2 Samuel 22:5 (YLT)

Passage

When the breakers of death compassed me, The streams of the worthless terrify me,

Nearby Context

2 Samuel 22:3 My God <FI>is<Fi> my rock--I take refuge in Him; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, My high tower, and my refuge! My Saviour, from violence Thou savest me!

2 Samuel 22:4 The Praised One, I call Jehovah: And from mine enemies I am saved.

2 Samuel 22:5 When the breakers of death compassed me, The streams of the worthless terrify me,

2 Samuel 22:6 The cords of Sheol have surrounded me, Before me have been the snares of death.

2 Samuel 22:7 In mine adversity I call Jehovah, And unto my God I call, And He heareth from His temple my voice, And my cry <FI>is<Fi> in His ears,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "breakers", "death", "compassed", "streams", "worthless", and "terrify". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "breakers" and "death", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "The Praised One I call Jehovah And..." into verse 6's "The cords of Sheol have surrounded me...", so "breakers" 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 "breakers" and "death" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.