Comparison of 2Sa 22 and Ps 18
Version Date: January 29, 2023
(Ps 18:1) למנצח לעבד יהוה לדוד אשר דבר ליהוה ...
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(2Sa 22:1) וידבר דוד ליהוה ...
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(2Sa 22:1) ... את דברי השירה הזאת ביום הציל יהוה ... 1
| (Ps 18:1) ... את דברי השירה הזאת ביום הציל יהוה ... 1
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(2Sa 22:1) ... מכף כל איביו ...
| (Ps 18:1) ... מכף כל איביו ...
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(2Sa 22:1) ... ומכף ... 2 | (Ps 18:1) ... ומיד ... 2 |
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| (Ps 18:1) (18:2) ... ויאמר ...
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(Ps 18:1) (18:2) ... ארחמך יהוה חזקי 3 | |
| (Ps 18:2) (18:3) יהוה סלעי ...
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(2Sa 22:2) ... ומצדתי ... 4 | (Ps 18:2) (18:3) ... ומצודתי ... 4
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| (Ps 18:2) (18:3) ... ומפלטי ...
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(2Sa 22:3) אלהי ... 4
| (Ps 18:2) (18:3) ... אלי ... 4
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(2Sa 22:3) ... צורי אחסה בו מגני וקרן ישעי משגבי ...
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| (Ps 18:3) (18:4) מהלל אקרא יהוה ...
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(2Sa 22:4) ... ומאיבי ... 5 | (Ps 18:3) (18:4) ... ומן איבי ... 5
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(2Sa 22:5) כי אפפני משברי מות ...
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(Ps 18:4) (18:5) אפפוני חבלי מות ...
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| (Ps 18:4) (18:5) ... ונחלי בליעל ...
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| (Ps 18:5) (18:6) חבלי שאול ...
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| (Ps 18:5) (18:6) ... סבבוני ...
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| (Ps 18:5) (18:6) ... קדמוני ...
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| (Ps 18:5) (18:6) ... מוקשי ...
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(2Sa 22:7) בצר לי אקרא יהוה ואל אלהי ...
| (Ps 18:6) (18:7) בצר לי אקרא יהוה ואל אלהי ...
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(2Sa 22:7) ... וישמע מהיכלו קולי ושועתי ...
| (Ps 18:6) (18:7) ... ישמע מהיכלו קולי ושועתי ...
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(Ps 18:6) (18:7) ... לפניו תבוא ...
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(2Sa 22:8) ותגעש ותרעש הארץ ...
| (Ps 18:7) (18:8) ותגעש ותרעש הארץ ...
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(2Sa 22:8) ... מוסדות השמים ... 6 | |
(Ps 18:7) (18:8) ... ומוסדי הרים ... 6
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(2Sa 22:9) עלה עשן באפו ואש מפיו תאכל גחלים בערו ממנו 7 | (Ps 18:8) (18:9) עלה עשן באפו ואש מפיו תאכל גחלים בערו ממנו 7
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(2Sa 22:11) וירכב על כרוב ויעף ...
| (Ps 18:10) (18:11) וירכב על כרוב ויעף ...
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(Ps 18:10) (18:11) ... וידא ...
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(2Sa 22:12) וישת ... 8 | (Ps 18:11) (18:12) ישת ... 8
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| (Ps 18:11) (18:12) ... חשך ...
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(Ps 18:11) (18:12) ... סתרו ...
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| (Ps 18:11) (18:12) ... סביבותיו ...
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| (Ps 18:11) (18:12) ... סכתו ...
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(Ps 18:11) (18:12) ... חשכת מים ...
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| (Ps 18:12) (18:13) מנגה נגדו ...
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(2Sa 22:13) ... בערו גחלי אש ... 9 | |
(Ps 18:12) (18:13) ... עביו עברו ברד וגחלי אש 9
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| (Ps 18:13) (18:14) ... בשמים ...
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(2Sa 22:14) ... יהוה ועליון יתן ...
| (Ps 18:13) (18:14) ... יהוה ועליון יתן ...
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(2Sa 22:14) ... קולו 10 | (Ps 18:13) (18:14) ... קלו ... 10
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(2Sa 22:15) ... חצים ... 11 | (Ps 18:14) (18:15) ... חציו ... 11
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| (Ps 18:14) (18:15) ... ויפיצם ...
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| (Ps 18:14) (18:15) ... וברקים ...
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(2Sa 22:16) ויראו ... 12 | (Ps 18:15) (18:16) ויראו ... 12
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| (Ps 18:15) (18:16) ... אפיקי ...
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| (Ps 18:15) (18:16) ... מים ...
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| (Ps 18:15) (18:16) ... ויגלו ...
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| (Ps 18:15) (18:16) ... מוסדות ...
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| (Ps 18:15) (18:16) ... תבל ...
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| (Ps 18:15) (18:16) ... מגערתך ...
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(2Sa 22:16) ... יהוה מנשמת רוח ...
| (Ps 18:15) (18:16) ... יהוה מנשמת רוח ...
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(2Sa 22:17) ישלח ממרום יקחני ימשני ממים רבים 7
| (Ps 18:16) (18:17) ישלח ממרום יקחני ימשני ממים רבים 7
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(2Sa 22:18) יצילני מאיבי עז ...
| (Ps 18:17) (18:18) יצילני מאיבי עז ...
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(2Sa 22:18) ... משנאי ... 13 | (Ps 18:17) (18:18) ... ומשנאי ... 13
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(2Sa 22:19) יקדמני ... 14 | (Ps 18:18) (18:19) יקדמוני ... 14
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(2Sa 22:19) ... ביום אידי ויהי יהוה ...
| (Ps 18:18) (18:19) ... ביום אידי ויהי יהוה ...
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| (Ps 18:18) (18:19) ... למשען ...
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(2Sa 22:20) ויצא ... 15 | (Ps 18:19) (18:20) ויוציאני ... 15
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| (Ps 18:19) (18:20) ... למרחב ...
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| (Ps 18:20) (18:21) יגמלני יהוה ...
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(2Sa 22:21) ... כצדקתי ... 16 | (Ps 18:20) (18:21) ... כצדקי ... 16
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(2Sa 22:22) כי שמרתי דרכי יהוה ולא רשעתי מאלהי 7
| (Ps 18:21) (18:22) כי שמרתי דרכי יהוה ולא רשעתי מאלהי 7
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(2Sa 22:23) ... משפטו ... 17 | (Ps 18:22) (18:23) ... משפטיו ... 17
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(2Sa 22:23) ... לנגדי וחקתיו ...
| (Ps 18:22) (18:23) ... לנגדי וחקתיו ...
