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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers 2 Samuel 22:2–51. His four-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Let us observe, in this song of praise,
I.How David adores God, and gives him the glory of his infinite perfections.
There is none like him, nor any to be compared with him (Sa2 22:32): Who is God, save the Lord? All others that are adored as deities are counterfeits and pretenders. None is to be relied on but he. Who is a rock, save our God? They are dead, but the Lord liveth, Sa2 22:47. They disappoint their worshippers when they most need them. But as for God his way is perfect, Sa2 22:31. Men begin in kindness, but end not - promise, but perform not; but God will finish his work, and his word is tried, and what we may trust.
II.How he triumphs in the interest he has in this God, and his relation to him, which he lays down as the foundation of all the benefits he has received from him: He is my God; as such he cries to him (Sa2 22:7), and cleaves to him (Sa2 22:22); "and, if my God, then my rock" (Sa2 22:2), that is, "my strength and my power (Sa2 22:33), the rock under which I take shelter (he who is to me as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land), the rock on which I build my hope," Sa2 22:3. Whatever is my strength and support, it is the God of my rock that makes it so; nay, he is the God of the rock of my salvation (Sa2 22:47): my saving strength is in him and from him. David often hid himself in a rock (Sa1 24:2), but God was his chief hiding-place. "He is my fortress, in which I am safe and think myself so - my high tower, or stronghold, in which I am out of the reach of real evils - the tower of salvation (Sa2 22:51), which can never be sealed nor battered, nor undermined. Salvation itself saves me. Am I in distress? he is my deliverer - struck at, shot at? he is my shield - pursued? he is my refuge - oppressed? he is my saviour, that rescues me out of the hand of those that seek my ruin. Nay, he is the horn of my salvation, by which I am strongly protected, and my enemies are strongly pushed." Christ is spoken of as the horn of salvation in the house of David, Luk 1:69. "Am I burdened, and ready to sink? The Lord is my stay (Sa2 22:19), by whom I am supported. Am I in the dark, benighted, at a loss? Thou art my lamp, O Lord! to show me my way, and thou wilt dispel my darkness," Sa2 22:29. If we sincerely take the Lord for our God, all this, and much more, he will be to us, all we need and can desire.
III.What improvement he makes of his interest in God.
If he be mine, 1. In him will I trust (Sa2 22:3), that is, "I will resign myself to his direction, and then depend upon his power, and wisdom, and goodness, to conduct me well." 2. On him I will call (Sa2 22:4), for he is worthy to be praised. What we have found in God that is worthy to be praised should engage us to pray to him and give glory to him. 3. To him will I give thanks (Sa2 22:50), and that publicly. When he was among the heathen he would neither be afraid nor ashamed to own his obligations to the God of Israel.
IV.The full and large account he keeps for himself, and gives to others, of the great and kind things God had done for him.
This takes up most of the song. He gives God the glory both of his deliverances and of his successes, showing both the perils he was delivered from and the power he was advanced to.
1.He magnifies the great salvations God had wrought for him. God sometimes brings his people into very great difficulties and dangers, that he may have the honour of saving them and they the comfort of being saved by him. He owns, Thou hast saved me from violence (Sa2 22:3), from my enemies (Sa2 22:4), from my strong enemy, meaning Saul, who, if God had not succoured him, would have been too hard for him, Sa2 22:18. Thou hast given me the shield of thy salvation, Sa2 22:36. To magnify the salvation, he observes,
(1.)That the danger was very great and threatening out of which he was delivered. Men rose up against him (Sa2 22:40, Sa2 22:49) that hated him (Sa2 22:41), a violent man (Sa2 22:49) namely, Saul, who was malicious in his designs against him and vigorous in his pursuit. This is expressed figuratively, Sa2 22:5, Sa2 22:6. He was surrounded with death on every side, threatened to be overwhelmed, and saw no way of escape. So violently did the waves of death beat upon him, so strongly did the cords and snares of death hold him, that he could not help himself, any more than a man in the grave can. The floods of Belial, the wicked one, and his wicked instruments, made him afraid; he trembled to see not only earth, but death and hell, in arms against him.
