makes the difference.

MThe Hebrew grammar is unusual here. The word for “people/ethnic group” is singular עַם /λαον and comes in an emphatic position before the verb, yet the final verb is plural (“they serve”). I have attempted to solve that difficulty by interpreting the emphatic position as a parenthetical addition to the object of the previous construct, applying “head of” to both the goyim and to the am, so that both the foreign nations and the home people serve this king. (Keil & Delitzsch, on the other hand, explained it as an “indefinite… to signify foreign nations.”)

NDSS of 2 Sam. 22 and Syriac and MT of Psalm 18 switch the order of the first and second line of this verse. Enough is obliterated in the DSS that it is not discernible whether it was also following the MT spellings of Psalm 18 or of 2 Sam. 22. The DSS might or might not omit the first two words of the next verse, depending on how one interprets the spacing, seeing as most of the lines on that manuscript end at a place which would require omitting the first two words of the next verse in the MT. However, 5 lines previously in that DSS manuscript, an additional 12 letters and spaces appear after the place where most of the other lines end, so the possibility of those 7 extra letters at the beginning of the next verse being tacked on in the margin like they were in the DSS of v.38 cannot be ruled out in my mind, so I think the DSS is ambiguous on this point.

OThe Niphal Passive spelling is confusing, but without the vowel pointings added in the 900’s AD, the Qal Active would look exactly the same. It appears that the LXX interpreted this as a Qal long before the pointings were added, and the English versions also interpreted this as Qal despite the Masoretic pointings, so I’ll follow suit, but I’ll use a transitive form. I like Keil & Delitzsch’s translation, “Upon hearsay they obey me.”

P2 Sam. 22:45 renders this verb in Hitpael (reflexive action), whereas Psalm 18 renders it a Piel (intensive action), but this doesn’t essentially change meaning. K&D add, “In the primary passage (Deut. 33:29) the Niphal (passive action) is used to signify the dissembling of friendship, or of involuntary homage on the part of the vanquished towards the victor.”

QInstead of “they wilt and jump from their borders,” the DSS reads “they will not jump from their bonds.” The “lo” (לו-) at the end of the Hebrew verb for “they wilt” could sound like the Hebrew word for “not” (לא), although it would be spelled with a different vowel. The ancient versions (LXX, Syriac, Targums, Vulgate) and Ps. 18 all support the MT.

RDSS drops the gimmel to read ממסרותם (“bonds” from the root אסר), which isn’t too different in meaning from the root with the gimmel סגר (“boundary”); as a result it is hard to tell whether the ancient versions were following one or the other. (LXX sugkleion describes a city which is sealed shut to endure a siege. Syriac‎ שׁביליהון is translated “ways” by Lamsa. And Targums‎ מִבִירָניָתְהוֹן is translated “fortresses” in the CAL Aramaic Database.) The parallel passages in Ps. 18 and Micah 7:17 support the MT over the DSS here. Of the 17 occurrences of this word, English versions concur in 14 instances that it should be translated “rim/border.” This psalm and Micah 7:17 are the exception, but was an exception necessary? Why not picture foreigners voluntarily changing allegiance to the King rather than being chased down and forced to surrender?

SThe MT of Psalm 18 transposes two letters, turning the word into a hapex legomenon, which makes it suspect of a scribal error. The only other occurrence of any word in the Old Testament sharing that root with the transposed letters is the chargal, an edible locust mentioned in Lev. 11:22. Therefore, in Psalm 18, most translations reflect the meaning of the word as it is spelled in 2 Sam. 22. K&D, to the contrary, wrote that 2 Sam. 22 was a misspelling of the Psalm 18 spelling, but they didn’t know that the DSS would later be discovered to support the 2 Sam. 22 spelling. In the end, K&D came up with the similar meaning of “limping/trembling” out of the Psalm 18 spelling that others got out of the 2 Sam. 22 spelling, so the difference is not significant. Tsumura (NICOT) agreed with K&D that the 2 Sam. 22 spelling is a derivative (he called it a “metathesis”) of the Psalm 18 spelling (even though he earlier asserted that 2 Sam. 22 came first), but he further asserted that the 2 Sam. 22 spelling, “is from the verbal root *hrg ‘quake.’ Such metathesis often occurs when the verbal root includes the consonant /r/. Hence both forms are acceptable, and either could have existed in the original texts.”

TThis is an oath formula in most cases (cf. all instances of חַי יְהוָה in the OT: Jdg. 8:19; Ruth 3:13; 1 Sam. 14:39, 45; 19:6; 20:3, 21; 25:26, 34; 26:10, 16; 28:10; 29:6; 2 Sam. 4:9; 12:5; 14:11; 15:21; *; 1 Ki. 1:29; 2:24; 17:1, 12; 18:10, 15; 22:14; 2 Ki. 2:2, 4, 6; 3:14; 4:30; 5:16, 20; 2 Chr. 18:13; Ps. 18:47; Jer. 4:2; 12:16; 16:14-15; 23:7-8; 38:16; Hos. 4:15). K&D noted: “The Lord is living or alive when He manifests His life in acts of omnipotence.”

UThe Hebrew word tsur has to do with “narrowing” - either to put limitations upon the subject, or to put limitations on the subject’s enemies, the latter of which is in view. The LXX φύλαξ = “guard” is consistent with this meaning. But Vulgate (fortis), Targums (תְקוֹף), and Syriac (מחיל) all read “strength.”

