2 Samuel 22:33

22:33 The one true God ¹  is my mighty refuge; ² 

he removes ³  the obstacles in my way. ⁴ 

2 Samuel 22:22

22:22 For I have obeyed the Lord’s commands; ⁵ 

I have not rebelled against my God. ⁶ 

2 Samuel 22:31

22:31 The one true God acts in a faithful manner; ⁷ 

the Lord’s promise is reliable; ⁸ 

he is a shield to all who take shelter in him.

2 Samuel 13:30

13:30 While they were still on their way, the following report reached David: “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons; not one of them is left!”

2 Samuel 13:34

13:34 In the meantime Absalom fled. When the servant who was the watchman looked up, he saw many people coming from the west ⁹  on a road beside the hill.

2 Samuel 16:13

16:13 So David and his men went on their way. But Shimei kept going along the side of the hill opposite him, yelling curses as he threw stones and dirt at them. ¹⁰ 

2 Samuel 18:23

18:23 But he said, ¹¹  “Whatever happens, I want to go!” So Joab ¹²  said to him, “Then go!” So Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Jordan plain, and he passed the Cushite.

2 Samuel 2:24

2:24 So Joab and Abishai chased Abner. At sunset they came to the hill of Ammah near Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.

2 Samuel 4:7

4:7 They had entered ¹³  the house while Ish-bosheth ¹⁴  was resting on his bed in his bedroom. They mortally wounded him ¹⁵  and then cut off his head. ¹⁶  Taking his head, ¹⁷  they traveled on the way of the Arabah all that night.

2 Samuel 11:10

11:10 So they informed David, “Uriah has not gone down to his house.” So David said to Uriah, “Haven’t you just arrived from a journey? Why haven’t you gone down to your house?”

2 Samuel 15:23

15:23 All the land was weeping loudly ¹⁸  as all these people were leaving. ¹⁹  As the king was crossing over the Kidron Valley, all the people were leaving ²⁰  on the road that leads to the desert.

2 Samuel 15:2

15:2 Now Absalom used to get up early and stand beside the road that led to the city gate. Whenever anyone came by who had a complaint to bring to the king for arbitration, Absalom would call out to him, “What city are you from?” The person would answer, “I, your servant, ²¹  am from one of the tribes of Israel.”

[22:33]  ¹ tn Heb “the God.” See the note at v. 31.

[22:33]  ² tc 4QSam^a has מְאַזְּרֵנִי (mÿ’azzÿreni, “the one girding me with strength”) rather than the MT מָעוּזִּי (ma’uzzi, “my refuge”). See as well Ps 18:32.

[22:33]  ³ tn The prefixed verbal form with vav consecutive here carries along the generalizing tone of the preceding line.

[22:33]  ⁴ tn Heb “and he sets free (from the verb נָתַר, natar) [the] blameless, his [Kethib; “my” (Qere)] way.” The translation follows Ps 18:32 in reading “he made my path smooth.” The term תָּמִים (tamim, “smooth”) usually carries a moral or ethical connotation, “blameless, innocent.” However, in Ps 18:33 it refers to a pathway free of obstacles. The reality underlying the metaphor is the psalmist’s ability to charge into battle without tripping (see vv. 33, 36).

[22:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “for I have kept the ways of the Lord.” The phrase “ways of the Lord” refers here to the “conduct required” by the Lord (see HALOT 232 s.v. דֶרֶךְ). In Ps 25 the Lord’s “ways” are associated with his covenantal demands (see vv. 4, 9-10). See also Ps 119:3 (cf. vv. 1, 4), as well as Deut 8:6; 10:12; 11:22; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16.

[22:22]  ⁶ tn Heb “I have not acted wickedly from my God.” The statement is elliptical, the idea being, “I have not acted wickedly and, in so doing, departed from my God.”

[22:31]  ⁹ tn Heb “[As for] the God, his way is blameless.” The term הָאֵל (ha’el, “the God”) stands as a nominative (or genitive) absolute in apposition to the resumptive pronominal suffix on “way.” The prefixed article emphasizes his distinctiveness as the one true God (see BDB 42 s.v. II אֵל 6; Deut 33:26). God’s “way” in this context refers to his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 103:7; 138:5; 145:17).

[22:31]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the word of the Lord is purified.” The Lord’s “word” probably refers here to his oracle(s) of victory delivered to the psalmist before the battle(s) described in the following context. See also Pss 12:5-7 and 138:2-3. David frequently received such oracles before going into battle (see 1 Sam 23:2, 4-5, 10-12; 30:8; 2 Sam 5:19). The Lord’s word of promise is absolutely reliable; it is compared to metal that has been refined in fire and cleansed of impurities. See Ps 12:6. In the ancient Near East kings would typically seek and receive oracles from their god(s) prior to battle. For examples, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 241-42.

[13:34]  ¹³ tn Heb “behind him.”

[16:13]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and he cursed and threw stones, opposite him, pelting [them] with dirt.” The offline vÿqatal construction in the last clause indicates an action that was complementary to the action described in the preceding clause. He simultaneously threw stones and dirt.

[18:23]  ²¹ tn The words “but he said” are not in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[18:23]  ²² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:7]  ²⁵ tn After the concluding disjunctive clause at the end of v. 6, the author now begins a more detailed account of the murder and its aftermath.

[4:7]  ²⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ish-bosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:7]  ²⁷ tn Heb “they struck him down and killed him.” The expression is a verbal hendiadys.

[4:7]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and they removed his head.” The Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate lack these words.

[4:7]  ²⁹ tc The Lucianic Greek recension lacks the words “his head.”

[15:23]  ²⁹ tn Heb “with a great voice.”

[15:23]  ³⁰ tn Heb “crossing over.”

[15:23]  ³¹ tn Heb “crossing near the face of.”

[15:2]  ³³ tn Heb “your servant.” So also in vv. 8, 15, 21.