Year of the Bible
2 Samuel 22
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Commentary on the Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 22:
We are reminded that David wrote many of the Psalms as we read a song that fills an entire chapter of his narrative. This hymn of praise focuses on God’s deliverance and salvation. Throughout, it reveals God’s strength and protection in metaphors (e.g. rock, shield, refuge) and the imagery of God’s powerful rescue of David in the midst of battle. David rejoices in the Covenant and how one receives from God what one gives, which in David’s case includes righteousness, loyalty, and purity. This weaves with familiar themes of God raising and supporting the humble while lowering the haughty and crooked, similar to Hannah’s song that opened the 1-2 Samuel narrative (1 Samuel 2:1-10) . David’s song concludes as David praises God for His triumphs and His mercy.
The Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 22:
David’s Song of Thanksgiving
1 And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said,
“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer,
3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold and my refuge,
my savior; you save me from violence.
4 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
5 “For the waves of death encompassed me,
the torrents of perdition assailed me;
6 the cords of Sheol entangled me,
the snares of death confronted me.
7 “In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry came to his ears.
8 “Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations of the heavens trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
9 Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his
mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth
from him.
10 He bowed the heavens, and
came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
11 He rode on a cherub, and
flew;
he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness around him
his canopy, thick clouds, a gathering of water.
13 Out of the brightness before him
coals of fire flamed forth.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven,
and the Most High uttered
his voice.
15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them;
lightning, and routed them.
16 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
the foundations of the world were laid bare,
at the rebuke of the Lord,
at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
17 “He reached from on high, he
took me,
he drew me out of many waters.
18 He delivered me from my
strong enemy,
from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for
me.
19 They came upon me in the day of my calamity;
but the Lord was my stay.
20 He brought me forth into a
broad place;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
21 “The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all his ordinances were before me,
and from his statutes I did not turn aside.
24 I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt.
25 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight.
26 “With the loyal you show yourself loyal;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
27 with the pure you show yourself pure,
and with the crooked you show yourself perverse.
28 You deliver a humble people, but your eyes are upon the
haughty to bring them down.
29 Yes, you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my
darkness.
30 Yes, by you I can crush a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
31 This God—his way is perfect; the promise of the Lord
proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
32 “For who is God, but the
Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?
33 This God is my strong refuge, and has made my way
safe.
34 He made my feet like deer’s feet,
and set me secure on the heights.
35 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your help made me great.
37 You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip;
38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them,
and did not turn back until they were consumed.
39 I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise;
they fell under my feet.
40 For you girded me with strength for the battle;
you made my assailants sink under me.
41 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
those who hated me, and I destroyed them.
42 They looked, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
43 I beat them fine as the dust of
the earth,
I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.
44 “You delivered me from strife with the peoples;
you kept me as the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
45 Foreigners came cringing to me;
as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.
46 Foreigners lost heart,
and came trembling out of their fastnesses.
47 “The Lord lives; and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,
48 the God who gave me vengeance
and brought down peoples under me,
49 who brought me out from my enemies;
you exalted me above my adversaries,
you delivered me from men of violence.
50 “For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing praises to your name.
51 Great triumphs he gives to his king,
and shows mercy to his anointed,
to David, and his descendants for ever.”
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
How can I echo David in reflecting on how God is at work in the various circumstances, trials, and tribulations of my life, and praising him for how he is working in me?
Biblical Commentary provided by the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan. Join a Catholic Biblical School of Michigan class this September at Holy Family in Grand Blanc, or online.
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
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David dirigió al Señor las palabras
de este canto, cuando el Señor lo libró
de la mano de sus enemigos y sobre
todo de la mano de Saúl. 2 Dijo así:
–El Señor es mi roca, mi alcázar, mi
libertador.
3 Mi Dios, la peña en que me asilo;
mi escudo, mi fuerza salvadora, mi
baluarte,
mi refugio, el salvador que me libra
de los violentos.
4 Clamo al Señor digno de alabanza
y quedo a salvo de mis enemigos.
5 Me envolvían olas de muerte,
me aterraba un torrente arrollador;
6 me cercaban los lazos del abismo,
me precedían las trampas de la
muerte.
7 En mi angustia clamé al Señor,
grité a mi Dios
y Él escuchó mi voz desde su Templo;
a sus oídos ha llegado mi clamor.