VSyriac follows Psalm 18 in omitting this word here. The DSS is obliterated at the end, and, since lengths of the lines in the manuscript have some variance, its spacing could support either the presence or non-presence of the last tsur, so what we have of the DSS is ambiguous on this variant.

WCuriously, the LXX of Ps. 18 is a more-accurate translation of the MT of 2 Sam. 22 than the LXX of 2 Sam. 22 is! The addition of the word “strong” can be explained in terms of the LXX tradition of giving two translations of the same word when there is uncertainty as to its meaning. In this case, the Hebrew word could be interpreted as “strength” or as “the God,” although the latter fits better. This could also be explained in terms of a scribe interpreting the word he heard from the lector one way, not realizing that the other spelling was intended because both words sounded about the same. Either way, the meaning was not changed into something different or contradictory.

XCompare to v.30 “this God; His ways have integrity” and 32 “this God really equips me with resources and gives integrity to my way.”

YLXX reads “disciplining,” but DSS and Lucian Rescription read with the synonym ומרדד (“spread prostrate”), and Targums supports MT with‎ וְתָבַר “conquer,” as does Syriac‎ ושׁעבד (“brought down”).

ZThe dbr verb here in Ps. 18 more properly means “to speak words,” and is a different word than the Hebrew word in v.39 which some English versions translate “subdue.” Of the over 1,100 times that the verb davar appears in the O.T., English versions only translate it “subdue” in only two places, namely here and in Psalm 47:3.

AAThe Hebrew word for “anger” is spelled with the same two consonants as the Hebrew word for “moreover” in Psalm 18, so this confusion is understandable, but the text of 2 Sam. 22 is a conjunction synonymous with “moreover,” not a synonym for “anger,” so other versions were right to interpret it as a conjunction.

ABThe parallel in Psalm 18 reads “delivering me from” rather than “bringing me out from,” but the meaning is not significantly different.

ACOpen Scriptures Hebrew Bible Cantillation notes at https://hb.openscriptures.org/structure/OshbVerse/index.html?b=2Sam&c=22&v=49 indicate that there is a stronger phrase break here than between the next two phrases in this verse.

ADTWOT makes the point that hamas is only used of sinful violence and injustice. Here it is plural (a form only found elsewhere in Ps. 140:2 & 5 and in Prov. 4:17), indicating not merely an offender but a repeat offender, and the Hebrew (and Greek and Latin and Syriac) word for “man” is singular.

AEcf. v.17. DSS instead תצרני “you oppressed me,” a change of only one significant letter, an “r” for an “l” sound, which is a pretty common linguistic interchange, but which changes the meaning to be quite contrary to the meaning of the rest of the verse. All the ancient versions agree with the MT “you deliver me.”

AFTargums and Syriac read with the synonym‎ עממא (“peoples”). The Hebrew preposition does not specify whether “with the nations” or “among the nations” is intended. David’s role was not very apostolic, although he did spend some time living with Philistines and fighting other neighboring peoples. Solomon had much more of the role of praising God “among” the nations. In this verse, if David had meant to exclude the meaning “with,” he could have used the word btvk instead to more clearly indicate “among,” but since he didn’t, and since David was aware of God’s plan to bless all nations that they might all bless His name, I decided to translate the word “with” instead of “among,” notwithstanding the fact that every English version at my disposal translated it “among” (except for the NET, which oddly translated it “before,” which would normally be denoted by a different Hebrew preposition -ל). cf. also Rom. 15:9, which quotes this verse: “Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: "FOR THIS REASON I WILL CONFESS TO YOU AMONG THE GENTILES, AND SING TO YOUR NAME." (NKJV)

AGcf. Psalm 7:17 “I will respond to Yahweh according to His righteousness, and I will play music about the name of Yahweh the Most High.” 9:1-3 “I will respond to Yahweh with all my heart; I will recount all of Your wonders. I will be happy and exuberant in You. I will play music about Your preeminent Name while my enemies turn back. They will stumble and perish before Your face” 9:11Play music for Yahweh (the One who inhabits Zion). Declare among the peoples His exploits…” 27:6 “And now my head will be lifted up over my enemies around me, and I will sacrifice there at His tent sacrifices of applause. I will sing there and I will play music there to Yahweh!” 33:2 “Y'all, respond to Yahweh with a guitar; with a ten-string harp make music to Him!” (NAW) 57:9 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.” 66:4 “All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name.” (KJV) And many others.

AHQere reads מִגְדּוֹל “tower” instead of “making great.” King James, NKJV, AJV, and NASB go with “Tower,” but the ASV, RV, NIV, ESV, NLT, NET, CEV, as well as all the ancient versions (Syriac, Vulgate, Septuagint, Targums), and Psalm 18 read “great/increasing.” K&D asserted that “tower… is a singular conjecture.” Towers were not a part of David’s story, and “tower” is not among the war-metaphors for God listed at the opening of this psalm, but the ending of the Psalm does list God’s actions, so “making great” makes sense literarily (although the metaphor “rock” does occur a few verses previous). The Hebrew Grace Prayer Book has two copies of this prayer, one with “tower,” and the other with “great.”

AIThe qere marginal notes in the Masoretic Hebrew text of Psalm 18:51 suggest adding a yod to conform with the spelling of this Psalm’s counterpart in 2 Sam 22:51 – the only other place in the O.T. where this spelling occurs, shifting the meaning from the noun “tower” to the participle “making great.” This consonantal spelling of the keteb is found in Psalm 61:3 “For You have been a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy,” the only other place in the O.T. where that spelling occurs.

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