Outline of Chapter 23:

Introduction

         vv.     1–7           David’s Last Psalm

         vv.     8–39         David’s Greatest Soldiers

The Introduction to 2Samuel 23:8–39

         vv.     8–17                  The Three

         vv.    18–23                  The Two

         vv.    24–39                  The “Thirty”

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Introduction         The Principals of 2Samuel 23

         Introduction         The Prequel of 2Samuel 23

         Introduction         The Abbreviated Davidic Timeline

         Introduction         A Synopsis of 2Samuel 23

         v.       1              Famous Last Words

         v.       2              The Shortened Doctrine of Inspiration

         v.       3              Doctrine of the Rock in the New Testament

         v.       3              1Peter 2:6–7 (graphic)

         v.       3              Exercising Justice and Righteousness in Israel

         v.       4              Painting of 2Samuel 23:4

         v.       4              The Doctrine of Light

         v.       4              Jesus Christ is our Light

         v.       4              2Samuel 23:4 (graphic)

         v.       4              2Samuel 23:4 (graphic2)

         v.       5              Maranatha Church’s “The Davidic Covenant”

         v.       6              The Doctrine of Thorns

         v.       6              2Samuel 23:6 (graphic)

         v.       7              Grace Bible Church’s “The Baptism of Fire”

         v.       7              Peter Pett’s Organization of David’s Last Psalm

         v.       7              Comparing Balaam’s Words to Those of David

         v.       7              David and Jesus

         v.       8              David’s Mighty Men (a graphic)

         v.       8              Beast Barracks under David

         v.       8              Pett’s Organization of 2Samuel 23:8–39

         v.       8              Keil and Delitzsch Introduce 2Samuel 23:8–39

         v.       8              Observations Made by Various Commentators Regarding 2Samuel 23:8–39

         v.       8              Various Readings of 2Samuel 23:8

         v.       8              Catholic Bible Translations

         v.       8              Who can be saved?

         v.       8              Why are there doctrinal differences between teachers?

         v.       8              How does one choose between so many different Bible teachers?

         v.       8              Jashobeam and a Summary of Observations of 2Samuel 23:8

         v.      10              The Parallel Texts of 2Samuel 23:9–10 and 1Chronicles 11:12–14

         v.      13              From the Cave of Adullam (a graphic)

         v.      13              Map of the Valley of Rephaim

         v.      13              ISBE and Smith on the Valley of the Rephaim

         v.      17              David Pours out the Water Procured by his Mighty Men (graphic)

         v.      18              Canonicity Special

         v.      18              Canonicity Charts

         v.      18              Links to Various Works on Canonicity

         v.      19              Abishai

         v.      20              Barnes Brief Bio of Benaiah

         v.      20              Benaiah, the Son of Jehoiada (a graphic)

         v.      24              Robert L. (Bob) Deffinbaugh on the Characteristics of Heroes

         v.      24              Matching the Names for 2Samuel 23:24–28

         v.      24              Why Don’t the Names Match Exactly?

         v.      24              Is Asahel a Member of the Thirty?

         v.      27              No Greater Love (graphic)

         v.      29              Matching the Names for 2Samuel 23:29–33

         v.      34              Matching the Names for 2Samuel 23:34–39

         v.      36              The Igal’s of Scripture

         v.      36              The Bani’s of Scripture

         v.      39              Pett Compares the Lists of Samuel and Chronicles

         v.      39              Why God the Holy Spirit Includes this List in the Word of God

         v.      39              Counting up the Heroes

         Addendum          Why 2Samuel 23 is in the Word of God

         Addendum          What We Learn from 2Samuel 23

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          Edersheim Summarizes 2Samuel 23

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of 2Samuel 23

         Addendum          Peter Pett’s Chiastic Organization of 2Samuel 21:1-24:25

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of 2Samuel 23

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of 2Samuel 23

——————————

An Introduction to 2Samuel 23

I ntroduction: For all intents and purposes, 2Sam. 23 is really two chapters—the first is David’s last psalm and the second is a list of the great military men under David. There is no overlap in these two topics. David makes clear and unequivocal references to inspiration and then goes forward with his final psalm. The bulk of the chapter is all about David’s great military heroes, 36 of whom are named—although the 2Sam. 23:39 says there are 37, suggesting that one name was dropped out of the text (the numbering of these men will be discussed at the very end of this chapter).

Personally, I approach every chapter in a very similar fashion, whether it is a psalm or a list of names I do the translation first; then I go back and add in about 20–30 English translations (trying to list as many different views as possible); and, then I go back and take from 4 particular translations (The Berkeley Version, Beck’s translation, the newest Tanakh, and the REB), which I must transcribe word-by-word, as they are not found anywhere else but in written form. All during this time, I am writing commentary on each verse and developing doctrines and approaches, as the text leads me. Sometimes I feel it necessary to add in historical or geographical information from ZPEB, ISBE or Smith. I have about 11 or more commentaries available to me on e-sword and The Word, which I look at next, to see if I have missed anything important. Then I go to about 20 or so commentaries available to me on the internet, which I consider and sometimes quote. Finally, if this is a chapter covered by R. B. Thieme, Jr., then I take a look at what he had to say, in case I missed anything else.

I have certain pre-set topics and doctrines for each chapter, such as The Principals of ___ and Why is ___ included in the Bible? Throughout this exercise, I attempt to fill in these tables and doctrines. While writing, these sorts of things are on my mind the entire time. Why is this chapter of Samuel (or, whatever) in the Holy Bible? At the very end, I place an abbreviated look at the chapter in both book’s links and in the Topics and Doctrines list. Sometimes doing this suggests adding a few points or more explanation. The ultimate intention is to include all of the relevant information to any chapter, without getting too bogged down; so that the end result is the most complete and thorough exegetical approach to that chapter done at any time. And even when it is just a list of names, as we have at the very end of this chapter, there are spiritual lessons to be learned. I endeavor to find those lessons and to cover them.

Much of this chapter is a list of names, and I can understand the reticence of the Bible student to embrace and study such a chapter. As a commentator, I approach a chapter like this with great trepidation. Will I find anything worthwhile in this text? Is this nothing more than just a list of names? I think that you will be quite surprised as to how packed this chapter is with spiritual information. God the Holy Spirit did not make a mistake, making this chapter a part of the canon of Scripture.

This chapter is very neatly divided into two sections: David’s last psalm and David’s great military heroes. We may assume that the first section was written near the end of his life. It is more difficult to place the last second of this chapter, given the differences between it and its parallel passage in 1Sam. 11.

One of the fascinating things about getting the right reading is, in this chapter, we are helped out by the LXX and by the parallel passage in 1Sam. 11 more than by the Dead Sea Scrolls. There are only a few verses in the Dead Sea Scrolls which can be read, and none of them offer anything different than what we find in the Masoretic text.

——————————

David's Last Psalm

This psalm is not found in the book of Psalms.

William R. Nicoll waxes poetically about this psalm: If Jacob when he died foresaw the fate of a family, and Joseph the fate of a nation, David saw, and rejoiced to see, the destiny of mankind. His dying eyes were fixed on that great advent which changed the old world into the new world in which we live, on the dawn of that new Christian day which has come to the earth like the clear shining of the sun after rain and clothed it in fresh, tender green.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation ; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

I will only list the translation from the Dead Sea Scrolls if it exists and if it is different from the Masoretic text.

Ancient texts:

Dead Sea Scrolls                   Now these are the las[t] words of David, [the oracle of David son of Jesse, the oracle of] the man God [4QSam^a LXX. MT uses an alternate word for God or misspells.] lifted up, the anointed of [the Go]d of J[acob, the sweet Psalmist of Israel:...

Latin Vulgate                          Now these are David's last words. David the son of Isai said: The man to whom it was appointed concerning the Christ of the God of Jacob, the excellent psalmist of Israel said:...

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And these words of David the last ones—a declaration of David ben Jesse—and a declaration of the man was raised up high. An anointed of Elohim of Jacob and pleasant of songs of Israel.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    NOW these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse, the anointed one whose rule has been established, the one whom the God of Jacob has made the sweet psalmist of Israel said,...

