2 Samuel 23:1-7 – David’s Last Words

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church of Manhattan, KS, 22 Jan 2023

Introduction

v.1 The human agent of these last words is identified

    1. “David, son of Jesse.” Practically every instance of the phrase “son of Jesse” in the Bible is other people scoffing at David3, perhaps saying that David was just a boy – not recognized as a man in his own right, and therefore called by his father’s name, but here, David owns his lowly beginning (as well as the importance of his father in shaping his identity),

    2. then he testifies that he has risen beyond immaturity and obscurity to be a gebur – a mighty-man, a hero who has been “raised up” to the “heights” of favor with God and man.

    3. This culminated in his being “anointed” by God to be king over the nation of Israel (Jacob’s descendants). His vocation was to be a king,

    4. and then he adds one last thing about his role in the nation’s music.

v.2 The Divine author of these words is revealed

vs. 3-4 The Divine Oracle

v.5 God’s Provision of Salvation Through His Eternal Covenant

v.6-7 Final warning concerning those will not accept the terms of God’s gracious eternal covenant.

CONCLUSION

2 Samuel 23:1-7 Side-by side comparison of versionsA

Greek OT

Brenton

DRB

KJV

NAW

MT

1 Καὶ οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι Δαυιδ οἱ ἔσχατοι Πιστὸς Δαυιδ υἱὸς Ιεσσαι, καὶ πιστὸς ἀνήρ, ὃν ἀνέστησεν [κύριος] ἐπὶ χριστὸν θεοῦ Ιακωβ, καὶ εὐπρεπεῖς ψαλμοὶ Ισραηλ.

1 And these are the last words of David. Faith­ful is David the son of Jessae, and faithful the man whom [the Lord] raised up to be the anoint­ed of the God of Jacob, and beautiful are the psalms of Israel.

1 Now these are David's last words. David the son of Isai said: X The man [to whom] it was appointed concerning the Christ of the God of Jacob, X the excellent psalmistX of Israel said:

1 Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmistX of Israel, said,

1 Now, these are the last words of David: the utterance of David, the son of Jesse, even the utterance of the mighty-man set up high, the anointed of the God of Jacob and the pleasant things of the music of Israel.

(א) וְאֵלֶּה דִּבְרֵי דָוִד הָאַחֲרֹנִיםB נְאֻם דָּוִד בֶּן יִשַׁי וּנְאֻםC הַגֶּבֶר הֻקַם עָלD מְשִׁיחַ אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב וּנְעִים זְמִרוֹתE יִשְׂרָאֵל.

2 πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐλάλη­σεν ἐν ἐμοί, καὶ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ γλώσσης μου·

2 The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and his word was upon my tongue.

2 The spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me and his word by my tongue.

2 The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.

2 The Spirit of Yahweh spoke through me, and His message was upon my tongue.

(ב) רוּחַ יְהוָה דִּבֶּר בִּי וּמִלָּתוֹF עַל לְשׁוֹנִי.

3 Xλέγει ὁ θεὸς ΙσραηλG, ἐμοὶ ἐλάλησεν φύλαξ Ισραηλ Παραβολὴν [εἰπόν] Ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ πῶς κραταιώσητε φόβον θεοῦ;

3 The God of Israel says, A watchman [outH] of Israel spoke to me a parable: [I said] among men, How will ye strengthen the fear of the anointedI?

3 The God of Israel said to me[,] the strongJ one of Israel spoke, the ruler of men, the justK ruler in the fear of God.

3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

3 The God of Israel has spoken. To me the landmark-rock of Israel said, “A ruler among mankind is righteous when he is ruling {in} the fear of God,

(ג) אָמַר אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לִי דִבֶּר צוּר יִשְׂרָאֵל מוֹשֵׁל בָּאָדָם צַדִּיק מוֹשֵׁלL Mיִרְאַת אֱלֹהִים.

4 καὶ ἐν [θεῷ] φωτὶ πρωίας ἀνατείλαι ἥλιος, τὸ πρωὶ οὐ παρῆλθεν ἐκ φέγγους [καὶ ὡς] ἐξ ὑετοῦ χλόης ἀπὸ γῆς.

4 And in the morning light [of God], let the sun arise [in the] morning, from the light of which [the LordN] passed on, [and as it were] from the rain of the tender grass upon the earth.

4 X As the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, shineth [in the] morning without clouds, [and as] the grass [springeth] out of the earth by rain.

4 And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning with­out clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.

4 and the sun will rise like the light of morning – a morning without fog, {like} grass from the ground glistening from rain.”

(ד) וּכְאוֹרO בֹּקֶר יִזְרַח שָׁמֶשׁP בֹּקֶר לֹא עָבוֹת מִנֹּגַהּ מִמָּטָרQ דֶּשֶׁא מֵאָרֶץR.

