2 Samuel 22 6

2 Samuel 22:6 kjv

The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;

2 Samuel 22:6 nkjv

The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.

2 Samuel 22:6 niv

The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.

2 Samuel 22:6 esv

the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

2 Samuel 22:6 nlt

The grave wrapped its ropes around me;
death laid a trap in my path.

2 Samuel 22 verses

2 Samuel 22 6 Meaning

2 Samuel 22:6, a verse from David's song of deliverance, graphically portrays a situation of extreme peril and distress. It signifies that David felt completely overwhelmed and trapped by forces that sought to bring about his death, as if he were already in the inescapable grip of the underworld (Sheol) or caught in the deadly snares set by an adversary. It powerfully communicates a profound sense of mortal danger from which human strength could not offer rescue.

2 Samuel 22 6 Context

This verse is found within David’s "Song of Deliverance," which also appears nearly identically as Psalm 18. It is a thanksgiving hymn, recounting God’s miraculous salvation of King David from all his enemies, most notably Saul and the Philistines. The overall context of 2 Samuel 22 is David looking back over his life, acknowledging the immense dangers he faced, and giving glory to God, who consistently proved to be his fortress and deliverer. Verse 6, specifically, functions as part of David's intense description of his extreme peril before God's intervention. It depicts his suffering in a way that magnifies the divine rescue that follows, illustrating that David's deliverance was not from minor annoyances but from existential, life-threatening forces.

2 Samuel 22 6 Word analysis

• The cords:

  • Hebrew: חֶבְלֵי (chevlei). Literal meaning is "ropes" or "bands." Figuratively, it can also denote "pangs" or "birth pains" (e.g., in childbirth), implying intense agony, a wrenching, painful experience, or travail.
  • Significance: This suggests David felt not merely caught but bound and constricted by inescapable forces, causing excruciating suffering akin to dying pangs. It emphasizes helplessness and overwhelming distress.

• of Sheol:

  • Hebrew: שְׁאוֹל (she'ol). The common Old Testament term for the grave or the underworld. It is conceived as the dark, shadowy realm of departed spirits, where all eventually go, irrespective of moral status, and where life's activities cease. It's not typically a place of eternal torment but of silence and oblivion.
  • Significance: "Sheol" personifies the ultimate cessation of life. David felt he was already being dragged into this domain, underscoring the severity of his near-death situation. God's deliverance means rescuing him from the very jaws of the grave.

• entangled me:

  • Hebrew: אֲפָפֻנִי ('afafuni). From the root אָפַף ('afaf), meaning "to encompass," "to surround," "to overwhelm."
  • Significance: Conveys a feeling of being completely hemmed in, unable to move or escape. It emphasizes the suffocating and all-encompassing nature of the threat David faced.

• the snares:

  • Hebrew: מוֹקְשֵׁי (mokshei). Derived from a word meaning "to lay a snare" or "to set a trap." Refers to a trap, a net, or an entanglement designed to capture or destroy.
  • Significance: Reinforces the idea of capture and an imminent, inescapable death. This implies the enemy (whether human or spiritual) had deliberately laid a fatal trap for him.

• of death:

  • Hebrew: מָוֶת (mavet). Refers to the physical act of dying or the state of being dead. Often personified in Hebrew poetry as an active, hostile entity or power.
  • Significance: While "Sheol" refers to the destination, "death" refers to the process and power itself. This personification underscores that David faced not just abstract danger but the active force bent on ending his life.

• confronted me:

  • Hebrew: קִדְּמוּנִי (qid'muni). From the root קָדַם (qadam), meaning "to come before," "to meet," "to confront," "to go to meet." It can imply anticipation, but in this context, it often suggests the swift or unexpected arrival of a force.
  • Significance: The danger was not just distant; it had advanced directly upon him, confronting him head-on. It implies that he was face to face with the grim reality of his demise.

• Words-group analysis:

  • The cords of Sheol: This phrase depicts being bound and dragged by an irresistible force towards the realm of the dead. It conjures an image of a struggle for life that is being lost, a feeling of being pulled into a final, inescapable destiny.
  • the snares of death: This further emphasizes the fatal nature of the predicament, suggesting not only capture but also premeditated destruction. It is an image of being cunningly ambushed by a mortal threat that allows no avenue of escape. The use of two parallel images ("cords of Sheol" and "snares of death") intensifies the depiction of extreme peril and near-death experience, employing a common poetic device known as synonymous parallelism to magnify David's plight.

2 Samuel 22 6 Bonus section

• The profound agony and impending doom described in this verse foreshadow the "pangs of death" (Acts 2:24) that gripped Christ, from which God sovereignly raised Him, demonstrating His ultimate triumph over death and Sheol for all time.
• The vivid imagery of "cords" and "snares" highlights a recurring motif in the Bible: humanity's vulnerable state and the subtle traps laid by sin, evil, or literal enemies, from which only divine power can deliver.
• This expression of distress from David (who was a type of Christ) resonates with the experiences of believers throughout history who have faced profound spiritual, physical, or emotional suffering, feeling "on the brink" yet trusting in God's saving power.

2 Samuel 22 6 Commentary

2 Samuel 22:6 eloquently articulates King David’s overwhelming despair when faced with life-threatening adversaries. Through stark poetic personification, it paints Sheol and Death as active, formidable captors, whose "cords" and "snares" have entrapped him, signifying a point of absolute human helplessness and impending demise. David's experience was not merely abstract danger but a felt reality of being on the precipice of oblivion. This verse acts as the low point in his recounting, establishing the utter necessity and dramatic scale of God's subsequent intervention. It provides a foundation for appreciating the grandeur of divine salvation from an impossible human situation, a central theme in biblical narratives of God's people in distress.