Septuagint (Greek)                And these are the last words of David. Faithful is David the son of Jesse, and faithful is the man whom the Lord has raised up to be the anointed of the God of Jacob, and beautiful are the psalms of Israel.

Significant differences:           The Latin, Greek and Syriac all lack declaration (oracle, revelation) in the second phrase. The Greek has faithful instead. The Latin and Syriac appear to be missing the third phrase (and a declaration of a man was raised up high); and the Greek has faithful again, instead of declaration.

The word Christ in the Latin is the same as anointed in the Hebrew. Both the Latin and Syriac speak of David being a sweet psalmist rather than make reference to the psalms themselves.

You will note that the Dead Sea Scrolls do not help us much here, as what is in brackets comes from the Masoretic text and cannot be read in the Dead Sea Scrolls. As is generally the case, I accept the Hebrew text as the accurate text, representing the inspired Word of God.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           David's last words

These are David's last words:

This is the declaration of Jesse's son David,

the declaration of a man raised high,

a man anointed by the God of Jacob,

a man favored by the strong one of Israel.

Contemporary English V.       These are the last words of David the son of Jesse. The God of Jacob chose David and made him a great king. The Mighty God of Israel loved him. When God told him to speak, David said:...

Easy English                          David's last words

These are the last words of David.

David was the son of Jesse.

David was the man whom God made great.

David was the person whom the God of Jacob *anointed.

David was the lovely singer of *Israel.

David said,...

Easy-to-Read Version            These are the last words of David:...

Good News Bible (TEV)         David son of Jesse was the man whom God made great, whom the God of Jacob chose to be king, and who was the composer of beautiful songs for Israel. These are David's last words:...

The Message                         These are David's last words: The voice of the son of Jesse, the voice of the man God took to the top, Whom the God of Jacob made king, and Israel's most popular singer!

New Berkeley Version           970 b.c.

These, then, are the last words of David: [More than just a farewell, this song, like the final blessing of Jacob (Gen. 49), is an inspired prophecy of the Messiah to come and of the saving covenant of which He would be the Mediator. In form, David’s song seems patterned on the similarly prophetic last message of Balaam (Num. 24:15–24)]

The statement of Jesse’s son David,

the word of the man who was raised on high,

anointed of the God of Jacob,

and noted as Israel’s sweet psalmist:...

New Century Version             David's Last Words

These are the last words of David.

This is the message of David son of Jesse.

The man made great by the Most High God speaks.

He is the appointed king of the God of Jacob;

he is the sweet singer of Israel:...

New Life Bible                        Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse, the man who was raised on high, the chosen one of the God of Jacob, the sweet song writer of Israel, says,...

The Voice                               Here are the last words of David, son of Jesse: the words of the one raised up, the anointed one of Jacob's True God, the sweet songwriter of Israel.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          And these were the last words of David.

David (the son of Jesse) was a trustworthy man whom the Lord elevated to the position of the anointed of the God of Jacob. He also wrote many of the beautiful psalms of IsraEl. such as:...

Christian Community Bible     These are the last words of David:

The oracle of David, son of Jesse, the oracle of the man whom God exalted, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the singer of the songs of Israel:...

God’s Word™                         These are the last words of David: "Here is the declaration by David, son of Jesse- the declaration by the man whom God raised up, whom the God of Jacob anointed, the singer of Israel's psalms:...

New Advent (Knox)Bible        These are the words of David's last psalm. Thus speaks David, son of Jesse, thus speaks the man whom the God of Jacob swore to anoint, he who sang as none other sang in Israel.

New American Bible (2002)   These are the last words of David: "The utterance of David, son of Jesse; the utterance of the man God raised up, Anointed of the God of Jacob, favorite of the Mighty One of Israel.

New American Bible (2011)              The Last Words of David.* [The last words of David: the text of this short composition is difficult in places; it views David's career in retrospect.]

These are the last words of David:

The oracle of David, son of Jesse;

the oracle of the man God raised up,

Anointed of the God of Jacob,

favorite of the Mighty One of Israel [1 Kgs 2:1-9].

NIRV                                      David's Last Words

Here are David's last words. He said,

"I am David, the son of Jesse. God has given me a message.

The Most High God has greatly honored me.

The God of Jacob anointed me as king.

I am Israel's singer of songs.

New Jerusalem Bible             These are the last words of David: Thus speaks David son of Jesse, thus speaks the man raised to eminence, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the singer of the songs of Israel:...

New Simplified Bible              These are the last words of David: Here is the declaration by David, son of Jesse. The declaration by the man whom God raised up, whom the God of Jacob anointed, the singer of Israel’s psalms:...

Revised English Bible            These are the last words of David:

The word of David son of Jesse,

the word of the man whom the High God raised up,

the anointed of the God of Jacob

and the singer of Israel’s psalms;...

Today’s NIV                          David's Last Words

These are the last words of David: "The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse, the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, the hero of Israel's songs:...

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      These are the last words of David, the declaration of David the son of Jesse, the declaration the fellow raised as the anointed by the God of Jacob over a pleasant melody for Israel:...

Bible in Basic English             Now these are the last words of David. David, the son of Jesse, says, the man who was lifted up on high, the man on whom the God of Jacob put the holy oil, the loved one of Israel's songs, says:...

English Jubilee 2000              Now these are the last words of David. David, the son of Jesse, said, and the man who was raised up high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet cantor of Israel, said,...

The Expanded Bible              David's Last Words

These are the last words of David.

This is the ·message [declaration; oracle; inspired words] of David son of Jesse.

The man ·made great by the Most High God [raised high/exalted by God] speaks.

He is the ·appointed king of [anointed by] the God of Jacob;

he is the sweet ·singer [psalmist; or hero] of Israel:...

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 And these are the last words of David,

Says David the son of Jessai,

And the speech of the man raised on high,

And whom Jacob's God had approved,

And sweetly to Israel who sings,...

HCSB                                     These are the last words of David: The proclamation of David son of Jesse, the proclamation of the man raised on high, the one anointed by the God of Jacob, the favorite singer of Israel:...

NET Bible®                             David's Final Words

These are the final words of David:

"The oracle of David son of Jesse,

the oracle of the man raised up as

the ruler chosen by the God of Jacob [Heb "the anointed one of the God of Jacob."],

Israel's beloved [Or "pleasant."] singer of songs:. When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote.

NIV – UK                                David's last words

These are the last words of David:

`The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse,

the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High,

the man anointed by the God of Jacob,

the hero of Israel's songs:...

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           Here are David's last words: "This is the speech of David the son of Yishai, the speech of the man who has been raised up, the one anointed by the God of Ya'akov, the sweet singer of Isra'el.

exeGeses companion Bible   THE FINAL WORDS OF DAVID

And these are the final words of David

- an oracle of David the son of Yishay;

an oracle of the mighty raised on high;

the anointed of the Elohim of Yaaqov

and the pleasantness of the psalms of Yisra El.

Hebrew Names Version         Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Yishai says, the man who was raised on high says, the anointed of the God of Ya`akov, the sweet psalmist of Yisra'el:...

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               These are the last words of David:

The utterance of David [Meaning of much of this poem (vv. 1–7) uncertain.] son of Jesse,

The utterance of the man set on high [4QSam^a reads “God raised up.”],

The anointed of the God of Jacob,

The favorite of the songs of Israel [Meaning of Hebrew uncertain]:...

Orthodox Jewish Bible           Now these be the last devarim of Dovid. Dovid Ben Yishai said, the gever (man) who was raised up above, the Moshiach Elohei Ya'akov, and the singer of zemirot (songs) of Yisroel, said,...

The Scriptures 1998              And these are the last words of Dawi, the saying of Dawi son of Yishai, the saying of the man raised up on high, the anointed of the Elohim of Yaʽaqo, and the sweet singer of Yisraʼĕl:...

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    And these [are] the last words of David:--`The affirmation of David son of Jesse--And the affirmation of the man raised up--Concerning the Anointed of the Elohim of Jacob, And the Sweetness of the Songs of Israel.

