2 Samuel 22:2

22:2 He said:

“The Lord is my high ridge, ¹  my stronghold, ²  my deliverer.

2 Samuel 22:32

22:32 Indeed, ³  who is God besides the Lord?

Who is a protector ⁴  besides our God? ⁵ 

Deuteronomy 32:4

32:4 As for the Rock, ⁶  his work is perfect,

for all his ways are just.

He is a reliable God who is never unjust,

he is fair ⁷  and upright.

Deuteronomy 32:30-31

32:30 How can one man chase a thousand of them, ⁸ 

and two pursue ten thousand;

unless their Rock had delivered them up, ⁹ 

and the Lord had handed them over?

32:31 For our enemies’ ¹⁰  rock is not like our Rock,

as even our enemies concede.

Psalms 42:9

42:9 I will pray ¹¹  to God, my high ridge: ¹² 

“Why do you ignore ¹³  me?

Why must I walk around mourning ¹⁴ 

because my enemies oppress me?”

[22:2]  ¹ tn Traditionally “is my rock”; CEV “mighty rock”; TEV “is my protector.” This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.

[22:2]  ² tn Traditionally “my fortress”; TEV “my strong fortress”; NCV “my protection.”

[22:32]  ³ tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.

[22:32]  ⁴ tn Heb “rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor of protection.

[22:32]  ⁵ tn The rhetorical questions anticipate the answer, “No one.” In this way the psalmist indicates that the Lord is the only true God and reliable source of protection. See also Deut 32:39, where the Lord affirms that he is the only true God. Note as well the emphasis on his role as protector (צוּר, tsur, “rocky cliff”) in Deut 32:4, 15, 17-18, 30.

[32:4]  ⁶ tc The LXX reads Θεός (qeos, “God”) for the MT’s “Rock.”

[32:4]  ⁷ tn Or “just” (KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT) or “righteous” (NASB).

[32:30]  ⁸ tn The words “man” and “of them” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[32:30]  ⁹ tn Heb “sold them” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[32:31]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “their,” but the referent (enemies) is specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[42:9]  ¹¹ tn The cohortative form indicates the psalmist’s resolve.

[42:9]  ¹² tn This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28; Pss 18:2; 31:3.

[42:9]  ¹³ tn Or “forget.”

[42:9]  ¹⁴ sn Walk around mourning. See Ps 38:6 for a similar idea.