5 οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ὁ οἶκός μου μετὰ ἰσχυροῦ; διαθήκην γὰρ αἰώνιον ἔθετό μοι, ἑτοίμην ἐν παντὶ [καιρῷ], X πεφυλαγ­μένην, ὅτι πᾶσα σωτηρία μου καὶ πᾶν θέλημα, ὅτι οὐ μὴ βλαστήσῃ

5 For my house is not so with the Mighty One: for he has made an ever­lasting covenant with me, ready, X guarded at every [time]; for all my salvation and all [my] desire is, that [the wicked] should not flourish.

5 Neither is my house so [great] with God, that he should make with me an eternal coven­ant, firm in all things and assured. For [he is] all my salva­tion, and all [my] will: neither [is there ought thereof] that springeth not up.

5 Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salva­tion, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.

5 Since it was not so in my house with God, then it was an eternal covenant that He put in place for me – organized in every way and preserved, for is there any salvation for me or any delight, that He will not make sprout up?

(ה) כִּי לֹא כֵן בֵּיתִי עִם אֵל כִּי בְרִית עוֹלָם שָׂם לִי עֲרוּכָה בַכֹּל וּשְׁמֻרָה כִּי כָל יִשְׁעִי וְכָל חֵפֶץS כִּיT לֹא יַצְמִיחַ.

X ὁ παράνομος. 6 ὥσπερ ἄκανθα ἐξωσμένη πάντες αὐτοί, ὅτι οὐ χειρὶ λημφθήσονται,

6 X X All these are as a thorn thrust forth, for they shall not be taken with the hand,

6 But transgres­sors shall all of them be plucked up as thorn[s]: X which are not taken away with hand[s].

6 But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorn [s] thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hand[s]:

6 The ungodly, however, is like a thorn-plant: all of them are cast-away, because that’s not what folks take in hand,

(ו) וּבְלִיַּעַל כְּקוֹץU מֻנָד כֻּלָּהַם כִּי לֹא בְיָד יִקָּחוּV.

7 καὶ ἀνὴρ [οὐ] κοπιάσειW ἐν αὐτοῖς, [καὶ] πλῆρες σιδήρου καὶ ξύλον δόρατος, καὶ ἐν πυρὶ καύσει καυθήσονται αἰσχύνῃX [αὐτῶν].

7 and a man shall [not] labour among them; [and] one shall [have that which] is fully [armed with] iron, and the staff of a spear, and he shall burn them with fire, [andY] they shall be burnt in their shame.

7 And [if] a man will touch X them, he must be armed with iron and with the staff of a lance: but they shall be set on fire [and] burnt to nothing.

7 But the man that shall touch X them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.

7 and should a person come into contact with them, he should be equipped with steel on a wooden pole, and they will surely be burned in the fire at their destination.

(ז) וְאִישׁ יִגַּע בָּהֶם יִמָּלֵא בַרְזֶל וְעֵץ חֲנִיתZ וּבָאֵשׁ שָׂרוֹף יִשָּׂרְפוּ בַּשָּׁבֶתAA.


1“I rather thinke with Iunius, that these were the last solemne words which Dauid vttered, after he had charged his sonne Salomon, and commended him vnto God, by that prayer Psalm 72.” ~Andrew Willett, 1611 A.D.
“We have there the last will and testament of King David, or a codicil annexed to it, after he had settled the crown upon Solomon…” ~Matthew Henry, 1714 A.D.
“...the last after he had finished the book of Psalms…” ~John Gill, 1766 A.D.
“a prophetic declaration uttered by David at the close of his life and by divine inspiration, concerning the true King of the kingdom of God” ~Keil & Delitzsch, 1891 A.D.
“the last Psalm which he composed” ~S. Goldman (Soncino), 1949 A.D.

2These quotes are from https://www.boredpanda.com/famous-last-words accessed 21 Jan 2023.

31 Sam.16:18; 20:27; 20:30-31; 22:7-13; 25:10; 2 Sam. 20:1

4In the Soncino commentary, Goldman noted “many modern scholars prefer to render as ‘the darling of the songs of Israel’ i.e. the favorite subject of popular songs and poems.” This works well except that the Hebrew word is plural.