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(2Sa 22:23) ... לא אסור ממנה ... 17
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(Ps 18:22) (18:23) ... לא אסיר מני ... 17
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(2Sa 22:24) ואהיה ... 18 | (Ps 18:23) (18:24) ואהי ... 18
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| (Ps 18:23) (18:24) ... תמים ...
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| (Ps 18:23) (18:24) ... עמו ...
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(2Sa 22:24) ... ואשתמרה ... 18
| (Ps 18:23) (18:24) ... ואשתמר ... 18
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| (Ps 18:24) (18:25) וישב יהוה לי ...
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(2Sa 22:25) ... כצדקתי ... 19 | (Ps 18:24) (18:25) ... כצדקי ... 19
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(2Sa 22:25) ... כברי ... 20 | (Ps 18:24) (18:25) ... כבר ידי ... 20
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(2Sa 22:26) עם חסיד תתחסד עם ...
| (Ps 18:25) (18:26) עם חסיד תתחסד עם ...
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| (Ps 18:25) (18:26) ... גבר ...
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(2Sa 22:27) עם נבר ... 21 | (Ps 18:26) (18:27) עם נבר ... 21
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| (Ps 18:26) (18:27) ... תתברר ...
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| (Ps 18:26) (18:27) ... ועם עקש ...
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| (Ps 18:27) (18:28) ... אתה ...
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(2Sa 22:28) ... עם עני תושיע ...
| (Ps 18:27) (18:28) ... עם עני תושיע ...
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(2Sa 22:28) ... ועיניך על רמים תשפיל 22 | |
(Ps 18:27) (18:28) ... ועינים רמות תשפיל 22
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(Ps 18:28) (18:29) כי אתה תאיר נרי יהוה ... 23 | |
(2Sa 22:29) כי אתה נירי יהוה ... 23
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(Ps 18:28) (18:29) ... אלהי ...
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(2Sa 22:30) ... בכה ... 24 | (Ps 18:29) (18:30) ... בך ... 24
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| (Ps 18:29) (18:30) ... ארץ ...
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| (Ps 18:29) (18:30) ... גדוד ...
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| (Ps 18:29) (18:30) ... ובאלהי ...
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(2Sa 22:31) האל תמים דרכו אמרת יהוה צרופה מגן הוא לכל החסים בו 7
| (Ps 18:30) (18:31) האל תמים דרכו אמרת יהוה צרופה מגן הוא לכל החסים בו 7
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(2Sa 22:32) ... אל ... 25 | (Ps 18:31) (18:32) ... אלוה ... 25
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(2Sa 22:32) ... מבלעדי יהוה ומי צור ...
| (Ps 18:31) (18:32) ... מבלעדי יהוה ומי צור ...
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(2Sa 22:32) ... מבלעדי ... 26 | (Ps 18:31) (18:32) ... זולתי ... 26
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(2Sa 22:33) האל מעוזי חיל ... 27 | |
(Ps 18:32) (18:33) האל המאזרני חיל ... 27
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(2Sa 22:33) ... ויתר תמים דרכו 27
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(Ps 18:32) (18:33) ... ויתן תמים דרכי 27
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(2Sa 22:34) ... רגליו ... 28 | |
(Ps 18:33) (18:34) ... רגלי ... 28
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(2Sa 22:34) ... כאילות ועל במתי ...
| (Ps 18:33) (18:34) ... כאילות ועל במתי ...
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(2Sa 22:34) ... יעמדני 29 | (Ps 18:33) (18:34) ... יעמידני 29 |
(2Sa 22:35) מלמד ידי למלחמה ...
| (Ps 18:34) (18:35) מלמד ידי למלחמה ...
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(2Sa 22:35) ... ונחת ... 30 | (Ps 18:34) (18:35) ... ונחתה ... 30
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| (Ps 18:34) (18:35) ... קשת נחושה ...
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(2Sa 22:35) ... זרעתי 30
| (Ps 18:34) (18:35) ... זרועתי 30
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(2Sa 22:36) ותתן לי מגן ישעך ...
| (Ps 18:35) (18:36) ותתן לי מגן ישעך ...
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(Ps 18:35) (18:36) ... וימינך תסעדני ... 31 | |
(2Sa 22:36) ... וענתך ... 32 | (Ps 18:35) (18:36) ... וענותך ...
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| (Ps 18:36) (18:37) תרחיב צעדי ...
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(2Sa 22:37) ... תחתני ... 33 | (Ps 18:36) (18:37) ... תחתי ... 33
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(2Sa 22:38) ארדפה ... 34 | (Ps 18:37) (18:38) ארדוף ... 34
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| (Ps 18:37) (18:38) ... אויבי ...
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(Ps 18:37) (18:38) ... ואשיגם ...
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(2Sa 22:39) ... ואמחצם ... 35 | (Ps 18:38) (18:39) אמחצם ... 35
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(2Sa 22:39) ... ולא יקומון ...
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(Ps 18:38) (18:39) ... ולא יכלו קום ...
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(2Sa 22:39) ... ויפלו ... 35
| (Ps 18:38) (18:39) ... יפלו ... 35 |
(2Sa 22:40) ותזרני ... 36 | (Ps 18:39) (18:40) ותאזרני ... 36
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(2Sa 22:40) ... חיל למלחמה תכריע קמי ...
| (Ps 18:39) (18:40) ... חיל למלחמה תכריע קמי ...
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(Ps 18:40) (18:41) ... נתתה לי ערף ... 37 | |
(2Sa 22:41) ... תתה לי ערף משנאי ... 37
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(2Sa 22:42) ישעו ... 38 | (Ps 18:41) (18:42) ישועו ... 38
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| (Ps 18:41) (18:42) ... ואין ...
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| (Ps 18:41) (18:42) ... מושיע ...
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(2Sa 22:42) ... אל ... 39 | (Ps 18:41) (18:42) ... על ... 39
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(2Sa 22:43) ואשחקם כעפר ... 40 | (Ps 18:42) (18:43) ואשחקם כעפר ... 40
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(Ps 18:42) (18:43) ... על פני רוח ...
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(2Sa 22:43) ... כטיט חוצות ...
| (Ps 18:42) (18:43) ... כטיט חוצות ...
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(2Sa 22:43) ... אדקם ... 40
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(Ps 18:42) (18:43) ... אריקם 40
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(2Sa 22:44) ותפלטני ... 41 | (Ps 18:43) (18:44) תפלטני ... 41
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| (Ps 18:43) (18:44) ... מריבי ...
