2 Samuel 22:31
in 2 Samuel 22As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
As for God, his way is perfect: The word of Jehovah is tried; He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in him.
KJV
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 22
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
thou art my lamp, O Lord
on 2 Samuel 22:29-31
Thou art my lamp turns from David's own conduct to God's, the light that keeps him from stumbling in darkness he did not choose. His way is perfect and the word of the Lord is tried move from the man's claim to God's own character, tried in the sense of refined like metal, proved true by use rather than assumed true on his word alone. Matthew Henry reads the shift from David's uprightness to the Lord's own perfection as the section's real center.
This site's exposition
He is a shield
Matthew Henry sets the perfect way of God against human faithlessness. Men promise and fail to perform, while the word of the LORD proves flawless. The shield for all who take refuge returns at Proverbs 30:5 almost word for word.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Men begin in kindness, but end not-promise, but perform not; but God will finish his work, and his word is tried, and what we may trust. How he triumphs in the interest he has in this God, and his relation to him, which he lays down as the foundation of all the benefits he has received from him: He is my God; as such he cries to him (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him. See Gill on Psa 18:30.
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הָאֵ֖ל | hael | <the> God | H410 → | 241 times |
| תָּמִ֣ים | tamim | [is] blameless | H8549 → | 91 times |
| דַּרְכּ֑וֹ | darko | way his | H1870 → | 707 times |
| אִמְרַ֤ת | ʾimrat | [the] word of | H565 → | |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| צְרוּפָ֔ה | tzerufah | [is] refined | H6884 → | |
| מָגֵ֣ן | magen | [is] a shield | H4043 → | 63 times |
| ה֔וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| לְכֹ֖ל | lekhol | for all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַחֹסִ֥ים | hachosim | those [who] seek refuge | H2620 → | |
| בּֽוֹ׃ | bo | in <the> him |
הָאֵ֖ל<the> God
haelH410 →241 times
תָּמִ֣ים[is] blameless
tamimH8549 →91 times
דַּרְכּ֑וֹway his
darkoH1870 →707 times
אִמְרַ֤ת[the] word of
ʾimratH565 →
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
צְרוּפָ֔ה[is] refined
tzerufahH6884 →
מָגֵ֣ן[is] a shield
magenH4043 →63 times
ה֔וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
לְכֹ֖לfor all
lekholH3605 →5413 times
הַחֹסִ֥יםthose [who] seek refuge
hachosimH2620 →
בּֽוֹ׃in <the> him
bo
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
Proverbs 30:5Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
it leads to
- Psalms 18:30
As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 12:6
The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace, like gold purified sevenfold.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- James 3:17
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
- Psalms 18:30
Through
Matthew 5:48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
it leads to
- 1 Peter 1:15–16
But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do,
- James 1:4
Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
- Leviticus 19:2
“Speak to the whole congregation of Israel and tell them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
- 1 Peter 1:15–16
Through
Psalms 12:6The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace, like gold purified sevenfold.
it leads to
- Proverbs 30:5
Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 30:5
Through
Psalms 18:30As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He.
- Deuteronomy 32:4
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 2 Samuel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.