Emphasized Bible                  Now, these, are the last words of David,—The oracle of David, son of Jesse, Yea the oracle of The man raised up on high, The Anointed of the God of Jacob, the Delight of the Songs of Israel:...

English Standard Version      Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel: ...

English Standard V. – UK       The Last Words of David

Now these are the last words of David:

The oracle of David, the son of Jesse,

the oracle of the man who was raised on high [ch. 7:8, 9; Ps. 78:70, 71],

the anointed of the God of Jacob [See ch. 22:51 above]; [1 Sam. 16:12, 13; Psalm 89:20],

the sweet psalmist of Israel:...

The Geneva Bible                  Now these [be] the last words [Which he spoke after he had written the psalms.] of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man [who was] raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said.

Green’s Literal Translation    And these are the last words of David, the saying of David the son of Jesse, and the saying of the man raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet singer of Israel:...

Kretzmann’s Commentary    David's Last Prophetic Song

Now, these be the last words of David. David, the son of Jesse, said, he uttered a divine, oracular saying based on immediate inspiration, and the man who was raised up on high, from his lowly position as the son of a shepherd, the anointed of the God of Jacob, who had the royal dignity conferred on him by God, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, he who was pleasant in the praise-songs of Israel, said, all in the power of the Holy Spirit,...

NASB                                     David's Last Song

Now these are the last words of David.

David the son of Jesse declares,

The man who was raised on high declares, [2 Sam 7:8, 9; Ps 78:70, 71]

The anointed of the God of Jacob, [1 Sam 16:12, 13; Ps 89:20]

And the sweet psalmist of Israel,...

New King James Version       David's Last Words

Now these are the last words of David.

Thus says David the son of Jesse;

Thus says the man raised up on high,

The anointed of the God of Jacob,

And the sweet psalmist of Israel:...

New RSV                               Now these are the last words of David:

The oracle of David, son of Jesse,

the oracle of the man whom God exalted [Q Ms: MT who was raised on high],

the anointed of the God of Jacob,

the favourite of the Strong One of Israel:...

Syndein/Thieme                     {Dying Words of David is Chapter 23 - Remembrance of Things in His Life} {Verses 1-5: David Always Kept 'Elohiym/Godhead and His Doctrine First in His Life}

Now these are the last words {dabar} of David. David, the son of Jesse, proclaimed { n@'um} . . . and the man who was raised up on high {SuperGrace Status}, the anointed of the 'Elohiym/Godhead of Jacob, and the pleasant psalmist of Israel, proclaimed { n@'um},...

World English Bible                Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse says, The man who was raised on high says, The anointed of the God of Jacob, The sweet psalmist of Israel:...

Young's Literal Translation     And these are the last words of David: --`The affirmation of David son of Jesse--And the affirmation of the man raised up--Concerning the Anointed of the God of Jacob, And the Sweetness of the Songs of Israel:...

The gist of this verse:          These are the final words of David; meaning the final psalm that he wrote.

Translation: These words of David [are] [his] last ones. This is the final psalm that David composed. Whereas, it is certainly possible that David spoke these from his deathbed, it is more likely, given the context, that this is simply the last psalm which he penned.

Just as, it is unlikely that David had anything to do with this addendum to the book of Samuel; he likely did not include or say, “Don’t forget to include this psalm.” Someone, after the fact—possibly after the first few chapters of Kings took place—added this appendix to the book of Samuel, with the original comment, These are David’s last words.

In the previous chapter, we studied a psalm that was possibly written by David over his entire life; and this is the final psalm that he writes. It is an interesting contrast, between an overview of his life and compared to David’s final thoughts placed into a psalm.

Keil and Delitzsch: These “last words” contain the divine seal of all that he has sung and prophesied in several psalms concerning the eternal dominion of his seed, on the strength of the divine promise which he received through the prophet Nathan, that his throne should be established for ever (2Samuel 7). These words are not merely a lyrical expansion of that promise, but a prophetic declaration uttered by David at the close of his life and by divine inspiration, concerning the true King of the kingdom of God.

We do not have a separation of chapters in the Hebrew as we do in the English. I look at the top of this page in my Bible and I see 2Samuel 23, with this as the first verse. That was not the case in the original Hebrew. 2Sam. 22:51 is followed immediately by 2Sam. 23:1. 2Sam. 22 was a psalm and this part of 2Sam. 23 is a psalm. Therefore, there needs to be a buffer in between these two psalms, to indicate that 2Sam. 23:1–7 is not simply a continuation of the previous psalm. Therefore, we have these few words: These words of David [are] [his] last ones. The Hebrew reader saw those words and realized that the psalm of 2Sam. 22 had been completed, but it would be followed by another psalm written at another time.

It is very likely that whoever added this appendix to Samuel also wrote the sentence above, simply to provide the buffer and to indicate that this is David’s last psalm.

Application: Time and life only go in one direction. No matter who you are, there will come a time when you are able to exercise your spiritual gift for the last time. This is David’s final psalm, one of his many gifts being the privilege of writing down portions of the Word of God.

Interestingly enough, we do not get any specific background. David, for some psalms, would talk about a particular escape from Saul, or another incident which prompted him to write that psalm. Here, there was not an incident of his life specifically which caused him to write this psalm—he simply began to write, inspired by the Person of the Revealed God.

It is a matter of speculation whether David himself wrote that these are his last words or whether a later editor added this. It makes perfect sense for the editor who added this appendix to be the one who wrote this initial line. It makes little sense for David to write this. How many of us realize, this is the last act of divine good that we get to do before we die?

As has been discussed, these final few chapters are an addendum to the rule of David. Regarding the historical narrative, 2Sam. 20 essentially closes out the book of Samuel and 1Kings 1 picks up the narrative about 8 years later. Apparently, someone after David’s death added these final 4 chapters, which would suggest that it is this later editor who tells us that these are David’s final words. This chapter is particular significant because it contains David’s last psalm and an account and list of his bravest soldiers (with exploits not recorded elsewhere in Samuel).

Given all that David has written in the psalms, it would not be difficult to imagine that he wrote much of the book of Samuel, with contributions from a few others (like Jonathan). However, given the placement of these psalms, just randomly added on to the end, it seems highly unlikely that David himself added them. The narrative of Samuel is fairly linear (that is, it is in chronological order, for the most part). These final 4 chapters are just simply added, with the idea that, “You cannot tell the story of David and leave this part out.”

As an aside, during this interim of 8 years, we may wonder, what is going on. This interim is one of the most important periods of David’s life, but we do not have a narrative telling us that David did this and then he did that. However, much of what David did is revealed in Proverbs—he prepared the next generation. With regards to his first set of children, David blew it. He did not train them, he did not discipline them, he did not raise them up in such a way to be the foundation for the next generation. However, as is certainly the case with Solomon—and likely the case with his younger brothers—David took the time to raise, train and discipline them. Therefore, when David dies, he has laid the groundwork for the next generation.

Before this time, David screwed up and he screwed up big time. He took the married woman Bathsheba, had her husband killed, and then faced, for about 10 years, the collateral damage of the mistakes of his life (as did much of Israel). That we studied in great depth (2Sam. 11–20). Through God’s firm hand, David turned his life around for these final years; but bear in mind, the people of Israel did not all forgive David nor did they move on spiritually as he did.

It ought to be noted that David does not appear to have had direct contact with God at any time, in the same way that, say, Abraham has contact with God. At least a half dozen times, God came to Abraham (probably in human form) and spoke directly with him. David appears to have encountered God through prophets, through His Word, and through things like the Ephod and the Ark. However, God was just as real to David as He was to Abraham. In this way, David is very much like us. This is our relationship to God. We don’t have burning bushes, clouds overhead guiding us, a voice from on high, or a man appearing to us as God. People who experience such things today are mentally unstable. Now, you may have some weird dreams, but that is beside the point—and those dreams are not God talking to you nor are they somehow related to God guiding you.