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(Ps 18:43) (18:44) ... תשימני ...
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(2Sa 22:44) ... לראש גוים עם לא ידעתי ...
| (Ps 18:43) (18:44) ... לראש גוים עם לא ידעתי ...
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(2Sa 22:45) בני נכר יתכחשו לי לשמוע אזן ישמעו לי 42 | (Ps 18:44) (18:45) לשמע אזן ישמעו לי בני נכר יכחשו לי 42
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| (Ps 18:45) (18:46) בני נכר יבלו ...
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(2Sa 22:46) ... ויחגרו ... 43 | (Ps 18:45) (18:46) ... ויחרגו ... 43
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(2Sa 22:47) חי יהוה וברוך צורי ...
| (Ps 18:46) (18:47) חי יהוה וברוך צורי ...
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(2Sa 22:47) ... וירם ... 44 | (Ps 18:46) (18:47) ... וירום ... 44
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| (Ps 18:46) (18:47) ... אלוהי ...
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(2Sa 22:48) האל ... 45 | (Ps 18:47) (18:48) האל ... 45
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| (Ps 18:47) (18:48) ... הנותן ...
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| (Ps 18:47) (18:48) ... נקמות ...
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(Ps 18:47) (18:48) ... וידבר ... 46
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(2Sa 22:48) ... ומריד ... 46 | |
| (Ps 18:47) (18:48) ... עמים ...
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(2Sa 22:48) ... תחתני 45
| (Ps 18:47) (18:48) ... תחתי 45
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(Ps 18:48) (18:49) מפלטי ... 47
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(2Sa 22:49) ומוציאי ... 47 | |
| (Ps 18:48) (18:49) ... מאיבי ...
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(2Sa 22:49) ... ומקמי ... 48 | (Ps 18:48) (18:49) ... אף מן קמי ... 48
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(2Sa 22:49) ... תרוממני מאיש ...
| (Ps 18:48) (18:49) ... תרוממני מאיש ...
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(2Sa 22:49) ... חמסים ... 49 | (Ps 18:48) (18:49) ... חמס ... 49
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| (Ps 18:49) (18:50) על כן אודך ...
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(2Sa 22:50) ... יהוה בגוים ... 50 | (Ps 18:49) (18:50) ... בגוים יהוה ... 50
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| (Ps 18:49) (18:50) ... ולשמך ...
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(2Sa 22:51) מגדיל ... 51 | (Ps 18:50) (18:51) מגדל ... 51
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(2Sa 22:51) ... ישועות מלכו ועשה חסד למשיחו לדוד ולזרעו עד עולם | (Ps 18:50) (18:51) ... ישועות מלכו ועשה חסד למשיחו לדוד ולזרעו עד עולם |
Endnotes:
(1) Ps 18:1 and 2Sa 22:1 do not imply that Ps 18 and 2Sa 22 were written about the same time, but that each was composed at a time when David was at peace, after he had experienced deliverance from Saul and from all his enemies. It is apparent that 2Sa 22 accounts for some events that happened late in the life of David, as indicated by the notes (41) and (42) below. Consequently, it may be that David composed Ps 18 early in his reign and 2Sa 22 towards the end of his reign. Since Ps 18 and 2Sa 22 are part of the Scripture, their text was determined by God in every detail long before David was granted to compose them and to write them. Though Ps 18 and 2Sa 22 are different in various respects, it is clear that God designed them to be very similar. [Back]
(2) Considering מכף שאול "from the palm of Saul" (2Sa 22:1) and מיד שאול "from the hand of Saul" (Ps 18:1), the two phrases are similar in meaning, as could be seen by comparing the use of מכף "from the palm" and מיד "from the hand" in Ps 71:4 and Jer 15:21. Nonetheless, מכף שאול "from the palm of Saul" seems to add more emphasis to the power that Saul had over David. [Back]
(3) Comparing 2Sa 22:2-3 and Ps 18:2 (18:3), the focus of the former is on God rescuing David, while the focus of the latter is on God being merciful to David. This could be seen by noticing that ומנוסי משעי מחמס תשעני "and my refuge; thou, the one that regardest me, thou savest me from violence" appears only in 2Sa 22:3, while ארחמך יהוה חזקי "I have been shown mercy by thee, O LORD, my strength" appears only in Ps 18:2 (18:3). Note that a literal translation of ארחמך is, "I have been shown mercy by thee," and not "I love thee," though it is certain that David loved God. The translation "I have been shown mercy by thee" can be explained as follows. The verb רחם means "to have compassion." Since a translation of ארחמך as "I have had compassion on thee" is impossible, it is clear that ארחמך involves a passive form and that the pronominal suffix indicates who was compassionate. Another similar use of the pronominal suffix is found in בעבור הראתך את כחי (Ex 9:16), which is translated οπως ενδειξωμαι εν σοι την δυναμιν μου "so that I may show by thee my power" in Ro 9:17.
In principle, תשעני and משעי of 2Sa 22:3 could be parsed either as coming from the verb ישע "to save" or from שעה "to regard, gaze". Since מחמס תשעני would not seem very meaningful if תשעני is from שעה, it follows that תשעני is from ישע "to save". Considering also משעי, the similar form משיע of 2Sa 22:42 is clearly from ישע since it includes the י letter and does not end with ה. As for משעי, it could be parsed as contracted from מושיעי "my savior". However, this possibility does not seem to fit because it is unlikely that מושיעי would have be contracted to a form that could be confused with a participle of שעה (unless the context indicated that the form is from ישע.) Since the text seems to have no indication that משעי must be interpreted as coming from ישע, it follows that משעי is from שעה "to regard, gaze". Note that משעי "the one who regards me" refers to the fact that the Lord looked favorably on David, just as in Ge 4:4-5 the verb שעה is used to indicate that the Lord looked favorably on Abel and his offering. [Back]
(4) Note that 2Sa 22:2 and Ps 18:2 do not have exactly the same emphasis in the text that they share. In the following table, the forms with more emphasis are highlighted in red. The phrase לי אלהי cannot be interpreted in the sense of "mine is my God," for it does not speak of something that David owned. Rather, it is interpreted in the sense of "my God is for me," as in הלנו אתה "Art thou for us" in Jos 5:13. That God was for David could be understood in the same sense as in Ro 8:31. The fact that David was again and again delivered from the enemy testified powerfully that God was for him.
| (Ps 18:2) (18:3) יהוה סלעי ...
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| (Ps 18:2) (18:3) ... ומצודתי ...
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| (Ps 18:2) (18:3) ... ומפלטי ...
