As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
Parallel translations
- WEB As for God, his way is perfect. Yahweh’s word is tested. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
- KJV As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.
- BSB As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
- NASB “As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is refined; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
- NLT “God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
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
God's way is perfect and his word is proven, and he shields all who take refuge in him. The Lord is utterly reliable to those who trust him.
Overview
David affirms the flawless integrity of God's character and the tested truthfulness of his word. To everyone who seeks shelter in him, God is a sure defense. This is a cornerstone of faith: God's promises never fail, and refuge in him, supremely in Christ, is perfectly secure.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Deut 32:4The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are just. A God of faithfulness who does no wrong, just and right is he.
- Prov 30:5“Every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
- Ps 18:30As for God, his way is perfect. Yahweh’s word is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
- Ps 12:6Yahweh’s words are flawless words, as silver refined in a clay furnace, purified seven times.
- Matt 5:48Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
- Ps 119:140Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.
- 2 Sam 22:3God is my rock in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge. My savior, you save me from violence.
- Dan 4:37Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven; for all his works are truth, and his ways justice; and those who walk in pride he is able to abase.
- Ps 35:2Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help.
- Ps 91:4He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.
- Ps 84:9Behold, God our shield, look at the face of your anointed.
- Rev 15:3They sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God, the Almighty! Righteous and true are your ways, you King of the nations.
- Ps 2:7I will tell of the decree. Yahweh said to me, “You are my son. Today I have become your father.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 22:31 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.