2 Samuel 22:42 (LSB)

Passage

They looked, but there was none to save; Even to Yahweh, but He did not answer them.

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 22:40 For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

2 Samuel 22:41 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, And I destroyed those who hated me.

2 Samuel 22:42 They looked, but there was none to save; Even to Yahweh, but He did not answer them.

2 Samuel 22:43 Then I beat them fine as the dust of the earth; I pulverized and stamped them as the mire of the streets.

2 Samuel 22:44 You have also delivered me from the contentions of my people; You have kept me as head of the nations; A people whom I have not known serve me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "looked", "none", "save", "even", "yahweh", and "answer". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "looked" and "none", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 41's "You have also made my enemies turn..." into verse 43's "Then I beat them fine as the...", so "looked" and "none" 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 "looked" and "none" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.