2 Samuel 22:32-34

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. 2 Samuel 22:32 tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.
2. 2 Samuel 22:32 tn Heb “rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor of protection.
3. 2 Samuel 22:32 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.
4. 2 Samuel 22:33 tn Heb “the God.” See the note at v. 31.
5. 2 Samuel 22:33 tc 4QSam^a has מְאַזְּרֵנִי (m^eʾazz^ereni, “the one girding me with strength”) rather than the MT מָעוּזִּי (maʿuzzi, “my refuge”). See as well Ps 18:32.
6. 2 Samuel 22:33 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav consecutive here carries along the generalizing tone of the preceding line.
7. 2 Samuel 22:33 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).
8. 2 Samuel 22:34 tc Heb “[the one who] makes his feet like [those of] a deer.” The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading רַגְלַי (raglay, “my feet”) rather than the MT רַגְלָיו (raglayv, “his feet”). See as well Ps 18:33.
9. 2 Samuel 22:34 tn Heb “and on my high places he makes me walk.” The imperfect verbal form emphasizes God’s characteristic provision. The psalmist compares his agility in battle to the ability of a deer to negotiate rugged, high terrain without falling or being injured. Habakkuk uses similar language to describe his faith during difficult times. See Hab 3:19.