“I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
Parallel translations
- WEB I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them. I didn’t turn again until they were consumed.
- KJV I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them.
- BSB I pursued my enemies and destroyed them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
- NASB “I pursued my enemies and eliminated them, And I did not turn back until they were finished off.
- NLT “I chased my enemies and destroyed them; I did not stop until they were conquered.
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 pursued and destroyed his enemies, not turning back until they were consumed. God granted him decisive victory over his foes.
Overview
As Israel's anointed king fighting the LORD's battles, David overcame his enemies completely. The language reflects the holy-war context of establishing God's kingdom against hostile nations. It foreshadows the greater Son of David, who will fully and finally subdue every enemy of God's reign.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Ps 21:8–9Your hand will find out all of your enemies. Your right hand will find out those who hate you.
- 2 Sam 10:14When the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians had fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, and entered into the city. Then Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.
- 2 Sam 8:13–14David earned a reputation when he returned from striking down eighteen thousand men of the Syrians in the Valley of Salt.
- Rom 8:37No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
- 2 Sam 8:1–2After this, David struck the Philistines and subdued them; and David took the bridle of the mother city out of the hand of the Philistines.
- 2 Sam 5:18–25Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
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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 22:38 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.