(2.)That his deliverance was an answer to prayer, Sa2 22:7. He has here left us a good example, when we are in distress, to cry unto God with importunity, as children in a fright cry to their parents; and great encouragement to do so, in that he found God ready to answer prayer out of his temple in heaven, where he is continually served and adored.
(3.)That God appeared in a singular and extraordinary manner for him and against his enemies. The expressions are borrowed from the descent of the divine Majesty upon Mount Sinai, Sa2 22:8, Sa2 22:9, etc. We do not find that in any of David's battles God fought for him with thunder (as in Samuel's time), or with hail (as in Joshua's time), or with the stars in their courses (as in Deborah's time); but these lofty metaphors are used,
[1.]To set forth the glory of God, which was manifested in his deliverance. God's wisdom and power, his goodness and faithfulness, his justice and holiness, and his sovereign dominion over all the creatures and all the counsels of men, which appeared in favour of David, were as clear and bright a discovery of God's glory to an eye of faith as such miraculous interpositions would have been to an eye of sense.
[2.]To set forth God's displeasure against his enemies, God so espoused his cause that he showed himself an enemy to all his enemies; his anger is set forth by a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth (Sa2 22:9), coals kindled (Sa2 22:13), arrows, Sa2 22:15. Who knows the power and terror of his wrath?
[3.]To set forth the extraordinary confusion which his enemies were put into, and the consternation that seized them; as if the earth had trembled and the foundations of the world had been discovered, Sa2 22:8, Sa2 22:16. Who can stand before God when he is angry?
[4.]To show how ready God was to help him: He rode upon a cherub and did fly, Sa2 22:11. God hastened to his succour, and came to him with seasonable relief, though he had seemed at a distance; yet he was a God hiding himself (Isa 14:15), for he made darkness his pavilion (Sa2 22:12), for the amazement of his enemies and the protection of his own people.
(4.)That God manifested his particular favour and kindness to him in these deliverances (Sa2 22:20): He delivered me, because he delighted in me. The deliverance came not from common providence, but covenant-love; he was herein treated as a favourite: so he perceived by the communications of divine grace and comfort to his soul with these deliverances, and the communion he had with God in them. Herein he was a type of Christ, whom God upheld because he delighted in him, Isa 42:1, Isa 42:2.
2.He magnifies the great successes God had crowned him with. He had not only preserved but prospered him. He was blessed,
(1.)With liberty and enlargement. He was brought into a large place (Sa2 22:20), where he had room to thrive, and his steps were enlarged under him, so that he had room to stir (Sa2 22:37), being no longer straitened and confined.
(2.)With military skill, and strength, and swiftness. Though he was bred up to the crook, he was well instructed in the arts of war and qualified for the toils and perils of it. God, having called him to fight his battles, qualified him for the service. He made him very ingenious (He teacheth my hands to war, Sa2 22:35. And this ingenuity was as good as strength, for it follows, "so that a bow of steel is broken by my arms," not so much by main force as by dexterity), and very vigorous and valiant. (Thou hast girded me with strength to battle, Sa2 22:40. He gives God the glory of all his courage and ability for service), and very expeditious: He maketh my feet swift like hinds feet (Sa2 22:34), which is of great advantage both in charging and retreating.
(3.)With victory over his enemies, not only Saul and Absalom, but the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, Syrians, and other neighbouring nations, whom he subdued and made tributaries to Israel. His wonderful victories are here described, Sa2 22:38-43. They were speedy victories (I turned not again till I had consumed them, Sa2 22:38) and complete victories. The enemies of Israel were wounded, destroyed, consumed, fell under his feet, trampled upon, and disabled to rise, and their necks lay at his mercy. They cried both to earth and heaven for help, but in vain. There was none to save, none that durst appear for them. God answered them, not for they were not on his side, nor did they cry unto him till they were brought to the last extremity. Being thus abandoned, they became an easy prey to David's righteous and victorious sword, so that he beat them as small as the dust of the earth, which is scattered by the wind and trodden on by every foot.
