2 Samuel 22:46 (KJV)

Passage

Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places.

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 22:44 Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people, thou hast kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew not shall serve me.

2 Samuel 22:45 Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me.

2 Samuel 22:46 Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places.

2 Samuel 22:47 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.

2 Samuel 22:48 It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "strangers", "shall", "fade", "away", "afraid", "close", and "places". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "strangers" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 45's "Strangers shall submit themselves unto me as..." into verse 47's "The LORD liveth and blessed be my...", so "strangers" and "shall" 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 "strangers" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.