As an aside, a great deal is made out of the many times that Abraham interacted with God or all of the miracles which Moses saw and participated in. However, Abraham had a relationship with God which began before he is 75 years old, and ended sometime before his death at age 175. During that 100 years or so, God appeared to Moses on a half dozen or so occasions. In other words, God did not contact Abraham once a month to check in and to talk things out. Every 10 or 20 years, God would manifest Himself to Abraham and they would speak. My point is, this did not happen very often.

When it comes to the miracles that Moses saw with the people of Israel, there may have been 2 dozen miracles, spread out over a period of 40+ years. Now, these a big miracles, meaning that, they could be observed by all, but they average out to a miracle about every 2 years. So, even though a great many miracles took place when Moses led the people out of Egypt, in terms of the number of miracles over those 40 years, it was not something which seemed to be happening all the time.

When it comes to the life of David, miracles and contact with God are even less frequent. There is no period of time that I can recall where David and God spoke directly to one another. There is no set of miracles that David observed, even though God was with him throughout his life. So our lives are much more like David’s life; and we ought to be able to relate to David more intimately than we can to Abraham or to Moses. Furthermore, David screws up his own life big time—and most of us can certainly relate to that.

In the Church Age, our relationship to God is through His Word and through His Holy Spirit (which is not an experiential phenomena). Now, from time to time, our understanding of the plan of God may relate to our own life in such a way as to result in an emotional response—but our guidance from God comes through the Word of God and through the Holy Spirit. This is why spiritual growth is related to understanding the Word of God.

Application: We do not have to see God to know Him; we do not have to have some sort of special contact with God to understand Him and to appreciate Him. Personally, I am very wary of anyone who touts this or that experience with God—apart from a lifelong experience where God is known through His Word. For whatever reason, few Christians really appreciate the power of God’s Word in us.

David, almost like no other saint, teaches us the importance of the Word of God.

So far, v. 1 reads: These words of David [are] [his] last ones. These few words (4 in the Hebrew) were probably written by whoever appended these last 4 chapters to the book of Samuel.

Peter Pett comments: The last words of a prophetic man were seen as of telling importance and as predictive of the future. What he said would come about. And here David was undoubtedly claiming special inspiration by God's Spirit. The word `oracle' (neum) is itself indicative of `the inspiration of God as He speaks to men', and the idea is repeated twice so as to guarantee that it is a sound witness. And while it is the oracle of the mere son of Jesse, it is the oracle of the one whom God has raised up and exalted, the one whom God has anointed and set apart for Himself, the one whom God has chosen as the instrument of the praise of the whole of Israel.

This psalm has somewhat of an interesting format. At first read, I thought that all of v. 1 was an introduction; however, the psalm appears to actually begin with v. 1b:

Translation: “[These words are] the oracle of David ben Jesse... This is a declaration or oracle of David ben Jesse (David, son of Jesse).

Many times we find a person named in association with his father in the Bible. This is not because we would become confused as to which David this refers to. This is because much of what a man is, is defined by his father. We do not know much about Jesse and 1Sam. 16 puts him in a bad light. However, bear in mind that at least 3 of his sons were military types and that David, when faced with the daunting challenge of Goliath immediately rose to the occasion. Jesse may not have put in the time with David that he should have; and he may have seen David as the runt of the litter, but his influence remained on David for the rest of his life. What is remarkable about David in his early years is his faithfulness to his flock, over which he had responsibility. Even though King Saul extended an invitation to be employed at palace of the king, David still continued to go back and oversee the care of his sheep. This sense of responsibility was apparently drummed into him—probably from his father—and when he lost this sense of responsibility in 2Sam. 11, David went on a very self-destructive path.

Application: The most important man in a son’s life will always be his father—there or absent. Our current president, Barack Obama, who appears to have had no actual memory of his father (I have forgotten whether the father was there in the first year or so), was still greatly impacted by the life and views of his father, even to this day, nearly 50 years later. One of his books is directly related to his father and his search for the rest of his family and for information about his absentee father.

So far, this is what we have in v. 1:

These words of David [are] [his] last ones:

“[These words are] the oracle of David ben Jesse...

Oracle is the masculine singular construct of n^eʾûm (נְאֻם) [pronounced n^e–OOM], which means declaration, revelation, utterance, saying, oracle. Strong's #5001 & 5002 BDB #610. Most of the time when we find this word used, it is a reference to God speaking (Gen. 22:16 1Sam. 2:30 2Kings 9:26, 33).

Translation: ...and an oracle of the man [who] was raised up high [by God]—... It is not clear if David the man is raised up or if it is his oracle which is raised up. That may be the intention of the writer. David was raising up this oracle (singing it or saying it aloud); but God raised David himself up.

Application: You are not promoted unless God promotes you. You may fight for a promotion, politic for one; but unless your promotion is of God, it is meaningless.

David was the runt of the litter. His father Jesse had David out watching the sheep from a very early age, not recognizing that he was good for much else. God recognized David from the youngest age, and brought him into the limelight. God looks on the inside of a man and recognizes what is there (1Sam. 16:7).

Gill: [God took David] from a low estate to an high one, from the sheepfold to the throne, to be king over all the tribes of Israel, and a conqueror, and head of the nations round about him.

You may recall the words of God spoken to David (spoken through Nathan the prophet): "Now this is what you are to say to My servant David: 'This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “I took you from the pasture and from following the sheep to be ruler over My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. I will make a name for you like that of the greatest in the land.” (2Sam. 7:8–9; HCSB) See also Psalm 78:70. Of all the kings in this world, I would suspect that now, even 3000 years later, David is one of the best known kings throughout the world.

Application: In God’s plan, it does not matter your beginnings, your circumstances, or your failures. Although Jesse was clearly a great father, but the time that David came along, Jesse put him out to watch the sheep, not recognizing the great man that David could be. David spent many days and nights out on the prairie watching over these sheep, having little contact with the outside world. God was able to take David, this shepherd boy, and make him the most renown king of human history, as well as a man after God’s Own heart. Furthermore, we have studied David’s failings, and they were not minor failings. Yet, not only did God make of David a great man and a great king, but David also passed the baton to his son Solomon, who also was a man of renown. Therefore, no matter who you are or where you are, God has a place for you in His plan; and through His power, you can accomplish things that you did not realize, as well has do things which have eternal consequences.

Application: How many politicians have desired the power and the chutzpah to have a building or a street named after them. In many cases, such men often start these projects themselves. But long after these buildings have crumbled into dust, the good that you have done still stands. The key is, you learn how to be filled with the Spirit (rebound) and then you learn the Word of God. It is that simple.

Translation: ...[the man who is] the anointed [one] of the Elohim of Jacob... David is God’s anointed. The word anointed is mâshîyach (מָשִיחַ) [pronounced maw-SHEE-ahkh], which means anointed, anointed one. This is transliterated messiah. Strong’s #4899 BDB #603. David is not the messiah, quite obviously, but he throughout his life represents Jesus the Messiah in His 1^st and 2^nd Advents (Solomon is representative of Christ in His millennial reign). David is a type of Christ (Christ, by the way, means Messiah).

David was physically anointed by Samuel the prophet back in 1Sam. 16. Samuel chose David out from all of his brothers (at the guidance of God the Holy Spirit).

What we have is quite common in the Old Testament. David was anointed by God through Samuel as the next king of Israel. However, David also, as the anointed of God, represented Jesus the Messiah (that is, Jesus the Christ). David was a type of Christ and Jesus is the antitype. This will be further explored when we study and compare David and Jesus. David was king of Israel; Jesus will become King of Israel, in fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant. See Psalm 89 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).

Translation: ...and [the composer of] delightful psalms of Israel. Nearly all of the translations call David a pleasant psalmit, or words to that effect. This is a wrong translation, and the word found here refers to the psalms themselves and not to the composer. Furthermore, it is in the plural. Literally, this portion of the verse reads, ...and pleasant of psalms of Israel.

Keil and Delitzsch: David on the one hand had firmly established the kingdom of God in an earthly and political respect as the anointed of Jehovah, i.e., as king; [however], on the other, as the composer of Israel's songs of praise, promoted the spiritual edification of that kingdom.