(4.)With advancement to honour and power. To this he was anointed before his troubles began, and at length, post tot discrimina rerum - after all his dangers and disasters, he gained his point. God made his way perfect (Sa2 22:33), gave him success in all his undertakings, set him upon his high places (Sa2 22:34), denoting both safety and dignity. God's gentleness, his grace and tender mercy, made him great (Sa2 22:36), gave him great wealth, and great authority, and a name like that of the great men of the earth. He was kept to be the head of the heathen (Sa2 22:44); his signal preservations evinced that he was designed and reserved for something great - to rule over all Israel, notwithstanding the strivings of the people, and so that those whom he had not known should serve him, many of the nations that lay remote. Thus he was lifted up on high, as high as the throne, above those that rose up against him, Sa2 22:49.
V.The comfortable reflections he makes upon his own integrity, which God, by those wonderful deliverances, had graciously owned and witnessed to, Sa2 22:21-25. He means especially his integrity with reference to Saul and Ishbosheth, Absalom and Sheba, and those who either opposed his coming to the crown or endeavoured to dethrone him. They falsely accused him and misrepresented him, but he had the testimony of this conscience for him that he was not an ambitious aspiring man, a false and bloody man, as they called him, - that he had never taken any indirect unlawful courses to secure or raise himself, but in his whole conduct had kept in the way of his duty, - and that in the whole course of his conversation he had, for the main, made religion his business, so that he could take God's favours to him as the rewards of his righteousness, not of debt, but of grace. God had recompensed him, though not for his righteousness, as if that had merited any thing at the hand of God, yet according to his righteousness, which he was well pleased with, and had an eye to. His conscience witnessed for him,
1.That he had made the word of God his rule, and had kept to it, Sa2 22:23. Wherever he was, God's judgments were before him as his guide; whithersoever he went, he took his religion along with him, and though he was forced to depart from his country, and sent, as it were, to serve other gods, yet as for God's statutes, he did not depart from them, but kept the way of the Lord and walked in it.
2.That he had carefully avoided the bye-paths of sin. He had not wickedly departed from his God. He could not say but that he had taken some false steps, but he had not deserted God, nor forsaken his way. Sins of infirmity he could not acquit himself from, but the grace of God had kept him from presumptuous sins. Though he had sometimes weakly departed from his God. By this it appeared that he was upright before God, or to God (in his sight, and with an eye to him), that he kept himself from his own iniquity, not only from that particular sin of killing Saul when it was in the power of his hand to do it, but, in general, he was afraid of sin and watchful against it, and made conscience of what he said and did. The matter of Uriah is an exception (Kg1 15:5), like that in Hezekiah's character, Ch2 32:31. Note, A careful abstaining from our own iniquity is one of the best evidences of our own integrity; and the testimony of our conscience for us that we have done so will be such a rejoicing as will not only lessen the griefs of an afflicted state, but increase the comforts of a prosperous state. David reflected with more comfort upon his victories over his own iniquity than upon his conquest of Goliath and all the hosts of the uncircumcised Philistines; and the witness of his own heart to his uprightness was sweeter though more silent music than theirs that sang, David has slain his ten thousands. If a great man be a good man, his goodness will be much more his satisfaction than his greatness. Let favour be shown to the upright and his uprightness will sweeten it, will double it.
VI.The comfortable prospects he has of God's further favour.
As he looks back, so he looks forward, with pleasure, and assures himself of the kindness God has in store for all the saints, for himself, and also for his seed.
1.For all good people, Sa2 22:26-28. As God had dealt with him according to his uprightness, so he will with all others. He takes occasion here to lay down the established rules of God's procedure with the children of men: -
(1.)That he will do good to those that are upright in their hearts. As we are found towards God, he will be found towards us.
[1.]God's mercy and grace will be the joy of those that are merciful and gracious. Even the merciful need mercy; and they shall obtain it.
