“To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity.
Parallel translations
- WEB With the merciful you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man you will show yourself perfect.
- KJV With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.
- BSB To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
- NKJV “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
- NASB “With the one who is faithful You show Yourself faithful, With the blameless one You prove Yourself blameless;
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David declares that God shows himself merciful to the merciful and blameless to the blameless. God responds in kind to the character of those who seek him.
Overview
This proverb-like truth teaches that our experience of God corresponds to our posture toward him; the faithful know his faithfulness. It reflects God's just and personal way of dealing with people. While we never merit his mercy, those who walk in his ways increasingly know him as merciful, a mercy fully displayed at the cross.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 22:26 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.