For You, O LORD, are my lamp; the LORD lights up my darkness.
Parallel translations
- WEB For you are my lamp, Yahweh. Yahweh will light up my darkness.
- KJV For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.
- NKJV “For You are my lamp, O Lord; The Lord shall enlighten my darkness.
- NASB “For You are my lamp, Lord; And the Lord illuminates my darkness.
- NLT O Lord, you are my lamp. The Lord lights up my darkness.
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 confesses that Yahweh is his lamp who lights up his darkness. God is the source of his hope and guidance.
Overview
In the gloom of trouble, God himself is David's light, dispelling fear and showing the way. This intimate image expresses dependence on God for life and direction. It points to Christ, the light of the world, who shines in our darkness and gives the light of life to all who follow him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Ps 27:1Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?
- John 8:12Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
- Rev 21:23And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.
- John 12:46I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.
- Job 29:3when His lamp shone above my head, and by His light I walked through the darkness,
- Mic 7:9Because I have sinned against Him, I must endure the rage of the LORD, until He argues my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me into the light; I will see His righteousness.
- Ps 112:4Light dawns in the darkness for the upright—for the gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
- Isa 50:10Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His Servant? Who among you walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD; let him lean on his God.
- Ps 18:28For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.
- Ps 97:11Light shines on the righteous, gladness on the upright in heart.
- Isa 60:19–20No longer will the sun be your light by day, nor the brightness of the moon shine on your night; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your splendor.
- Ps 84:11For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.
- Ps 4:6Many ask, “Who can show us the good?” Shine the light of Your face upon us, O LORD.
- 2 Sam 21:17But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You must never again go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel may not be extinguished.”
- Mal 4:2“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves from the stall.
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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 22:29 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.