[2.]God's uprightness, his justice and faithfulness, will be the joy of those that are upright, just, and faithful, both towards God and man.
[3.]God's purity and holiness will be the joy of those that are pure and holy, who therefore give thanks at the remembrance thereof. And, if any of these good people be afflicted people, he will save them, either out of their afflictions or by and after them. On the other hand,
(2.)That those who turn aside to crooked ways he will lead forth with the workers of iniquity, as he says in another psalm. With the froward he will wrestle; and those with whom God wrestles are sure to be foiled. Woe unto him that strives with his Maker! God will walk contrary to those that walk contrary to him and be displeased with those that are displeased with him. As for the haughty, his eyes are upon them, marking them out, as it were, to be brought down; for he resists the proud.
2.For himself. He foresaw that his conquests and kingdom would be yet further enlarged, Sa2 22:45, Sa2 22:46. Even the sons of the stranger, that would hear the report of his victories and the tokens of God's presence with him, would be possessed with a fear of him, would be forced to submit to him, though feignedly, and would be obedient to him. The successes which he had had he looked upon as earnests of more and means of more. Who durst oppose him by whom so many had been overcome? Thus the Son of David goes on conquering and to conquer, Rev 6:2. His gospel, which has been victorious, shall be so more and more.
3.For his seed: He showeth mercy to his Messiah (Sa2 22:51), not only to David himself, but to that seed of his for evermore. David was himself anointed of God, not a usurper, but duly called to the government and qualified for it; therefore he doubted not but God would show mercy to him, that mercy which he had promised not to take from him nor from his posterity (Sa2 7:15, Sa2 7:16); on that promise he depends, with an eye to Christ, who alone is his seed for evermore, whose throne and kingdom still continue, and will to the end, whereas the seed and lineage of David are long since extinct. See Psa 89:28, Psa 89:29. Thus all his joys and all his hopes terminate, as ours should, in the great Redeemer.
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Summary
2 Samuel 22:27, a profound declaration within King David's psalm of thanksgiving, articulates a fundamental aspect of God's righteous character: His interaction with humanity is perfectly aligned with the moral and spiritual disposition of individuals. This verse reveals God's unwavering integrity, demonstrating that He manifests His purity to those who walk in uprightness, while actively opposing and confronting the twisted ways of the perverse. It underscores a divine principle of reciprocity, where God's response mirrors the heart and conduct of humanity, affirming His perfect justice and holiness.
Context
Literary Context
This verse is embedded within a lengthy, poetic psalm of deliverance (2 Samuel 22:1-51), which is almost identical to Psalm 18. It serves as David's heartfelt song of thanksgiving and praise to Yahweh for His miraculous rescue from all his enemies, including King Saul. The psalm opens with David declaring God as his strength and deliverer, then vividly recounts God's powerful intervention on his behalf, using rich imagery of natural phenomena and divine warfare. Verse 27 falls within a crucial section (verses 21-30) where David reflects on God's just dealings, asserting that God rewards the righteous and opposes the wicked. This affirmation of divine justice highlights God's covenant faithfulness to those who walk in His ways, as seen in David's own experience of God's deliverance in 2 Samuel 22:21. The entire chapter functions as a profound theological reflection on God's character, His justice, and His active involvement in human history, particularly in the life of His anointed king, setting the stage for the revelation of God's reciprocal nature.
Historical & Cultural Context
Composed during David's reign, likely after a period of significant conflict and eventual triumph, this psalm reflects the tumultuous life of Israel's greatest king. David's journey was marked by relentless persecution from King Saul, numerous battles against the Philistines and other surrounding nations, and internal strife. In ancient Israelite thought, there was a strong emphasis on divine justice and the principle of retribution, where God was understood to deal with individuals and nations according to their deeds. Kings, in particular, were seen as God's representatives on earth, and their success or failure was often interpreted as a direct reflection of their obedience or disobedience to God's covenant. David's psalm, therefore, articulates a deeply held cultural understanding of God's active involvement in human affairs, where His character is revealed through His just and proportionate responses to human conduct, reinforcing the covenant relationship established at Mount Sinai and reiterated throughout the Deuteronomic tradition.