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(5) As spelled, the verbal forms of 2Sa 22:4-6 are singular. Note that מאיבי of 2Sa 22:4 can be translated either "from my enemy" or "from my enemies." In the context of the singular verb forms, מאיבי is translated "from my enemy." As for Ps 18:3-5 (18:4-6), since מן איבי is followed by plural verb forms, it is translated "from my enemies." Based on these remarks, the two passages are translated as follows.
(6) The phrases מוסדות השמים "the foundations of heavens" in 2Sa 22:8 and מוסדי הרים "foundations of mountains" in Ps 18:7 (18:8) are related. Contrary to intuition, the air has a mass; the total mass of the atmosphere is of about 5.5×1015 tones, that is, about 12×1018 lbs. The weight of the mountains is supported by the layers of the earth underneath them, which also support the weight of the atmosphere. These layers form thus the foundations of mountains and the foundations of heavens. [Back] (7) 2Sa 22:9-10, 17, 22, 31 and Ps 18:8-9, 16, 21, 30 (18:9-10,17,22,31) are remarkable in that these are the only verses that appear in exactly the same form in 2Sa 22 and Ps 18. (The Aleppo Codex was followed.) While the division of the text into verses is not part of the Scripture (the text was divided into verses a long time after it was written,) relatively long segments of text that appear in the same form in both 2Sa 22 and Ps 18 are nonetheless remarkable and are understood here as making statements that the Scripture emphasizes. [Back] (8) Comparing 2Sa 22:12 and Ps 18:11 (18:12), the latter emphasizes that the presence of the Lord was hidden. In Ps 18:11 (18:12), note the form סתרו "his secret place." Additionally, סביבותיו "around him," has more emphasis than סביבתיו in 2Sa 22:12, stressing how well the clouds were hiding the presence of the Lord. Note also the phrase חשכת מים "darkness of waters," drawing attention to the fact that by means of their thickness, the clouds were hiding the brilliant light of the Lord's presence. In contrast, 2Sa 22:12 emphasizes the clouds that made up the tabernacles. Comparing וישת חשך סביבתיו in 2Sa 22:12 with ישת חשך סתרו סביבותיו in Ps 18:11 (12), note that 2Sa 22:12 has more emphasis on וישת "and he set," stressing that the clouds were prepared by the Lord. It also emphasizes the nature of the tabernacles by means of the phrase חשרת מים "a gathering of waters." By using the plural form סכות "tabernacles", 2Sa 22:12 draws attention to the very large size of the area occupied by the clouds; there was sufficient space for multiple tabernacles. [Back] (9) Understanding גחלי אש to denote a mass of fire consisting of multiple fires (as could be understood from the plural number of the form גחלי), 2Sa 22:13 indicates that the blazing fire (apparently lightning bolts) was proceeding from the brilliant light before the Lord. Ps 18:12 (13) also mentions that the clouds passing by the brilliant light before the Lord had hail and fire (where the fire is likely referring to lightning bolts.) [Back] (10) Comparing קולו in 2Sa 22:14 with קלו in Ps 18:13 (18:14), the former emphasizes the thunder that was heard from heaven, while Ps 18:13 (14) places more emphasis on ברד וגחלי אש "hail and massive fire." It can be concluded that the thunder, hail, and lightning were very intense. [Back] (11) Note that חציו "his arrows" in Ps 18:14 (18:15) has more emphasis than חצים "arrows" in 2Sa 22:15. By stating that the arrows were the Lord's, the text indicates that these were by far more powerful than ordinary arrows. Similarly, וברקים רב "and many lightning bolts" in Ps 18:14 (18:15) has more emphasis than ברק "lightning" in 2Sa 22:15. So Ps 18:14 (18:15) emphasizes the means by which the enemies were scattered and confused. It follows that 2Sa 22:15 has more emphasis on the fact that the enemies were scattered and confused. Understanding ברק "lightning" in apposition to חצים "arrows" in 2Sa 22:15, it would follow that the arrows of the Lord were lightning bolts. [Back] (12) Comparing אפיקי and מוסדות in Ps 18:15 (18:16) with אפקי and מסדות in 2Sa 22:16, it is apparent that Ps 18:15 (18:16) emphasizes things that the storm made visible. It follows that 2Sa 22:16 places more emphasis on the fact that these things became visible. [Back] (13) The form משנאי "from those hating me" in 2Sa 22:18 is in apposition to מאיבי עז "from my strong enemies" and refers to the strong enemies of David. However, the form ומשנאי "and from those hating me" in Ps 18:17 (18:18) indicates that not all who hated David were strong enemies, that is, not all of them were strong. The statement that כי אמצו ממני "for they were too strong for me" does not imply that each individual who hated David was stronger than he, but that when taken together, those who hated him were stronger than he. [Back] (14) As written, the form יקדמני of 2Sa 22:19 means "he met me." This observation results in the following translation of 2Sa 22:19: יקדמני ביום אידי ויהי יהוה משען לי "The LORD met me in the day of my distress, and the LORD began supporting me." Here, משען "supporting" was parsed as a piel participle of the verb שען. Ps 18:18 (18:19) has more emphasis on the presence of the enemies as it states, יקדמוני ביום אידי ויהי יהוה למשען לי "They met me in the day of my distress, and the LORD became my support." [Back] (15) Considering ויצא למרחב אתי "he brought me out into a broad place" in 2Sa 22:19, the text speaks of the personal intervention of the Lord. Now the Lord acted also indirectly by means of angels, as could be inferred from the hiphil stem of the verb in ויוציאני למרחב "he had me brought out into a broad place" in Ps 18:19 (18:20). [Back] (16) Comparing כצדקתי in 2Sa 22:21 and כצדקי in Ps 18:20 (18:21), the former speaks of the righteousness of David while the latter states that he was right. The emphasis on righteousness in 2Sa 22:21-23 can be seen also in לא אסור ממנה "I did not turn from it" in 2Sa 22:23, noting that the antecedent of the pronominal suffix of ממנה "from it" is צדקה "righteousness" from 2Sa 22:21. [Back] (17) 2Sa 22:23 and Ps 18:22 (18:23) do not state exactly the same thing. Ps 18:22 (18:23) states, כי כל משפטיו לנגדי וחקתיו לא אסיר מני "For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me." 2Sa 22:23 states, כי כל משפטו לנגדי וחקתיו לא אסור ממנה "For his entire rule was before me as well as his