Even in the Church Age, some things are ingrained in us through the singing of various hymns (assuming that they are accurate with words we understand). Eph. 5:19 Speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music to the Lord in your heart. Col. 3:16 Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. (HCSB)

This psalm reads, so far: These words of David [are] [his] last ones:

“[These words are] the oracle of David ben Jesse

and an oracle of the man [who] was raised up high [by God]

—[the man who is] the anointed [one] of the Elohim of Jacob

and [the composer of] delightful psalms of Israel. As noted before, David appears to begin the psalm even before the psalm actually begins. Or David writes an introduction which is, in itself, a short psalm.

My educated guess would be that the first line is written by whoever affixed this addendum to the book of Samuel, which may have been Nathan the prophet or one of David’s younger sons by Bathsheba. Solomon would be a logical candidate, as he did so much writing (Proverbs is a rehash of what David had taught him). Solomon’s access to the royal records and his interest in the reign of his father probably uncovered some of these documents, which he affixed to the book of Samuel with very limited commentary.

——————————

The concept of inspiration has always fascinated me, because each new generation of writers of Scripture appeared to recognize that which came before as significant, if not inspired, but their own additions may have been more tentative at first. For instance, Joshua for many decades operated under the shadow of Moses, who had direct contact with God and who was, to his people, the voice of God (Ex. 20:18–19). My guess is, Joshua accepted the writings of Moses as from God. So, how does a man continue that tradition? Joshua, as you may recall, was a very grace oriented person. He was always under the command of Moses and Joshua never looked to get out ahead of God’s plan. My guess is, Joshua recognized that he needed to continue the history of Israel, and may have begun to record the incidents of his life, not necessarily realizing that he was writing Scripture as well—at least, not at first.

One of the things which is quite fascinating about this is, after the Old Testament canon was closed, men of Israel continued to write down their thoughts as well as the history of Israel, which books have come down to us as the Apocrypha (which the Catholic church takes as being inspired). However, most Jewish and Christian scholars have recognized that these writings are not inspired by God. The same is true of all the commentary written by Jewish rabbis over the years about the Old Testament. Even though this was followed as the traditional approach to the religious practice, what these rabbis wrote was not seen as inspired by God.

So, over the years, man has been able to recognize and even agree, for the most part, on what is inspired by God and what constitutes history written by fallible man.

In this psalm, David makes an observation which comes at the end of his life. The words that he is writing—these are the Word of God. These words are inspired by God the Holy Spirit.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          The spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me and his word by my tongue.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        A Spirit of Y^ehowah has spoken by me and His word [is] upon my tongue.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me and his word is upon my tongue.

Septuagint (Greek)                The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.

Significant differences:           None.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Contemporary English V.       The Spirit of the LORD has told me what to say.

Good News Bible (TEV)         The spirit of the LORD speaks through me; his message is on my lips.

The Message                         GOD's Spirit spoke through me, his words took shape on my tongue.

The Voice                               David: The Spirit of the Eternal speaks through me;

His voice emerges from my mouth.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          'Through me, spoke the Breath of Jehovah,

And His words were there on my tongue.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       Through me the spirit of the Lord has spoken; his words are on my tongue.

New American Bible (2011)   The spirit of the LORD spoke through me;

his word was on my tongue. Is 59:21; Jer 1:9.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      "The Spirit-wind of Yahweh speaks by me, with his talk over my tongue.

Bible in Basic English             The spirit of the Lord had voice through me, his word was on my tongue.

English Jubilee 2000              (The Spirit of the LORD has spoken by me, and his word has been in my tongue. The God of Israel dictated unto me, the strong One of Israel spoke):... V. 3 is included for context.

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 For to me the ~ LORD's spirit has spoken,

And this has declared by my tongue,...

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           "The Spirit of ADONAI spoke through me, his word was on my tongue.

exeGeses companion Bible   The Spirit of Yah Veh words by me

and his utterance is in my tongue.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           The Ruach Hashem spoke by me, and His word was on my leshon.

The Scriptures 1998              “The Spirit of יהוה has spoken through me, And His word is on my tongue.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                The Spirit of the Lord spoke in and by me, and His word was upon my tongue.

English Standard Version      "The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me; his word is on my tongue.

The Geneva Bible                  The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word [was] in my tongue. Meaning, he spoke nothing but by the motion of Gods Spirit.

Green’s Literal Translation    The Spirit of Jehovah has spoken by me, and His Word is on my tongue.

Kretzmann’s Commentary    The spirit of the Lord spake by me, using him as His instrument to convey the divine truths to men, in his writings and psalms, and His Word was in my tongue, for the Spirit acts through the Word.

New RSV                               The spirit of the Lord speaks through me,

his word is upon my tongue.

Syndein/Thieme                     "The spirit/breathe {ruwach} of Jehovah/God communicated {divine viewpoint/doctrine} categorically {dabar} by me, and His utterances/viewpoint millah} . . . {were} on my tongue {David allowed God's divine viewpoint to be communicated through him}.

Young’s Updated LT             The Spirit of Jehovah has spoken by me, And His word [is] on my tongue.

The gist of this verse:          David recognizes that the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Y^ehowah) spoke through him when he wrote these words.

Translation: The Spirit of Y^ehowah speaks through me... This is unusual; the word spirit is rarely found in 2Samuel. Those in the Old Testament appeared to recognize that they had a spirit, which was somehow related to God; but only a few Old Testament believers wrote about the Holy Spirit (Gen. 6:2 2Sam. 23:2).

David understands that these words which he writes are also the words of the Holy Spirit. He is not just throwing random words out there, but these are words of God. There is no evidence, however, that David understood the Trinity as we do today. In the previous chapter, we had the abbreviated doctrine of the Trinity in the Old Testament, as well as referencing the complete Doctrine of the Trinity in the Old Testament (HTML) (PDF) (WPD).

What is happening here is known as progressive revelation. Progressive revelation means that, each additional truth builds upon, expands, and better explains that which was already taught. New revelation does not supersede, replace or nullify previous revelation, but builds upon that which is past and that which is foundational.

Progressive revelation may be applied to nearly any doctrine in the Word of God. It is doubtful that anyone in the Old Testament, for instance, understood the Trinity or even thought that there was a Trinity. However, this became a part of New Testament doctrine, which could be justified in the Old Testament as well as the New.

Translation: ...and His word [is] upon my tongue. The words for word and tongue are not found elsewhere in the book of Samuel. This makes these words really stand out. David is essentially stating the Doctrine of Inspiration.

David is both inspired to speak (write) and inspired by God the Holy Spirit, which are two different things. A writer sometimes has ideas and thoughts come to him, and he looks desperately for a place where they can be written down. That is inspiration. However, when the words of this artist are also the words of God, then that is the Biblical concept of inspiration.

Snoop Dog might find himself inspired to write down this or that rap; but this is clearly not inspired by God. The abbreviated doctrine of inspiration follows.

This psalm reads, so far: These words of David [are] [his] last ones:

“[These words are] the oracle of David ben Jesse

and an oracle of the man [who] was raised up high [by God]

—[the man who is] the anointed [one] of the Elohim of Jacob

and [the composer of] delightful psalms of Israel.

The Spirit of Y^ehowah speaks through me

and His word [is] upon my tongue.

David recognizes that much of what he has written was inspired by God the Holy Spirit—and certainly what he is writing here. So, this psalm is both written by David, but as the Spirit of Y^ehowah speaks through him.

Similarly, he is recognized in the New Testament as speaking with the authority of Scripture as well. Matt. 22:43–44 He said to them, Then how does David in Spirit call Him Lord, saying, "The Lord said to my Lord, Sit off My right until I should put Your hostile ones as a footstool for Your feet?" (Green’s literal translation; LXX-Psalm 109:1; MT-Psalm 110:1) See also Acts 2:25 2Peter 1:21 (For prophecy was never produced by the will of man, but people spoke from God, as they were carried along [i.e., inspired] by the Holy Spirit.—AUV–NT).