Key Themes
The verse significantly contributes to several major theological and narrative themes within 2 Samuel and the broader Old Testament. Firstly, it highlights Divine Reciprocity and Justice, emphasizing that God's dealings with humanity are perfectly aligned with their moral and spiritual posture. To those who are pure in heart and walk uprightly, God reveals Himself as pure, trustworthy, and a faithful deliverer, as David experienced throughout his life, recounted in 2 Samuel 22:1-3. Conversely, with the "froward" or perverse, God demonstrates His righteous opposition and judgment, confronting their crookedness. Secondly, it underscores God's Inherent Purity and Righteousness. God's character is unblemished; He does not compromise His holiness but rather reflects it in His interactions, responding to purity with purity and to perversity with a just resistance that exposes and counters the twisted path. This theme is central to understanding God's nature, as seen in the repeated call for holiness in Leviticus 11:44. Lastly, the verse powerfully conveys the Consequences of Human Conduct, serving as a potent reminder that our moral and spiritual alignment directly impacts our experience of God's presence and intervention. A life of integrity invites God's favor and clear guidance, while crookedness invites His righteous opposition and judgment, echoing the principle found in Proverbs 11:3.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This word (H1305) is a primitive root meaning "to clarify (i.e. brighten), examine, select; make bright, choice, chosen, cleanse (be clean), clearly, polished, (shew self) pure(-ify), purge (out)." When applied to God, as in "thou wilt shew thyself pure," it signifies His transparent integrity, His unblemished character, and His willingness to reveal His unadulterated truth and righteousness to those who walk in similar purity. It implies a divine response that is straightforward, unmixed, and wholly consistent with His holy nature.
This term (H6141) is derived from a root meaning "to distort." It describes someone who is "distorted; hence, false; crooked, froward, perverse." It refers to a moral deviation, a character or path that deviates from what is right and upright, marked by stubbornness and a refusal to walk in God's ways.
This word (H6617) is a primitive root meaning "to twine, i.e. (literally) to struggle or (figuratively) be (morally) tortuous; (shew self) froward, shew self unsavoury, wrestle." When the KJV translates it as "unsavoury" in relation to God's interaction with the froward, it does not imply God becomes perverse. Rather, it signifies that God deals with the perverse in a way that counters their twistedness. It's a divine mirroring that brings their perversity to light, exposes their crooked dealings, or confronts them directly through judgment or opposition that matches their own devious ways, making His dealings unpalatable or difficult for them.
Verse Breakdown
"With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure"
This clause asserts God's consistent and righteous character in His dealings with those who are morally upright and sincere. To individuals who strive for purity of heart, integrity in their actions, and faithfulness in their walk, God reveals Himself in a way that is clear, trustworthy, and unblemished. His presence, guidance, and blessings are experienced as pure and straightforward, reflecting His own holy nature. He confirms their path, validates their righteousness, and demonstrates His unadulterated favor, allowing them to experience His unclouded presence.
"and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury"
This second clause presents a stark contrast, revealing God's response to those who are "froward" – twisted, perverse, or morally crooked. To such individuals, God does not reveal Himself as pure or favorable. Instead, He deals with them in a manner that confronts, opposes, and exposes their perversity. The term "unsavoury" (from the Hebrew pâthal') implies that God's interaction with them will be one of wrestling, resistance, or even judgment that is unpalatable and difficult, designed to counter their crookedness and bring their twisted ways to light. It underscores God's unwavering opposition to sin and His commitment to justice, even if it means a harsh, corrective, or condemnatory response that reveals the repugnance of their own sin back to them.
