He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
Parallel Translations
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He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
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He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
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Who traineth my hands for war, so that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.
Cross-references (5)
Passages linked to 2 Samuel 22:35 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Psalms 144:1 Blessed be Yahweh, my rock, who teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to battle:
- Psalms 18:33-34 He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and sets me on my high places. He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
- Psalms 46:9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow, and shatters the spear. He burns the chariots in the fire.
- Ezekiel 39:3 I will strike your bow out of your left hand, and will cause your arrows to fall out of your right hand.
- Ezekiel 39:9-10 “ ‘ “Those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out, and will make fires of the weapons and burn them, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the war clubs and the spears, and they will make fires with them for seven years; so that they will take no wood out of the field, and not cut down any out of the forests; for they will make fires with the weapons. They will plunder those who plundered them, and rob those who robbed them,” says the Lord Yahweh.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (4 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Or, steel.
Or, steel.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 35. so that a bow of steel, &c.] And…
35. so that a bow of steel, &c.] And mine arms bend a bow of bronze. The ability to bend a metal bow (cp. Job_20:24) was a mark of superior strength. Readers of the Odyssey will recall Ulysses’ bow, which none but himself could bend. (Hom. Od. xxi. 409).
Observe how David recognises that the advantages of physical strength and energy, important qualifications in times when the king was himself the leader of his people in battle, were gifts of God; yet that it was not these that saved him and made him victorious, but Jehovah’s care and help (2Sa_22:36 ff.).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain He teaeheth my hands to war; And mine arms…
Vers. 35-37.
He teaeheth my hands to war; And mine arms can bend a bow of bronze. And thou hast given me thy saving shield; And thy hearing of me hath made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; And my feet have not slipped.
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Bow of bronze. In Job_20:24 we also read of bows made of this metal, or compound of metals, which was a far more ancient material for weapons than steel. The bending of such a bow was proof of great strength, and the last artifice of Penelope, to save herself from the suitors, was to promise her hand to the man who could bend Ulysses" bow. Thy hearing of me; in Psa_18:35, and Authorized Version and Revised Version here, "thy gentleness." The words in the Hebrew are very nearly alike, but the Septuagint notices the difference, and translates "hearing" in this place, but "chastisement" in the psalm. The Vulgate has "gentleness" or "mildness" here, and "discipline" in the psalm. The Syriac alone has "discipline" in both places. My feet; literally, ankle bones, the weakness of which causes men to totter.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain He maketh my hands to war.
2Sa_22:35-43
He maketh my hands to war.
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Faith winning victories
Dr. Campbell Morgan told me at Northfield of an instance of the kind. A poor man came to him after a service on Round Top, where the body of Mr. Moody lies, and said, Do you believe that when you are tempted, and say, Get thee behind me, Satan, the victory is won? Dr. Morgan, after a moment said, No, I do not. Then, said his interlocutor, you stop preaching Christ and deliverance from sin: for I have a temptation. I dont want to live with it; I dont want to be defeated; I would do the best I knew if I had the power, but I have not. If I cant say, Get thee behind me, and be sure of victory, what am I to do? Dr. Morgan said, Do you believe that Christ said it, and won? Yes, I believe He is the only One who could ever say it, and win. Then you go, and in the name of Christ say, Get thee behind me, Satan, when your hour of torture comes, and see which gets the victory. The next morning, says Dr. Morgan, as I drove up I met this man standing in the middle of the pathway in front of me. He looked at me with radiant face, standing square on his two feet, and said, Man, it works! He had found the Christ a present Deliverer as well as an abstract Saviour.
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.