statues. I did not turn from my righteousness." Note that the antecedent of the suffix of ממנה is צדקתי "my righteousness" from 2Sa 22:21. The statement that לא אסור ממנה "I did not turn from my righteousness" is related to the phrase בשוב צדיק מצדקתו "when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness" in Eze 18:24, 26, 33:18. [Back] (18) Note that "and I was" translates ואהיה in 2Sa 22:4 but ואהי in Ps 18:23 (18:24). Moreover, "and I kept myself" translates ואשתמרה in 2Sa 22:4 but ואשתמר in Ps 18:23 (18:24). By comparing the spelling of these forms, it can be concluded that 2Sa 22:24 places more emphasis on David. Comparing also לו "before him" in 2Sa 22:24 with עמו "with him" in Ps 18:23 (18:24), it can be seen that Ps 18:23 (18:24) places more emphasis on the Lord's presence. [Back] (19) 2Sa 22:25 uses the word צדקה "righteousness," mentioning David's righteousness, as in 2Sa 22:21. Ps 18:24 (18:25) uses the word צדק "rightness," mentioning that David was right, as in Ps 18:20 (18:21). [Back] (20) Comparing כברי "according to my purity" in 2Sa 22:25 with כבר ידי "according to the purity of my hands" in Ps 18:24 (18:25), it can be concluded that 2Sa 22:25 emphasizes the integrity of David, while Ps 18:24 (18:25) stresses that his actions were right. [Back] (21) The content of 2Sa 22:27 and Ps 18:26 (18:27) is different, though similar. 2Sa 22:27 has, עם נבר תתבר ועם עקש תתפל "Thou joinest thyself with the pure, but separatest thyself from the crooked." Here, תתבר corresponds to ברה "to bind" (BDB), which is the assumed root of ברית "covenant." Moreover, תתפל is from פלה "to separate." Other examples of hithpael forms in which the final ה letter of a verb stem is not written are תתכס from כסה and יתחל from חלה. As for Ps 18:26 (18:27), it has, עם נבר תתברר ועם עקש תתפתל "Thou selectest for thyself the pure, but fightest with the crooked." Here, תתברר is from ברר "to select" and תתפתל is from פתל, where the use of פתל in עם עקש תתפתל is similar to its use in נפתלתי עם אחתי "I have wrestled with my sister" in Ge 30:8. [Back] (22) 2Sa 22:28 emphasizes that the wicked do not have a relationship with the Lord, while Ps 18:27 (18:28) that the Lord opposes the proud. This can be seen by contrasting the things that the Lord does towards the pure and humble with what he does towards the crooked and haughty. 2Sa 22:28 has, עם נבר תתבר ועם עקש תתפל ואת עם עני תושיע ועיניך על רמים תשפיל "Thou joinest thyself with the pure, but separatest thyself from the crooked; and thou savest humble people, but lowerest thine eyes on the haughty" (see note (21)). Clearly, the Lord is not near the crooked and haughty. As for Ps 18:27 (18:28), it states, עם נבר תתברר ועם עקש תתפתל כי אתה עם עני תושיע ועינים רמות תשפיל "Thou selectest for thyself the pure, but fightest with the crooked. For thou savest humble people, but bringest down haughty eyes" (see note (21)). The text is very plain about the fact that the Lord opposes the crooked and haughty. [Back] (23) Both Ps 18:28 (18:29) and 2Sa 22:29 indicate that the Lord is the light of the believer. Ps 18:28 (18:29) states, כי אתה תאיר נרי יהוה "for thou givest light to my lamp." Since the light of the believer comes from the Lord, 2Sa 22:29 adds, כי אתה נירי יהוה "for thou art my lamp." [Back] (24) The form ארץ of Ps 18:29 (18:30) is understood here with the meaning "I crush," while ארוץ of 2Sa 22:30 as "I run." Thus, Ps 18:29 (18:30) is interpreted as stating, כי בך ארץ גדוד ובאלהי אדלג שור "for in thee I crush a troop, and in thee I leap over a wall." Now 2Sa 22:30 has, כי בכה ארוץ גדוד באלהי אדלג שור "for in thee I run with a troop, in my God I leap over a wall." Note that leaping over a wall is understood to refer to attacking and entering a walled city. Notable is the fact that the text has באלהי "in my God" instead of ובאלהי "and in my God." This stresses the similarity of בכה ארוץ גדוד "in thee I run with a troop" and באלהי אדלג שור "in my God I leap over a wall." The two are similar in that an attack in an open area and an attack of a walled city were both dangerous and were both accomplished with God's help. Elsewhere, an example in which the word גדוד is used for David's troop is 1Ch 12:19. As for Ps 18:29 (18:30), the conjunction of ובאלהי "and in my God" stresses the difference between בך ארץ גדוד "in thee I crush a troop" and באלהי אדלג שור "in my God I leap over a wall." The interpretation above of ארץ in Ps 18:29 (18:30) can be justified as follows. Three possible ways of interpreting ארץ are as follows: (a) as the noun meaning "land, earth;" (b) a form contracted from ארוץ "I run;" (c) a form of the verb רצץ "to crush." The possibility that ארץ denotes "land, earth" leads to the interpretation, כי בך ארץ גדוד "for in thee is the land of the troop." The statement "for in thee is the land" could be taken as a reference to the fact that the Lord fills the earth (Jer 23:24). It also fits the earlier statement that אלהי יגיה חשכי "my God illuminates my darkness," for since the Lord fills the earth and nothing is hidden from him, he was more than able to reveal to David where the enemy troops were. However, this interpretation seems unlikely because "in thee" would imply a closer relationship between the Lord and the land, not just that the Lord fills everything, including the land. Additionally, as it seems obvious that 2Sa 22 was written so as to resemble Ps 18, and since ארוץ is a verb form, it would follow that ארץ must also be a verb form. Given that both רוץ and רצץ are plausible stems of ארץ, it is important to identify the way in which the text allows distinguishing between the two stems. Since ארוץ is most naturally associated with רוץ, it would follow that the text allows distinguishing between the two stems by means of the waw letter: when the waw is present, as in ארוץ, the stem רוץ is meant, and when the waw is absent, as in ארץ, the stem רצץ is meant. [Back] (25) Both כי מי אל מבלעדי יהוה in 2Sa 22:32 and כי מי אלוה מבלעדי יהוה in Ps 18:31 (18:32) can be translated "For who is God, besides the LORD?" However, the former can also be translated "For who is mighty, besides the LORD?" Note that the word אל means not only "God" but also "mighty one." Thus, 2Sa 22:32 draws attention to the fact that nobody is really mighty besides the Lord, while Ps 18:31 (18:32) reminds the hearer that there is no other god. [Back] (26) Comparing מבלעדי אלהינו "except our God" in 2Sa 22:32 and זולתי אלהינו "like our God" in Ps 18:31 (18:32), the former states plainly that nobody really protects besides our God, while the latter that nobody protects like our God. To see that זולתי can be translated "like," note that אין זולתך לגאול in Ru 4:4 does not state that Boaz could not redeem but that the other redeemer had greater redeeming privileges. Thus, אין זולתך לגאול does not mean "there is nobody to redeem except thee," but "there is nobody to redeem like thee." [Back] (27) Note that 2Sa 22:33 and Ps 18:32 (18:33) do not have the same content. Ps 18:32 (18:33) has, האל המאזרני חיל ויתן תמים דרכי "The God who girds me with strength also makes my way perfect." 