Literary Devices
The verse employs several powerful literary devices to convey its profound truth. Parallelism is prominently featured in the two contrasting clauses, where the structure "With X thou wilt show thyself Y; and with Z thou wilt show thyself W" creates a clear antithesis, highlighting the distinct ways God interacts based on human character. This is a classic example of Antithetical Parallelism, emphasizing the divine response to opposing human dispositions. Anthropomorphism is present in the phrase "thou wilt shew thyself," attributing human-like actions (showing oneself, dealing in a certain way) to God, making His character and responses more relatable and comprehensible to human understanding. The concept of God "showing Himself" in a certain way also functions as a form of Divine Reciprocity, where God's actions mirror or respond in kind to the moral state of humanity. Furthermore, the use of "pure" and "froward" (twisted) can be seen as Metaphorical Language, describing not just isolated actions but the very essence of one's character and spiritual orientation, implying a deeper spiritual state that elicits a corresponding divine reaction.
Theological and Thematic Connections
This verse articulates a foundational theological principle often referred to as the "retribution principle" or divine reciprocity, which permeates much of the Old Testament. It asserts that God, in His perfect justice and holiness, responds to humanity in a manner consistent with their moral and spiritual alignment. For those who walk in integrity and purity, God reveals His unblemished character, offering clear guidance, favor, and deliverance. Conversely, for those who persist in rebellion, deceit, or moral perversion, God's response is one of righteous opposition, judgment, and a confrontation that exposes their crookedness. This is not an arbitrary reaction but a necessary outflow of God's unchanging holy nature, demonstrating that He cannot be mocked and will not compromise His standards. It underscores the profound truth that our disposition towards God directly shapes our experience of Him, serving as both a warning and an encouragement.
Reflection and Application
2 Samuel 22:27 serves as a powerful mirror for self-examination, challenging us to honestly assess the posture of our hearts and the trajectory of our lives. It compels us to consider whether we are striving for purity and integrity in our thoughts, words, and deeds, or if we are succumbing to crookedness, deceit, or stubborn rebellion. The promise is clear: walking in purity invites God's unhindered presence, His clear guidance, and the experience of His unblemished character revealing itself in our lives. If, however, we choose the path of the "froward," we are warned that we will encounter God's righteous opposition, His judgment, and a divine resistance that will expose and confront our twisted ways. This verse is not merely a statement of divine justice but a call to repentance and a profound encouragement to pursue holiness, knowing that our God responds in perfect accordance with our moral and spiritual posture, inviting us to align our hearts with His and experience the fullness of His pure favor.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does God actually become "unsavoury" or "perverse" when dealing with the froward?
No, absolutely not. The KJV's "unsavoury" (and the underlying Hebrew pâthal') does not imply that God becomes perverse or morally corrupted in His character. Rather, it signifies that God deals with the perverse in a way that counters their twistedness. His response is one of righteous opposition, judgment, and a confrontation that exposes their crookedness. It means He will wrestle with their perversity, bring their hidden motives to light, and ultimately deal with them in a way that is unpalatable or repugnant to their sinful nature. This is a demonstration of His unchanging holiness and justice, not a compromise of His character. God's nature remains pure; His actions towards the froward are a manifestation of His righteous indignation against sin, as seen in Psalm 7:11. His dealings are always just and true, even when they are severe.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
While 2 Samuel 22:27 speaks of God's reciprocal dealings with humanity based on their purity or perversity, its ultimate fulfillment and most profound expression are found in Jesus Christ. In Him, God's perfect purity is fully revealed, and His righteous opposition to all frowardness is definitively demonstrated. Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, perfectly embodied purity and integrity, living a sinless life that perfectly pleased the Father, as affirmed in Hebrews 4:15. Through His atoning sacrifice on the cross, Christ absorbed the righteous opposition and judgment that the "froward" deserve, taking upon Himself the "unsavoury" consequences of sin, becoming sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Those who are "in Christ" are no longer seen as froward but are imputed with His righteousness, becoming pure in God's sight through faith (Romans 3:21-26). Thus, God "shows Himself pure" to us not based on our inherent purity, but on the perfect purity of His Son, which is graciously credited to us. The call to walk in purity for believers now flows from our new identity in Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, as we are called to be holy because He who called us is holy, reflecting His character in our transformed lives.