5“God the Father, and God the Sonne, who is v. 3. called the rock of Israel [and the word of God ~NAW], spake vnto Dauid by the holy Ghost: here then is an euident demonstration of the Trinitie...” ~Willett

6Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me, because Yahweh has anointed me to evangelize lowly ones. He has sent me to bind up those who are broken of heart, for the calling out of liberty to the captives, and opening of the eyes for those which have been bound, 2 for the calling out of a year of acceptance for Yahweh…” (NAW)

7Concerning some of the points I have not elucidated, Matthew Henry expounds: “It is herein ‘well ordered,’ that whatever is required in the covenant is promised, and that every transgression in the covenant does not throw us out of covenant, and that it puts our salvation, not in our own keeping, but in the keeping of a Mediator... the promised mercies are sure on the performance of the conditions. The particular application of it to true believers is sure; it is sure to all the seed….” John Gill added: “...it stands upon a sure basis, the unchangeable will and favour of God, and is in the hands of Christ, the same today, yesterday, and for ever…” also Keil & Delitzsch: “all eventualities were foreseen, even the falling away of the bearers of the covenant of God, so that such an event as this would not annul the covenant (2Sam. 7:14-15),” and Driver (quoted by Tsumura), “probably from legal terminology… terms are fully and duly set forth… secured by proper precautions against surreptitious alteration or injury.”

8There are only two verbs in this verse, “He set in place,” and “He will not cause to sprout.” Any other verbs in English translations of this verse are added.

9Although interrogatives exist in the Hebrew language, there are no interrogatives in the Hebrew text of this verse, so if you see a question mark in an English translation of this verse, it is an interpretation. Keil & Delitzsch advocated for this, “The first and last clauses of this verse can only be made to yield a meaning in harmony with the context, by being taken interrogatively… [albeit this] is only indicated by the tone…” The Jewish AJV and Soncino commentary, as well as the New International Commentary on the Old Testament also supported the interrogative interpretation.

10Matthew Henry, John Gill, and Robert Jamieson concurred. On the other hand, the old Geneva Version and Andrew Willet (citing Borrhais in support) took it in a different direction: “For so shall not mine house be with God… mine health and... whole desire is, that he will not make it growe so. ” – not clouded over or stormy.

11So Gill. Alternately, in the case of the LXX, Targums, and Borrhaius, a wish that the godless would not flourish, making the first word of v.6 the last word of v.5, or, in the case of Osiander and Willett, David resigning himself to the fact that he would not get to see the Messiah in his lifetime.

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. There are three known Dead Sea Scrolls containing 2 Samuel 23: 4Q51 Samuela (containing parts of verses 1-6, 14-16, 21-22, 38-39 and dated between 50-25 BC), 1Q7 (containing vs. 9-12 and dated c. 150BC), and 11Q5 Psalms (containing part of v.7 and dated 30-50 AD). 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}.

BTargums add that this is a “prophecy” by David about the last “days.”

CDespite the Old Latin and Greek “faithful” (reading נאם as אמן – moving the nun from the beginning to the end of the word), the Vulgate, Targums, and Syriac support the MT with forms of “saying.” Cf. the “utterance” of Balaam similarly-formatted in Numbers 24.

DTargums reads “the man anointed as king לְמַלכֻו, anointed [by the words] of God…”
DSS reads “...the man God אל established, anointed of the God…”
Vulgate reads, “...man [to whom] it was appointed concerning [על] the Christ of the God...”
Syriac reads “…man whose ruleנירא has been established, anointed of God…” and
LXX: “…man whom the Lord [יה] caused to raise up upon [על] anointing of God…” (apparently incorporating both the DSS textual tradition and the MT textual tradition, as was typically done when there was a disputed word. However, if the LXX were looking at the same word as the DSS, they would have made the first translation θεος instead of κυριος, so they weren’t looking at the DSS text.) Another difficulty with the reading which makes ‘el the subject of the verb “established/raised up” is that, in the MT, this verb is spelled in the Hophal stem, which is passive, not active, so if “God” is the subject, then it has to be rendered “God was established/raised up,” and that is nonsensical. (In the DSS, the verb is spelled as a Hiphal Infinitive, which would make sense as “the man God caused to raise up.” LXX, while not rendering this verb as infinitive, nevertheless could be a translation of a Hiphal Infinitive, but not a Hophal Perfect.)
According to https://hb.openscriptures.org/structure/OshbVerse/index.html?b=2Sam&c=23&v=1, there is a strong disjunction between this word “upon/God” and the next word “anointed/messiah.”
The English translation “high” was supported by every English commentary I read.

EMizmor (“psalm”) has the same ZMR root as this word, but this is a different word having to do with instrumental music, and it only occurs in 5 other places: Job 35:10; Psalms 95:2; 119:54; Canticles 2:12; Isaiah 24:16, none of which do any English version translate as “psalmist.” The previous word “sweet/pleasant/enjoyable” only occurs a dozen other places, characterized by:
Psalm 16:11 “You will cause me to know the path of life; fullness of happinesses is with Your presence; endless pleasures are in Your right hand!” (NAW)
Psalm 81:2 “...The pleasant harp with the lute…
Psalm 133:1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!”
Psalm 135:3 “...Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant.”
Canticles 1:16 “Behold, you are handsome, my beloved! Yes, pleasant! ...” (NKJV)

FOutside of this instance in the Bible, there are 34 instances in Job, then Psalm 19:5 “their messages have gone out to the end of the world,” Psalm 139:4 “before there is a message on my tongue, O Lord you know it,” and Prov. 23:9 “fool… will despise the wisdom of your message.”

