2 Samuel 22:10
in 2 Samuel 22He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He bowed the heavens also, and came down; And thick darkness was under his feet.
KJV
He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 22
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
the earth shook and quaked
on 2 Samuel 22:8-10
The earth “shook and quaked” and the heavens trembled, the language of Sinai, where the whole mountain quaked as the LORD came down (Exodus 19:18). “He parted the heavens and came down”, and Matthew Henry reads the section as drawn from Israel’s memory of God in the storm.
This site's exposition
He parted the heavens
John Gill reads this line with Psalm 18:9. The picture is a king coming down to the field in person, with the storm cloud under His feet. David asks for the same descent at Psalm 144:5, praying for the heavens to part again.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet. See Gill on Psa 18:9.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
He bent heaven. To take revenge from His enemies, from Mitzrayim and from Pharoah.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
And He bent down the heavens and his Glory was revealed, and a dark cloud covered before Him.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֵּ֥ט | vaiyet | and he bowed | H5186 → | 214 times |
| שָׁמַ֖יִם | shamayim | [the] heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| וַיֵּרַ֑ד | vaiyerad | and he came down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| וַעֲרָפֶ֖ל | vaarafel | and thick darkness | H6205 → | |
| תַּ֥חַת | tachat | [was] under | H8478 → | 505 times |
| רַגְלָֽיו׃ | raglav | feet his | H7272 → | 247 times |
וַיֵּ֥טand he bowed
vaiyetH5186 →214 times
שָׁמַ֖יִם[the] heavens
shamayimH8064 →421 times
וַיֵּרַ֑דand he came down
vaiyeradH3381 →381 times
וַעֲרָפֶ֖לand thick darkness
vaarafelH6205 →
תַּ֥חַת[was] under
tachatH8478 →505 times
רַגְלָֽיו׃feet his
raglavH7272 →247 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Kings 8:12Then Solomon declared: “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.
it leads to
- Psalms 97:2
Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are His throne’s foundation.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Chronicles 6:1–11
Then Solomon declared: “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud;
- Leviticus 16:2
And the LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter freely into the Most Holy Place behind the veil in front of the mercy seat on the ark, or else he…
- Isaiah 45:15
Truly You are a God who hides Himself, O God of Israel, the Savior.
- Psalms 97:2
Through
Psalms 97:2Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are His throne’s foundation.
it leads to
- Psalms 89:14
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; loving devotion and faithfulness go before You.
- Exodus 19:9
The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear when I speak with you, and they will always put their trust in…
- Proverbs 16:12
Wicked behavior is detestable to kings, for a throne is established through righteousness.
- Psalms 89:14
Through
Psalms 144:5Part Your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
it leads to
- Psalms 18:9
He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 18:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
On this verse
On this chapter
About 2 Samuel
This page draws on John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.