2Sa 22:33 has, האל מעוזי חיל ויתר תמים דרכו "God is my strong refuge, and seeks out a perfect way for himself" (see the Kethiv.) Everything that the Lord does is perfectly right; he makes his way perfect. Consequently, he perfects the way of those who follow him. Though there are several ways in which the form יתר of 2Sa 22:33 could be derived, only one appears to fit. One possibility would be to associate יתר with the verb יתר "to remain over." However, the meaning "to remain over" does not fit well. Moreover, elsewhere the forms associated with this meaning appear in the niphal stem or the hiphil stem and do not fit well the spelling יתר. (An exception, though, is תתר in Ru 2:14.) Another possibility is to associate יתר with the meaning "to loosen, set free" (see נתר in BDB.) However, this meaning does not fit well. Still another possibility is to derive יתר from נתר "to spring, startle." However, this meaning does not fit either. If יתר is interpreted as the noun meaning "superiority, excellency," then the text is translated, "his way is an excellency of perfection," with יתר being used as in Ge 49:3. This interpretation is unlikely because "excellency" seems redundant; a statement "his way is perfect," as in 2Sa 22:31, is equivalent to "his way is an excellency of perfection." Additionally, since יתן in Ps 18:32 (18:33) is a verbal form and since 2Sa 22 and Ps 18 were apparently written to resemble each other, it follows that יתר also is a verbal form. Now the interpretation of יתר that fits well is to parse it as a form of תור "to seek out, explore." Indeed, if יתר is from תור, then the usage of תור in 2Sa 22:33 is very similar to its usage in Nu 10:33, De 1:33, and Eze 20:6. That the spelling יתר is possible for a form of תור could be seen by considering יתרו in Nu 13:2, 21. [Back] (28) As could be seen in the note (27) above, 2Sa 22:33 focuses on the Lord while Ps 18:32-33 (18:33-34) on what the Lord did for David. Consistent with this point is that where 2Sa 22:33 has דרכו "his way," Ps 18:32 (18:33) has דרכי "my way." The two passages continue their focus in 2Sa 22:34 and Ps 18:33 (18:34), for where the former has רגליו "his feet" the latter has רגלי "my feet." Now the fact that both "his feet" and "my feet" are used indicates that David followed the Lord and went where he went; David's way was the Lord's way. [Back] (29) Though both יעמדני of 2Sa 22:34 and יעמידני of Ps 18:33 (18:34) are translated "he makes me stand," the latter form has clearly more emphasis, marking once again the emphasis of Ps 18:32-33 (18:33-34) on what the Lord did for David. [Back] (30) Considering נחת in 2Sa 22:35 and נחתה in Ps 18:34 (18:35), the former is parsed here as a qal participle masculine singular of נחת "to descend" and the latter as a niphal perfect third person feminine singular form of the same verb. Thus, 2Sa 22:35 has, מלמד ידי למלחמה ונחת קשת נחושה זרעתי "training my hands for war and lowering a bronze bow with my arms." The bow had to be lowered as David aimed at his enemies because he was in a high place, as stated in the preceding verse. Thus, 2Sa 22:35 speaks of the Lord directing David's arrows towards his enemies. Moreover, Ps 18:34 (18:35) has, מלמד ידי למלחמה ונחתה קשת נחושה זרועתי "training my hands for war; even a bronze bow is lowered with my arms." Note that זרועתי "my arms" in Ps 18:34 (18:35) has more emphasis than זרעתי "my arms" in 2Sa 22:35. Thus, Ps 18:34 (18:35) has more emphasis on what the Lord did for David, enabling him to aim his arrows precisely at his enemies, while 2Sa 22:35 places more emphasis on the Lord. 2Sa 22:35 and Ps 18:34 (18:35) have the same emphasis as 2Sa 22:33-34 and Ps 18:32-33 (18:33-34), respectively; see the note (28) above. [Back] (31) Since the phrase וימינך תסעדני "and thy right hand upholds me" of Ps 18:35 (18:36) does not appear in 2Sa 22:36, it provides one more indication of the emphasis of the passage on what the Lord did for David; see the note (30) above. [Back] (32) Both ענתך in 2Sa 22:36 and ענותך in Ps 18:35 (18:36) can be translated "thy affliction" when parsed as involving the infinitive construct of ענה "to afflict." Affliction here must refer to the suffering of the Messiah, which also is predicted with the verb ענה "to afflict" in Is 53:4, 7. It was the suffering of the Messiah that made possible David's relationship with God. Since ענותך in Ps 18:35 (18:36) has more emphasis than ענתך in 2Sa 22:36, it draws more attention to the fact that it was the Lord's affliction that made David great. The translation "thy affliction" of ענתך and ענותך could be explained as follows. Note that the pronominal suffix of ענתך and ענותך acts as a reflexive pronoun and not as an object. However, considering the other instances in which the infinitive construct of ענה appears, the pronominal suffix is almost always the object of the verb. The only exceptions are in Ps 132:1 and 2Sa 13:32. Now Ps 132:1-3 is clearly related to 2Sa 22:36 and Ps 18:35 (18:36) as it states, זכור יהוה לדוד את כל ענותו אשר נשבע ליהוה נדר לאביר יעקב אם אבא ... "Remember, O LORD, for David all his affliction that he swore to the LORD. He vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, 'Surely I will not enter ... .'" Here, affliction refers to the severe obligation that David brought upon himself by means of the vow. Translating ענותו in Ps 132:1 as "his affliction" is supported by the facts that the verb ענה has been used elsewhere for a woman afflicting her soul by means of what she vowed (Nu 30:13 (14)), and many times for one afflicting his soul for the purpose of fasting (such as in Lev 16:29, Is 