2 Samuel 22:38
in 2 Samuel 22I pursued my enemies and destroyed them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; Neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
KJV
I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 22
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
I pursued my enemies and destroyed them
on 2 Samuel 22:38-40
The verbs stack: David pursues, destroys, devours and crushes his enemies until they “have fallen under my feet”. He does not turn back until they are consumed. Then the credit goes to God, “You have armed me with strength for battle”, the same claim the song makes of every victory.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them. See Gill on Psa 18:37.
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.
The words behind it
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֶרְדְּפָ֥ה | ʾerdefah | let me pursue | H7291 → | 143 times |
| אֹיְבַ֖י | ʾoyevai | enemies my | H341 → | 282 times |
| וָאַשְׁמִידֵ֑ם | vaashmidem | and I destroyed them | H8045 → | 90 times |
| וְלֹ֥א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| אָשׁ֖וּב | ʾashuv | I returned | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| כַּלּוֹתָֽם׃ | kalotam | brought to an end them | H3615 → | 208 times |
אֶרְדְּפָ֥הlet me pursue
ʾerdefahH7291 →143 times
אֹיְבַ֖יenemies my
ʾoyevaiH341 →282 times
וָאַשְׁמִידֵ֑םand I destroyed them
vaashmidemH8045 →90 times
וְלֹ֥אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
אָשׁ֖וּבI returned
ʾashuvH7725 →1056 times
עַד־until
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
כַּלּוֹתָֽם׃brought to an end them
kalotamH3615 →208 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 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
Romans 8:37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
- 1 John 4:4
You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
- 1 John 5:4–5
because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.
- 2 Corinthians 2:14
But thanks be to God, who always leads us triumphantly as captives in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.
- Revelation 21:7
The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.
- 1 Corinthians 15:57
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; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.