2 Samuel 22:5 (WEB)

Passage

For the waves of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 22:3 God is my rock in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge. My savior, you save me from violence.

2 Samuel 22:4 I call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.

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

2 Samuel 22:6 The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares of death caught me.

2 Samuel 22:7 In my distress, I called on Yahweh. Yes, I called to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry came into his ears.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "waves", "death", "surrounded", "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 call on Yahweh who is worthy..." into verse 6's "The cords of Sheol were around me...", 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.