58:3.) Another example in which ענות refers to affliction is 2Sa 7:10. While Ps 132:1 and 2Sa 7:10 use ענות, an example in which the infinitive form ענת refers to affliction appears in Ex 1:11. So both forms ענות and ענת have been used as referring to affliction. Interpreting this way ענתך and ענותך in 2Sa 22:36 and Ps 18:35 (18:36) results in the translation "thy affliction." [Back] (33) Comparing תחתני "under me" in (2Sa 22:37) and תחתי "under me" in (Ps 18:36) (18:37), it is clear that the former has more emphasis. Its emphasis draws attention to the difficult circumstances through which David was walking. Since תחתי has less emphasis in (Ps 18:36) (18:37), it follows that the psalm has more emphasis on תרחיב צעדי "thou hast enlarged my steps," stressing that the Lord widened David's path. [Back] (34) Both ארדפה in 2Sa 22:38 and ארדוף in Ps 18:37 (18:38) can be translated "I pursued" and both are emphatic forms. However, since איבי "my enemies" in 2Sa 22:38 has less emphasis than אויבי "my enemies" in Ps 18:37 (18:38), it would follow that ואשיגם "and I overtook them" in Ps 18:37 (18:38) has less emphasis than ואשמידם "and I destroyed them" in 2Sa 22:38. [Back] (35) Comparing 2Sa 22:39 and Ps 18:38 (18:39), the following remarks could be made. 2Sa 22:39 lists sequentially several things that happened: ואכלם ואמחצם ולא יקומון ויפלו תחת רגלי "And I consumed them, and smote them. And they did not rise, and fell under my feet." The statement that they "fell under my feet" does not speak about enemies falling in battle, for it is stated after "they did not rise." Rather, it refers to enemies who became subject to David. Thus, the fact that "they did not rise and fell under my feet" refers to enemies who were unable to regain strength and who became subject to David. Now Ps 18:38 (18:39) has, אמחצם ולא יכלו קום יפלו תחת רגלי "I smote them and they were unable to rise; they fell under my feet." The absence of "and" before "they fell under my feet" indicates that the statement that "they fell under my feet" refers to something previously stated, namely, "they were unable to rise." Thus, in Ps 18:38 (18:39), "they fell under my feet" must refer to enemies fallen in battle. [Back] (36) Ps 18:39 (18:40) has, ותאזרני חיל "and thou hast girded me with strength," while 2Sa 22:40 has, ותזרני חיל "and thou hast pressed on me strength." The former involves the verb אזר "to gird," while the latter זור "to press." A similar use of the verb זור appears in Is 1:6 in which the verb refers to a wound being pressed with a bandage. So also in 2Sa 22:40, it refers to strength being firmly attached to David, for a weapon firmly attached to David's body would have pressed on him. Ps 18:39 (18:40) also speaks of strength being attached to David as if with a belt. [Back] (37) In Ps 18:40 (18:41), the form נתתה is parsed as a qal perfect second person masculine singular of נתן "to give," while the corresponding form תתה of 2Sa 22:41 is parsed as a qal infinitive construct of the same verb with a third person feminine singular suffix. 2Sa 22:41 states, ואיבי תתה לי ערף משנאי ואצמיתם "As for my enemies, there was the war giving me the neck of those who hated me, and I destroyed them." In this translation, the antecedent of the suffix of תתה was understood to be מלחמה "war" from the previous verse. Note that Ps 18:40 (18:41) is similar as it states, ואיבי נתתה לי ערף ומשנאי אצמיתם "As for my enemies, thou hast given me their neck, and as for those who hated me, I destroyed them." [Back] (38) 2Sa 22:42 and Ps 18:41 (18:42) begin differently. 2Sa 22:42 has, ישעו ואין משיע אל יהוה ולא ענם "They looked, but nobody was making their adversaries cry for help; to the LORD, but he did not answer them." Ps 18:41 (18:42) has, ישועו ואין מושיע על יהוה ולא ענם "They cried out, but nobody was saving them; to the LORD, but he did not answer them." Note that the form ישעו of 2Sa 22:42 is from שעה "to gaze," while ישועו of Ps 18:41 (18:42) is from שוע "to cry out for help." Moreover, משיע in 2Sa 22:42 is from שוע "to cry for help," while מושיע in Ps 18:41 (18:42) is from ישע "to save." The possibility that משיע could be contracted from מושיע seems quite unlikely, for apparently there are no other instances in which a similar form of a verb beginning with yod is contracted this way. However, משיע can be derived from שוע just as the frequent משיב is derived from שוב. [Back] (39) The prepositions אל in 2Sa 22:42 and על in Ps 18:41 (18:42) have different roles, as could be seen in ישעו ... אל יהוה "they looked ... to the LORD" and ישועו ... על יהוה "they cried out ... to the LORD." Now Ps 22:24 (22:25) provides an example showing that it was possible to use אל instead of על. The fact that על is used emphasizes the presence of the Lord. Though the Lord was there, helping David, he did not answer them. [Back] (40) Both 2Sa 22:43 and Ps 18:42 (18:43) speak of the complete defeat of David's enemies. In Ps 18:42 (18:43), כטיט חוצות אריקם "I cast them out as the mire of the streets" is in apposition to ואשחקם כעפר על פני רוח "and I rubbed them away as dust before the wind." Similarly, in 2Sa 22:43, the statement that כטיט חוצות אדקם ארקעם "as the mire of the streets I crushed them; I stamped them," makes the point that the enemies were destroyed. However, 2Sa 22:43 differs from Ps 18:42 (18:43) in that על פני רוח "before the wind" does not follow אשחקם כעפר ארץ "I rubbed them away as the dust of the ground." Indeed, in the figurative language of 2Sa 22:43, once the enemies were rubbed away, they were not immediately blown by the wind but were first crushed and stamped. [Back] (41) 2Sa 22:44 and Ps 18:43 (18:44) are quite different. Ps 18:43 (18:44) has, תפלטני מריבי עם תשימני לראש גוים עם לא ידעתי יעבדוני "Thou hast delivered me from strivings of people. Thou hast set me head of nations; a people I have not known serves me." 2Sa 22:44 has, ותפלטני מריבי עמי תשמרני לראש גוים עם לא ידעתי יעבדני "And thou hast delivered me from strivings of my people. Thou hast kept me head of nations; a people I have not known serves me." In Ps 18:43 (18:44), the statement that "thou hast delivered me from strivings of people" can be taken as a summary of the previous verses. By means of his victories, David became head of the nations he subdued. However, in 2Sa 22:44, the statement "and thou hast delivered me from strivings of my people" testifies