He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
Parallel translations
- WEB He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of brass.
- BSB He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
- NKJV He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
- NASB “He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
- NLT He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.
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 trains David's hands for war so he can bend a bronze bow. His skill and strength in battle come from the Lord.
Overview
David attributes even his martial prowess to God's teaching and equipping. The bronze bow signifies strength beyond ordinary human ability. This reminds us that whatever gifts and abilities we have are granted by God for the tasks he assigns, equipping his people for their callings.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Ps 144:1Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:
- Ps 18:33–34He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
- Ezek 39:3And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
- Ps 46:9He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
- Ezek 39:9–10And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 22:35 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.