2 Samuel 22:35
in 2 Samuel 22He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He teacheth my hands to war, So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.
KJV
He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 22
Commentary
3 notes on this verseAnd this ingenuity was as good as strength, for it follows, "so that a bow of steel is broken by my arms, " not so much by main force as by dexterity), and very vigorous and valiant. ( Thou hast girded me with strength to battle,
This site's exposition
teacheth my hands to war
on 2 Samuel 22:35-37
He teacheth my hands to war credits training in combat itself to God, and the bow of steel broken by mine arms is a soldier crediting skill rather than raw force, Matthew Henry notes it was dexterity as much as strength. Thy gentleness hath made me great sits deliberately beside the war language around it, so the song credits the same God for the battles won and for the patient dealing that shaped the man who could win them. Enlarged steps under me answers the strait place of the earlier verses, room to walk without stumbling where before there was only flood and snare.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. See Gill on Psa 18:34.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מְלַמֵּ֥ד | melamed | [he has] trained | H3925 → | |
| יָדַ֖י | yadai | hands my | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| לַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה | lamilchamah | for <the> battle | H4421 → | 320 times |
| וְנִחַ֥ת | venichat | and it will stretch | H5181 → | |
| קֶֽשֶׁת־ | keshet- | a bow of | H7198 → | 76 times |
| נְחוּשָׁ֖ה | nechushah | bronze | H5154 → | |
| זְרֹעֹתָֽי׃ | zerootai | arms my | H2220 → |
מְלַמֵּ֥ד[he has] trained
melamedH3925 →
יָדַ֖יhands my
yadaiH3027 →1618 times
לַמִּלְחָמָ֑הfor <the> battle
lamilchamahH4421 →320 times
וְנִחַ֥תand it will stretch
venichatH5181 →
קֶֽשֶׁת־a bow of
keshet-H7198 →76 times
נְחוּשָׁ֖הbronze
nechushahH5154 →
זְרֹעֹתָֽי׃arms my
zerootaiH2220 →
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
Psalms 144:1Blessed be the LORD, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.
it leads to
- Psalms 18:34
He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
- Psalms 18:2
The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
- Psalms 44:3–4
For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because…
- Ephesians 6:10–11
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
- 2 Corinthians 10:4
The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
- Psalms 18:34
Through
Psalms 46:9He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.
it leads to
- Isaiah 2:4
Then He will judge between the nations and arbitrate for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against…
- Micah 4:3–4
Then He will judge between many peoples and arbitrate for strong nations far and wide. Then they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take…
- Micah 5:10
“In that day,” declares the LORD, “I will remove your horses from among you and wreck your chariots.
- Isaiah 2:4
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.