What appears to be the case for both David and Moses is, at the end of their lives, they understood that they were writing Scripture—or that they were communicating the very thinking of God to those who heard them. In Exodus, Numbers and Leviticus, Moses is quite careful to tell us when God is speaking—and in those passages, Moses is acting as a secretary for God. However, by the time we get to Deuteronomy, Moses is speaking with the authority of God, as he prepares the next generation to go into the Land of Promise. Similarly, right here, we see that David recognizes that what he is writing is inspired by God the Holy Spirit.

Now, so that there is no confusion about this topic, if at any point I begin telling you that my writing is inspired by God, then I am ready for the nuthouse—or at least to retire this spiritual gift. I do believe that this is my spiritual gift to study and exegete the Word of God—specifically the Old Testament. However, what is write is not inspired as David’s words are inspired. I have the help and guidance of God the Holy Spirit, but I am not infallible. My intent is to accurately as possible explain the passage which is before us—without having any kind of agenda. But despite having this gift, I am not writing the Word of God any more than any other believer is.

In the same way, evangelists and pastor-teachers may accurately teach the gospel and the Word of God, but what they say is not Scripture. I would assume that most of them are trying to present as accurate an explanation as they possibly can of what they believe is in the Bible. The intention is to take the revelation of God and explain it.

Application: Ideally for the Christian, is you want to reach the point where you are able to think like God thinks. You see something, you hear something, you read something—and your mind immediately goes to the pertinent doctrines. You see how what you are living and doing relates to the plan of God.

Application: One area where this is quite remarkable—and you will understand it when you get there—is knowing God’s will for your life. You won’t obsess over doing this or doing that; you won’t be flipping coins in the air, praying to God to make it come out to His will. You develop a whole system of thinking which includes norms and standards, and when you develop plans to do anything, you can see how your plans line up with your understanding of the plan of God for your life. This doesn’t happen in a year; nor does this happen because God makes your left shoulder feel more groovy than your right shoulder; and so you go to the left.

Application: All of this comes with age—not with physical age, because you can be 80 years old and not have the slightest clue about what you ought to be doing—but it comes with spiritual age. When you have logged in enough time learning the Word of God to where it is clear that you are growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This psalm reads, so far: These words of David [are] [his] last ones:

“[These words are] the oracle of David ben Jesse

and an oracle of the man [who] was raised up high [by God]

—[the man who is] the anointed [one] of the Elohim of Jacob

and [the composer of] delightful psalms of Israel.

The Spirit of Y^ehowah speaks through me

and His word [is] upon my tongue.

What is particularly remarkable about this psalm, as well as many of David’s other psalms, is how it looks forward to the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant, to the Messiah, and to the destruction of the wicked. These are themes which are found throughout Scripture, but are particularly rampant in the words of the prophets. And yet, King David, explores these same themes here—in this psalm as well as in several others—before the prophetic age.

And note the great confidence with which David speaks: The Spirit of Y^ehowah speaks through me and And it is His words which I speak! This helps us to focus on what is important. These are David’s final words. What topics will David focus upon? Or, the better question, upon Whom will David focus? The Lord of Lords and the King of Kings, Jesus Christ our Savior.

——————————

In retrospect, I should have kept these verses separate. This will not really affect the exegetical approach to this passage.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          The God of Israel said to me, the strong one of Israel spoke, the ruler of men, the just ruler in the fear of God. As the light of the morning, when the sun rises, shines in the morning without clouds, and as the grass springs out of the earth by rain.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        Has spoken an Elohim of Israel to me;

has declared a Rock of Israel,

the one ruling in the man righteous,

ruling [in] a fear of Elohim.

And as light of morning appears a sun;

a morning no clouds;

from brightness, from rain, grass from earth.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    The God of Israel said, the Mighty One of Israel spoke to me: He who governs men must be righteous, ruling over those who revere God. He is like the light of the morning when the sun rises, even a morning without clouds, before dawn, a morning free from rain which makes the grass to spring up.

Septuagint (Greek)                The God of Israel says, The watchman out of Israel spoke to me a parable: I said among men, How will you strengthen the fear of the anointed?

And in the morning light of God, let the sun arise in the morning, from the light of which the Lord passed on, and as it were from the rain of the tender grass upon the earth.

Significant differences:           In the second phrase, the Hebrew has the Rock of Israel, and the Greek, Latin and Syriac all have something else. The next two phrases are reasonably similar in the Hebrew, Latin and Syriac; but the Greek has something quite different.

The Latin and Hebrew and Greek seem to have rain in the morning; and the Syriac suggests that there is no rain. Most translations make the assumption that the grass of the earth is springing up, but that is not found in the Hebrew or the Greek.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           Israel's God has spoken,

Israel's rock said to me:

"Whoever rules rightly over people,

whoever rules in the fear of God,

is like the light of sunrise

on a morning with no clouds,

like the bright gleam after the rain

that brings grass from the ground.".

Contemporary English V.       Our Mighty Rock, the God of Jacob, told me, "A ruler who obeys God and does right is like the sunrise on a cloudless day, or like rain that sparkles on the grass."

Easy English                          The God of *Israel spoke.

He is *Israel's Rock (*Israel's security).

He said to me,

"A ruler must rule men in the right way.

As he rules, he must respect God.

That person is like the light that shines at dawn.

The light shines when there are no clouds.

Or the light shines after the rain.

It makes the new grass grow from the earth."

Easy-to-Read Version            The God of Israel spoke.

The Rock of Israel said to me,

“The person who rules people fairly,

the person who rules with respect for God,

that person will be

like the morning light at dawn;

like a morning without clouds;

like sunshine after a rain—

the rain that makes tender grass

grow from the ground.”

Good News Bible (TEV)         The God of Israel has spoken; the protector of Israel said to me: "The king who rules with justice, who rules in obedience to God, is like the sun shining on a cloudless dawn, the sun that makes the grass sparkle after rain."

The Message                         The God of Israel spoke to me, Israel's Rock-Mountain said, "Whoever governs fairly and well, who rules in the Fear-of-God, Is like first light at daybreak without a cloud in the sky, Like green grass carpeting earth, glistening under fresh rain."

New Berkeley Version           He said—it was Israel’s God did the speaking,

it was Israel’s Rock who revealed it to me:

A ruler who is righteous shall rise over men,

who holds His dominion through the reverence for God.

He will be like the morning light at sunrise,

of a morning that breaks without clouds,

when grass springs from earth by sunshine after rain.

New Century Version             The God of Israel spoke;

the Rock of Israel said to me:

`Whoever rules fairly over people,

who rules with respect for God,

is like the morning light at dawn,

like a morning without clouds.

He is like sunshine after a rain

that makes the grass sprout from the ground.'

New Life Bible                        The God of Israel has spoken. The Rock of Israel said to me, 'When one is right and good in ruling over men, ruling in the fear of God, he shines on them like the morning light. He is like the sunshine on a morning without clouds. He is like rain that makes the new grass grow out of the earth through sunshine after rain.'

New Living Translation           The God of Israel spoke.

The Rock of Israel said to me:

`The one who rules righteously,

who rules in the fear of God,

is like the light of morning at sunrise,

like a morning without clouds,

like the gleaming of the sun

on new grass after rain.'

The Voice                               The God of Israel has talked to me;

and the Rock of Israel said,

"One who rules people with justice

and who leads them in the fear of God

Is like the morning light,

the sun rising on a cloudless morning,

and the shining grasslands brought up from rain.".

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          It was IsraEl's God (He who guards us),

Who gave this parable to me:

'I once asked this of a man:

How can I teach you to fear the anointed?

For, God brings light in the morning,

As the sun rises into the day,

And as its brightness then fades.

Christian Community Bible     The God of Israel has spoken,

the Rock of Israel has said to me:

when one rules justly over people,

ruling in the fear of God,

he dawns on them like the morning light,

like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning,

making grass sprout from the ground after the rain.

God’s Word™                         The God of Israel spoke to them. The rock of Israel told me, 'The one who rules humans with justice rules with the fear of God.

He is like the morning light as the sun rises, like a morning without clouds, like the brightness after a rainstorm. The rain makes the grass grow from the earth.'