8 Se ha estremecido y ha retumbado
la tierra,
se han removido los fundamentos
de los cielos,
sacudidos por el ardor de su ira.
9 De sus fauces subía humo,
de su boca, fuego devorador;
de él saltaban carbones encendidos.
10 Él abajó los cielos y descendió,
con las nubes bajo sus pies.
11 Cabalgaba volando sobre un querubín;
y corría veloz sobre las alas del viento.
12 Puso las tinieblas a su alrededor
como una tienda,
con aguas oscuras, con densas nubes.
13 Al fulgor de su presencia
se encendían las brasas.
14 Tronó el Señor desde el cielo,
emitió el Altísimo su voz.
15 Disparaba saetas a los lados,
rayos que retumbaban.
16 Entonces aparecieron los fondos
de los mares,
quedaron al descubierto los cimientos
del orbe,
como efecto del bramido del Señor,
del soplo violento de su ira.
17 Desde lo alto extendió su mano,
me tomó,
me sacó de las aguas caudalosas;
18 me libró de mis enemigos poderosos,
de mis adversarios más fuertes que
yo.
19 Me atacaron en el día de mi angustia,
pero el Señor fue mi apoyo;
20 me sacó a lugar abierto,
me libró porque me amaba.
21 El Señor me retribuyó según mi
justicia,
me pagó según la inocencia de mis
manos,
22 porque guardé los caminos del Señor
y no renegué de mi Dios.
23 Tuve presentes todas sus normas,
no me aparté de sus decretos;
24 sino que le fui íntegro,
me guardé de la iniquidad.
25 El Señor me pagó según mi justicia,
según mi inocencia ante sus ojos.
26 Con el piadoso eres piadoso,
con el honrado eres honrado;
27 con el sincero, sincero,
con el taimado, sagaz.
28 Tú salvas al pueblo humilde
y humillas los ojos altaneros.
29 Tú, Señor, eres mi lámpara,
mi Dios que alumbra mis tinieblas.
30 Contigo me enfrento a las huestes,
con mi Dios asalto las murallas.
31 El camino del Señor es perfecto,
probada a fuego la palabra del Señor,
escudo para quien se acoge a Él.
32 Pues, ¿quién es Dios fuera del Señor?,
¿quién es Roca fuera de nuestro
Dios?
33 Dios es quien me ciñe de valor,
quien hace recto mi camino,
34 quien vuelve mis pies iguales a los
de un ciervo
y me sostiene firme en las alturas;
35 quien adiestra mis manos para la
batalla
y mis brazos para los arcos de bronce.
tu solicitud me hizo grande;
37 ensanchaste la senda ante mis pasos,
y no vacilaron mis tobillos.
38 Perseguiré y daré alcance a mis
enemigos,
no regresaré hasta haberlos abatido.
39 Los aniquilaré y los destruiré; no
podrán levantarse,
han caído bajo mis pies.
40 Me has ceñido de valor para la
guerra,
has doblegado a los que se alzaban
contra mí;
41 has hecho volver la espalda a mis
enemigos,
he exterminado a quienes me odiaban.
42 Clamaron, pero nadie les salvó,
gritaron al Señor pero no les respondió.
43 Los trituré como polvo de la tierra,
los aplasté como barro de las calles.
44 Me libraste de las revueltas de mi
pueblo,
me pusiste a la cabeza de las naciones;
un pueblo desconocido es mi vasallo.
45 Los hijos de extranjeros me adulan,
me escuchan con atención y me
obedecen.
46 Los hijos de extranjeros palidecen,
abandonan temerosos sus refugios.
47 ¡Viva el Señor! ¡Bendita sea mi
Roca!
¡Exaltado sea mi Dios, la roca de mi
salvación!
48 El Dios que me concede la venganza
y me somete los pueblos.
49 Tú me libras de mis enemigos,
me ensalzas sobre mis agresores,
me salvas del hombre violento.
50 Por eso, Señor, te alabaré entre las
naciones,
y cantaré en honor de tu nombre.
51 El que hace grandes las victorias de
su rey,
y tiene misericordia con su ungido,
con David y su linaje para siempre.
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
¿Cómo puedo hacerme eco de David al reflexionar sobre cómo actúa Dios en las diversas circunstancias, pruebas y tribulaciones de mi vida, y alabarle por cómo actúa en mí?
La Biblia de Navarra
Permiso para usar esta versión de la primera edición de la Biblia de Navarra
para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo
dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).