2 Samuel 22:26 (KJV)

Passage

With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 22:24 I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from mine iniquity.

2 Samuel 22:25 Therefore the LORD hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.

2 Samuel 22:26 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.

2 Samuel 22:27 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury.

2 Samuel 22:28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "merciful", "thou", "wilt", "shew", "thyself", and "upright". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "merciful" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 25's "Therefore the LORD hath recompensed me according..." into verse 27's "With the pure thou wilt shew thyself...", so "merciful" and "thou" belong inside that flow. In 2 Samuel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "merciful" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.