New Advent (Knox) Bible       What says Israel's God, Israel's strong defender? That he who rules among men, governing them justly in the fear of God, shines out like the light of dawn, when the sun rises in a cloudless sky, grows strong like meadow grass watered by the rain.

New American Bible (2002)   The God of Israel spoke; of me the Rock of Israel said, 'He that rules over men in justice, that rules in the fear of God,

Is like the morning light at sunrise on a cloudless morning, making the greensward sparkle after rain.'

New American Bible (2011)   The God of Israel spoke;

of me the Rock of Israel said,

"One who rules over humankind with justice,

who rules in the fear of God, [Ps 72:1-4.]

Is like the light at sunrise

on a cloudless morning,

making the land's vegetation glisten after rain." Jgs 5:31; Ps 72:6.

NIRV                                      The God of Israel spoke.

The Rock of Israel said to me,

`A king must rule over people in a way that is right.

He must have respect for me when he rules.

Then he will be like the light of morning at sunrise

when there aren't any clouds.

He will be like the bright sun after rain

that makes the grass grow on the earth.'

New Jerusalem Bible             The spirit of Yahweh speaks through me, his word is on my tongue;

the God of Jacob has spoken, the Rock of Israel has said to me: He whose rule is upright on earth, who rules in the fear of God,

is like the morning light at sunrise (on a cloudless morning) making the grass of the earth sparkle after rain. V. 2 is included for context.

New Simplified Bible              »The God of Israel has spoken. The protector of Israel said to me: ‘The king who rules with justice, who rules in obedience to God.

»‘He is like the sun shining on a cloudless day. The sun that makes the grass sparkle after rain.

Revised English Bible            The God of Israel spoke,

the Rock of Israel said of me:

He who rues people in justice,

who rules in the fear of God,

is like the light of morning art sunrise,

a morning that is cloudless after rain

and makes the grass from the earth sparkle.’

Today’s NIV                          The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: 'When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      The God of Israel said to me, "The Rock of Israel rules humans righteously, ruling in the fear of God."

The light of the morning sun emerges in a morning with no stormclouds with brightness on the grass in the ground from the rain.

Bible in Basic English             The God of Israel said, the word of the Rock of Israel came to me: When an upright king is ruling over men, when he is ruling in the fear of God,

It is as the light of the morning, when the sun comes up, a morning without clouds; making young grass come to life from the earth.

English Jubilee 2000              ...(The Spirit of the LORD has spoken by me, and his word has been in my tongue. The God of Israel dictated unto me, the strong One of Israel spoke): He that rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And as the light of the morning when the sun rises, of a morning shining forth without clouds, as the shining forth through light rain upon the tender grass of the earth: shall not my house be so with God, although all my saving health and my desire shall not be produced yet? Vv. 2 and 5a are included for context.

The Expanded Bible              The God of Israel spoke;

the Rock of Israel said to me:

`Whoever rules ·fairly [justly; righteously] over people,

who rules ·with respect for [in fear of] God [Prov. 1:7],

is like the morning light at ·dawn [sunrise],

like a morning without clouds.

He is like sunshine after a rain

that makes the grass ·sprout from the ground [^Lof the earth sparkle/gleam].'

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 And Israel’s God has informed me,

And Israel's hope has revealed,

As a guide to the righteous of men,

As a guide to the reverence of GOD.

Like the light of the morning at sunrise,

As a bright shining dawn without clouds,

With showers for the meadows of earth

NET Bible®                             The God of Israel spoke,

the protector [Heb "rock," used as a metaphor of divine protection.] of Israel spoke to me.

The one who rules fairly among men,

the one who rules in the fear of God,

is like the light of morning when the sun comes up,

a morning in which there are no clouds.

He is like the brightness after rain

that produces grass from the earth.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           The God of Isra'el spoke; the Rock of Isra'el said to me, 'A ruler over people must be upright, ruling in the fear of God; like the morning light at sunrise on a cloudless day that makes the grass on the earth sparkle after a rain.

exeGeses companion Bible   The Elohim of Yisra El says

- the Rock of Yisra El words to me,

He who dominates over humanity is just;

dominating in the awe of Elohim:

rising as the light of the morning

- as the morning sun without thick clouds;

- as the sprouts from the earth

by brilliancy after rain.

Hebrew Names Version         The God of Yisra'el said, the Rock of Yisra'el spoke to me, one who rules over men righteously, who rules in the fear of God,

[He shall be] as the light of the morning, when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, [When] the tender grass [springs] out of the earth, Through clear shining after rain.

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               The God of Israel has spoken,

The Rock of Israel said concerning me:

“He who rules men justly,

He who rules in [So many Hebrew manuscripts. Most manuscripts and the printed editions lack “in.”] awe of God

Is like the light of morning at sunrise,

A morning without clouds—

Through sunshine and rain [Meaning of Hebrew uncertain.]

[Bringing] vegetation out of the earth.”

Judaica Press Complete T.    The God of Israel said, concerning me spoke the Rock of Israel; 'A ruler over men shall be the righteous (man), he that rules in the fear of God.

And as the light of the morning (when) the sun shines; a morning without clouds, more than the light that follows the rain that falls upon the grass of the earth.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           The Elohei Yisroel said, the Tzur Yisroel spoke to me, He that ruleth over adam, Tzaddik, ruling in the yirat Elohim.

And He shall be as the ohr of the boker, when the shemesh riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender deshe (grass) springing out of ha'aretz by clear shining after matar (rain).

The Scriptures 1998              “The Elohim of Yisraʼĕl said, The Rock of Yisraʼĕl spoke to me, ‘One who rules over man righteously,

“Who rules in the fear of Elohim, Is like the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, Tender grass from the earth From sunshine, from rain.ʼ

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    He said--the Elohim of Israel--to me, He spoke--the Rock of Israel:He who is ruling over man [is] righteous, He is ruling in the fear of Elohim. And as the light of morning he rises, A morning sun--no clouds! By the shining, by the rain, Tender grass of the earth!"

Context Group Version          The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: One that rules over man justly { with vindication }, That rules in the fear of God, [ He shall be ] as the light of the morning, when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, [ When ] the tender grass [ springs ] out of the land { or earth }, Through clear shining after rain.

Emphasized Bible                  Said the God of Israel, Unto me, spake the Rock of Israel:—One Ruling over Men, A Righteous One, ruling in the reverence of God,

Is even as the light of the morning when ariseth the sun,—A morning, without clouds, As from brightness, and from rain, the fresh shoots out of the earth.

English Standard Version      The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.

Keil and Delitzsch (updated)  The God of Israel says,

[And] the Rock of Israel speaks to me:

A Ruler over men, just,

A Ruler in the fear [and respect] of God.

And as light of the morning, when the sun rises,

As morning without clouds:

From shining out of rain (springs) green out of the earth.

Kretzmann’s Commentary    The God of Israel said, He who chose Israel for His possession, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He who is unchangeable, faithful, and trustworthy, he that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God, literally, "a ruler over men just, a ruler in the fear of God" (there will be), that is, such a Ruler would arise whose rule would be exercised in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. The picture is that of a cloudless, beautiful morning after a night of ram, when all the plants, refreshed with moisture, respond to the coaxing warmth of the sunlight. That is the character of the Messianic period, such are the conditions following the coming of the promised King.

NASB                                     "The God of Israel said,

The Rock of Israel spoke to me [2 Sam 22:2, 3, 32],

`He who rules over men righteously [Ps 72:1-3; Is 11:1-5],

Who rules in the fear of God [2 Chr 19:7, 9],

Is as the light of the morning when the sun rises [Judg 5:31; Ps 72:6],

A morning without clouds,

When the tender grass springs out of the earth,

Through sunshine after rain.'

New King James Version       The God of Israel said,

The Rock of Israel spoke to me:

`He who rules over men must be just,

And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises,

A morning without clouds,

Like the tender grass springing out of the earth,

By clear shining after rain.'

Ruling in the fear of God.

New RSV                               The God of Israel has spoken,

the Rock of Israel has said to me:

One who rules over people justly,

ruling in the fear of God,

is like the light of morning,

like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,

gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.