to one more thing that the Lord did for David. Moreover, "thou hast kept me head of nations" testifies to the fact that David's authority over the nations was preserved in spite of the rebellion of Absalom. Thus, the comparison of 2Sa 22:44 and Ps 18:43 (18:44) suggests that 2Sa 22 is a version of Ps 18 that David wrote later in his life. [Back] (42) 2Sa 22:45 and Ps 18:44 (18:45) differ in that the former has the reflexive form יתכחשו, while the latter has יכחשו which is not reflexive. The verb כחש can refer to becoming weak or to being deceitful. In the context, בני נכר יכחשו לי in Ps 18:44 (18:45) means "foreigners are weak before me." Moreover, בני נכר יתכחשו לי in 2Sa 22:45 means, "foreigners weaken themselves before me," that is, "foreigners submit themselves to me." Thus, 2Sa 22:45 shows that foreigners continued to submit to David in spite of the strivings of his own people (2Sa 22:44). [Back] (43) Where 2Sa 22:46 has ויחגרו, Ps 18:45 (18:46) has ויחרגו. In 2Sa 22:46, יחגרו ממסגרותם "they gird themselves from their fortresses" indicates that the foreigners were no longer invading Israel, but stayed in their own lands. In Ps 18:45 (18:46), יחרגו ממסגרותיהם "they quake from their own fortresses" indicates fear and anxiety. The verb חרג does not appear elsewhere in the Scripture. However, given its meaning in Aramaic and that חרגה in the Targums means "anxiety, fear," it seems appropriate to assume that the meaning of חרג is "to quake," as in the BDB lexicon. Since the pronominal suffix of ממסגרותיהם has more emphasis, it was translated "their own." In comparison, "fortresses" has more emphasis in ממסגרותם "their fortresses." Instead of girding themselves from their camps, as when invading Israel, the foreigners were girding themselves from the fortresses of their lands. Note that the prefix מ "from" of ממסגרותם "from their fortresses" and ממסגרותיהם "from their own fortresses" does not imply departure from their fortresses. For example, it does not imply departure in והשתחויתם מרחק "and worship from afar" (Ex 24:1) and ויעמד מעל לעם "and he stood from above for the people" (2Ch 24:20). [Back] (44) Comparing וירם אלהי צור ישעי "and let my God be exalted, the Rock of my salvation" in 2Sa 22:47 with וירום אלוהי ישעי "and let the God of my salvation be exalted" in Ps 18:46 (18:47), the latter has more emphasis on ירום אלוהי "let ... God ... be exalted." So 2Sa 22:47 has more emphasis on the fact that God was David's God and the Rock of his salvation. [Back] (45) Comparing האל הנתן נקמת לי in 2Sa 22:48 with האל הנותן נקמות לי in Ps 18:47 (18:48), both meaning "the God giving me vengeance," it could be noticed that the latter has more emphasis on הנותן נקמות "giving vengeance." It follows that 2Sa 22:48 has more emphasis on לי "to me." This emphasis on "me" can be seen also when considering the second half of 2Sa 22:48: where Ps 18:47 (18:48) has תחתי "under me," 2Sa 22:48 has the more emphatic תחתני. [Back] (46) While 2Sa 22:48 has ומוריד עמים תחתני "and bringing down peoples under me," Ps 18:47 (18:48) has וידבר עמים תחתי "and he speaks of peoples under me." Common translations of Ps 18:47 (18:48) interpret ידבר as belonging to the hiphil stem of the verb דבר. Assuming the hiphil stem, ידבר עמים תחתי means "he makes peoples speak under me," that is, "he subdues peoples under me." However, since the form is spelled ידבר and not ידביר , it is not interpreted here as belonging to the hiphil stem. This results in the meaning "he speaks of peoples under me," which implies that he subdued peoples under David, for the Lord does whatever he says he will do. As for the translation "he speaks of peoples," there are various examples in which the verb דבר "to speak" is followed by text describing what the subject spoke about, such as in Jer 40:2, Zec 9:10, 1Ki 12:7, and Est 7:9. [Back] (47) While Ps 18:48 (18:49) has מפלטי מאיבי "delivering me from my enemies," 2Sa 22:49 has ומוציאי מאיבי "and bringing me out from my enemies." The latter speaks of the fact that David was brought out safely from the presence of his enemies. While these two phrases of Ps 18:48 (18:49) and 2Sa 22:49 are similar, they appear in different sentences. Indeed, Ps 18:47-48 (18:48-49) has, האל הנותן נקמות לי וידבר עמים תחתי מפלטי מאיבי אף מן קמי תרוממני מאיש חמס תצילני "The God who avengeth me also speaketh peoples under me. Delivering me from my enemies, thou surely liftest me up from those who rise against me; thou deliverest me from the violent man." 2Sa 22:48-49 has, האל הנתן נקמת לי ומוריד עמים תחתני ומוציאי מאיבי ומקמי תרוממני מאיש חמסים תצילני "The God who avengeth me, who bringeth down peoples under me, and who bringeth me out from my enemies, thou also liftest me up from those who rise against me; thou deliverest me from the very violent man." [Back] (48) Comparing ומקמי "and from those who rise against me" in 2Sa 22:49 with אף מן קמי "surely from those who rise against me" in Ps 18:48 (18:49), clearly the latter has more emphasis. It follows that תרוממני "thou liftest me up" has more emphasis in 2Sa 22:49. [Back] (49) Where Ps 18:48 (18:49) has איש חמס "violent man," 2Sa 22:49 has איש חמסים "very violent man." It is interesting to note that איש חמסים "very violent man" appears in Ps 140:1, 4 (140:2,5) and איש חמס "violent man" in Ps 140:11 (140:12). Since Ps 140 speaks about איש חמסים but mentions the judgment of איש חמס, it could be seen that איש חמסים denotes a more violent man than איש חמס, and so איש חמסים was translated "very violent man." [Back] (50) Though 2Sa 22:50 and Ps 18:49 (18:50) have essentially the same text, they emphasize different words. The table below highlights in red emphasized words. Note that Ps 18:49 (18:50) emphasizes בגוים "among the nations" and אזמרה "I will sing." Since אזמר "I will sing" has less emphasis in 2Sa 22:50, it follows that לשמך "to thy name" has more emphasis in 2Sa 22:50. יהוה "the LORD" also has more emphasis in 2Sa 22:50. (2Sa 22:50) ... יהוה בגוים ... (Ps 18:49) (18:50) בגוים יהוה ... (51) Comparing מגדיל ישועות מלכו "making the salvation of his king increase" in 2Sa 22:51 with מגדל ישועות מלכו "increasing the salvation of his king" in Ps 18:50 (18:51), note that the former emphasizes God's work. While מגדיל belongs to the hiphil stem, מגדל was parsed as belonging to the piel stem. 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