2 Samuel 22:5 (DBY)

Passage

For the waves of death encompassed me, Torrents of Belial made me afraid.

Nearby Context

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

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

2 Samuel 22:5 For the waves of death encompassed me, Torrents of Belial made me afraid.

2 Samuel 22:6 The bands of Sheol surrounded me; The cords of death encountered me;

2 Samuel 22:7 In my distress I called upon Jehovah, And I cried to 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", "encompassed", "torrents", "belial", 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 bands of Sheol surrounded me The...", 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.