Syndein/Thieme                     The 'Elohiym/Godhead of Israel said {'amar} . . . the Rock of Israel {Jesus Christ} . . . communicated categorically {dabar} to me . . . 'He who 'rules for a long time' {mashal} over men must be righteous/just {tsaddiyq}, ruling with respect {for the authority of}/'with the fear' of 'Elohiym/Godhead.' And he {a long time ruler} shall be as the light of the morning the sun that rises . . . even a morning without clouds {doctrine is the light of the world - so 'bright' means filled with divine viewpoint - referring to living a SuperGrace life - to be equipped to rule}. As the tender grass springing out of the earth {referring to the freedoms of a nation under a SuperGrace ruler} by clear shining after the rain {picture of prosperity following freedom}.

Webster’s Bible Translation  The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me, He that ruleth over men [must be] just, ruling in the fear of God. And [he shall be] as the light of the morning, [when] the sun riseth, [even] a morning without clouds; [as] the tender grass [springing] out of the earth by clear shining after rain

World English Bible                The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: One who rules over men righteously, Who rules in the fear of God, He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, When the tender grass springs out of the earth, Through clear shining after rain.

Young’s Updated LT             He said—the God of Israel—to me, He spoke—the Rock of Israel: He who is ruling over man is righteous, He is ruling in the fear of God. And as the light of morning he rises, A morning sun—no clouds! By the shining, by the rain, Tender grass of the earth!

The gist of this verse:          The man who rules over Israel with righteousness and justice is like the sun in the morning that rises, and that, with the rain, causes the grass to grow.

Translation: The Elohim of Israel has spoken to me,... David continues with the concept of divine inspiration. David is not just writing nice poetry; these are the words of God being spoken to David and through David.

Now let’s go back to the definition of inspiration of Scripture: The human writers of Scripture so wrote that without waiving their human intelligence, their vocabulary, their personal feelings, their literary style, their personality or individuality, God's complete message to man was permanently recorded with perfect accuracy in the original languages of Scripture. David is not a secretary here. He does not hear God’s voice and write it down. God works through David, allowing him his intelligence, vocabulary, feelings and literary style. David’s personality is all a part of the mix. God is not speaking through David; David is not simply writing down exactly what God says.

Translation: ...the Rock of Israel has declared,... Jesus is the Rock of Israel.

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown: This metaphor [the Rock of Israel], which is commonly applied by the sacred writers to the Almighty, was very expressive to the minds of the Hebrew people. Their national fortresses, in which they sought security in war, were built on high and inaccessible rocks.

In the previous chapter, we studied the Doctrine of the Rock in the Old Testament. See 2Samuel 22 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). Passages taken from the UPDV below, unless otherwise noted (emphasis, mine):

Doctrine of the Rock in the New Testament

1.      Building a house on a sure foundation (on a rock) insures the stability of the house. Jesus uses this as a parable to where our lives are stable and permanent if they are built upon Him and the Word of God. Matt. 17:7–10 Luke 6:48–49 2.      Paul presents the Law versus Jesus. We are to put our faith in Jesus Christ, Who is the stone of stumbling and rock of offense. Why [has Israel not arrived at righteousness]? Because [they sought it] not by faith, but as it were by works. They stumbled at the stone of stumbling; even as it is written, Look, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense: And he who believes on him will not be put to shame. (Rom. 9:32–33; LXX and MT-Isa. 28:16; MT-Isa. 8:14) 3.      Paul identifies the rock which Moses struck in the desert, the rock from which came living waters, as Jesus Christ. For I would not, brothers, have you+ ignorant, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized to Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink: for they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them: and the rock was Christ. (1Cor. 10:1–4) See Ex. 16 for the full story. 4.      Peter communicated a great deal of doctrine, much of which was related to the Rock, in 1Peter 2:1–10 Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking, as newborn babies, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that you+ may grow by it to salvation; if you+ have tasted that the Lord is gracious [LXX-Psa. 33:9; MT-Psa. 34:8 ]: to whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious, you+ also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Because it is contained in Scripture, Look, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: And he who believes on him will not be put to shame. [Isa. 28:16 ] For you+ therefore who believe is the preciousness: but for those who disbelieve, The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner; [Psa. 118:22 ] and, A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; [Isa. 8:14 ] for they stumble at the word, being disobedient: to which also they were appointed. But you+ are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God's] own possession, that you+ may show forth the excellencies [LXX-Ex. 23:22; MT-Ex. 19:5, 6] of him who called you+ out of darkness into his marvelous light: who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. [Hos. 1:6, 9 2:1, 23 ] References from Green’s literal translation. 5.      Jesus had this interchange with Peter: He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matt. 16:15–19; ESV, capitalized)          1)      Jesus says, “You are Peter;” and Peter is the Greek word Petros (πέτρος) [pronounced PEHT-ross], which means stone, large stone, piece or fragment of a rock; transliterated Petros, Peter. This is a stone a man might pick up and throw. This is not Peter’s original name, but one given him by Jesus (he was named Simon). Strong’s #4074.          2)      Then Jesus says, “Upon this rock I will build My church.” That word for rock is petra (πέτρα) [pronounced PEHT-ra], which means a rock, cliff or ledge; a projecting rock, crag, rocky ground; a rock, a large stone; metaphorically a man like a rock, by reason of his firmness and strength of soul. Thayer, Zodhiates. Strong’s #4073.          3)      So this is a play on words. The church is not built upon Petros; the church is built upon petra. The church is built upon the large stone or a large rock, which is Christ. See 1Cor. 10:1–4. 6.      Jesus Christ is the cornerstone, which is the foundation that the builders regected. Both Israel and the church are built upon the cornerstone, which is Jesus Christ. The builders in this analogy are the religious types, who are going about trying to establish their own righteousness rather than stand upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ.          1)      Isa. 28:16 Wherefore, thus says my Lord Yahweh, "Behold Me laying in Zion a foundation stone, a choice stone, a corner of a precious well-founded foundation. The believer on it shall not be put to shame." (CLV) That cornerstone is Jesus Christ.          2)      Jesus confirms this in Matt. 21:42 Jesus says to them, "Did you* never read in the Scriptures, 'A stone which the ones building rejected, this [one] has become [the] head of a corner; this happened from the LORD, and it is marvelous in our eyes?' [Psalm 118:22,23] (ALT) The stone which the builders rejected is Jesus Christ, and He has become the head of the corner (the chief cornerstone). Regarding this stone, then Jesus warned, “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” (Luke20:18; ESV)          3)      Peter confirms this in Acts 4:8–12 Then Peter, having been filled with [the] Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel, if _we_ today are being examined concerning an act of kindness [done] to a sick man, by what [means] this [man] has been cured, let it be known to you* all and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom _you*_ crucified, whom God raised from [the] dead, by Him has this [man] stood before you* healthy! "This is, 'The stone, the one having been rejected by you* the builders, which has became [the] head of a corner.' [Psalm 118:22] And [there] is no salvation in any other, for neither [is there] a different name {under heaven} having been given among people by which it is necessary [for] us to be saved!"          4)      Peter again confirms this in 1Peter 2:6–8 For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. (ESV; Isa. 28:16 Psalm 118:22 Isa. 8:14)          5)      1Peter 2:6–7 (graphic). Picture from RevCharlieHolt.com, accessed May 5, 2014.          6)      Eph. 2:19–22 So, consequently, you* are no longer strangers and foreigners, _but_ fellow-citizens with the holy ones and [members] of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being [the] cornerstone, in whom [the] entire building having been joined together is growing into a holy temple in [the] Lord, in whom also _you*_ are being built together into a habitation for God in the Spirit. (ALT) 7.      When performing acts of divine good, they must be built upon the foundation stone of Jesus Christ. According to the grace of God, the one having been given to me, like a wise, expert builder, I have laid a foundation, but another is building on [it]. But let each be watching [or, be taking care] how he builds on [it]. For no one is able to lay another foundation besides the one laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1Cor. 3:10–11; ALT)