2 Samuel 22:46 (YLT)

Passage

Sons of a stranger fade away, And gird themselves by their close places.

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 22:44 And--Thou dost deliver me From the strivings of my people, Thou placest me for a head of nations; A people I have not known do serve me.

2 Samuel 22:45 Sons of a stranger feign obedience to me, At the hearing of the ear they hearken to me.

2 Samuel 22:46 Sons of a stranger fade away, And gird themselves by their close places.

2 Samuel 22:47 Jehovah liveth, and blessed <FI>is<Fi> my Rock, And exalted is my God--The Rock of my salvation.

2 Samuel 22:48 God--who is giving vengeance to me, And bringing down peoples under me,

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 45's "Sons of a stranger feign obedience to..." into verse 47's "Jehovah liveth and blessed FI is Fi...", so "sons" and "stranger" 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 "sons" and "stranger" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.