GGreek Lucian Rescription reads Iakwb, en..., which isn’t essentially different, since “Israel” was another name for “Jacob,” and the dative case can mean the same as the preposition en.

HVaticanus adds εξ (“out of”), but that preposition is not in Rahlfs’ edition of the LXX.

ILXX reads θεου (“of God” agreeing with the MT), but Vaticanus reads χριστου (“of the anointed one”).

JTargums and Syriac concur with Vulgate with ‎ תַקִיפָא (“strong”).

KThe pointing of the MT does not support “righteous” being an adjective describing the second “ruler.”
cf. https://hb.openscriptures.org/structure/OshbVerse/index.html?b=2Sam&c=23&v=3

L“The ruler over men whom David sees in spirit, is... the Messiah himself, the righteous Shoot whom the Lord would raise up to David (Jer. 23:5), and who would execute righteousness and judgment upon earth (Jer. 33:15).” ~K&D

MMultiple Hebrew manuscripts insert the preposition “in” -, followed by Syriac, Targums, Old Latin, Vulgate (in), and Greek Lucian Rescription (εν). LXX seems to be the outlier reading. Yarat elohim only occurs two other places in the O.T.: Genesis 20:11 & Nehemiah 5:15.

NVaticanus added a circumflex accent to ου, turning the correct meaning (“not”) into a relative pronoun (“of whom”), then it also added “the Lord;” which is not in the standard LXX. The next word in the LXX appears to be reading the Hebrew עבות (“thick/cloud”) as though it were עבר (“passing on”).

OThe “and” is missing in the Old Latin, Vulgate, Syriac, and Greek Lucian Rescription, but is there in the LXX. DSS is obliterated, so it can’t help decide.

PAccording to https://hb.openscriptures.org/structure/OshbVerse/index.html?b=2Sam&c=23&v=4, there is a strong disjunctive accent here, forcing “sun” to be the subject of “rise,” and not allowing “morning” to be in construct with “sun.”

QDSS, old Latin, Vulgate, & LXX all add “like,” and Syriac, LXX, & Vulgate add “and.”

RK&D commented: “...rain is not to be expected when the sun has risen with a cloudless sky. The rays of the sun, as it rises after a night of rain, strengthen the fresh green of the plants.”

SDespite the addition of “my” to “desire” in all the standard English versions, it is not in the MT, the LXX, or Vulgate. It is, however, in the Syriac and Targums. “כָּל־חֵפֶץ, not ‘all my desire,’ but ‘all the good pleasure’ of God, i.e., all the saving counsel of God expressed in that covenant.” ~K&D

TThe disjunctive pointing here is not as strong as it is before the three previous ki’s in this verse.
(https://hb.openscriptures.org/structure/OshbVerse/index.html?b=2Sam&c=23&v=5) The ki is missing in the Syriac and a few Hebrew manuscripts.

U“They are like thorns, not to be touched with hands, so passionate and furious that they cannot be managed or dealt with by a wise and faithful reproof, but must be restrained by law and the sword of justice (Ps. 32:9).” ~Matt. Henry

VThe verb is Qal imperfect 3rd plural with an indefinite subject, “they take.” The “thorn” above is singular, and it is the understood object, not the subject.

WLXX translates as though the root of this word was יגע (“labor/do hard work with”), whereas all the other versions (Vulgate, Syriac, Targums, English) translate as though the root of this word is נגע (“come into contact with”), with the first letter dropped out, since it is a weak letter in a weak position. But really either translation works.

XLXX seems to be reading the Hebrew word בּשׁת (“shame”), whereas the MT is בַּשָּׁבֶת (see W for meaning).

YRahlf’s edition of the LXX does not include this “and,” and therefore matches the MT, unlike the Vaticanus which inserted an “and” here which breaks the one emphatic verb into two clauses.

Z“refers merismatically to the whole of a spear” ~Tsumura (NICOT). In DSS 11Q5 Psalmsa, where this verse is inserted after Psalm 150, this word is spelled with two extra characters חיצנית (“outdoors”?) instead of “spear.”

AAOf all the other instances of this word in the Hebrew O.T., some are related to “sitting/dwelling/residing” (Num. 21:15, 1 Ki. 10:19; 2 Chr. 9:18; Amos 6:3; Obad. 1:3; Lam. 3:63), and some are translated “stop/cease/do-nothing” Exod. 21:19; Isa. 30:7; Prov. 20:3. I tried to translate with an English word that included both concepts: “destination.”

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