2 Samuel 22:5 (ASV)

Passage

For the waves of death compassed me; The floods of ungodliness made me afraid:

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 22:3 God, my rock, in him will I take refuge; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge; My saviour, thou savest me from violence.

2 Samuel 22:4 I will call upon Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised: So shall I be saved from mine enemies.

2 Samuel 22:5 For the waves of death compassed me; The floods of ungodliness made me afraid:

2 Samuel 22:6 The cords of Sheol were round about me; The snares of death came upon me.

2 Samuel 22:7 In my distress I called upon Jehovah; Yea, I called unto my God: And he heard my voice out of his temple, And my cry [came] into his ears.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "waves", "death", "compassed", "floods", "ungodliness", and "afraid". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "waves" and "death", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "I will call upon Jehovah who is..." into verse 6's "The cords of Sheol were round about...", so "waves" and "death" 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 "waves" and "death" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.