For the waves of death engulfed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
Parallel translations
- WEB For the waves of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
- KJV When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid;
- NKJV “When the waves of death surrounded me, The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
- NASB “For the waves of death encompassed me; The floods of destruction terrified me;
- NLT “The waves of death overwhelmed me; floods of destruction swept over me.
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 pictures death's waves and floods of ungodliness engulfing him. He vividly conveys the terror of his mortal danger.
Overview
Using imagery of overwhelming waters, David describes how close he came to destruction at the hands of wicked men. The language captures both physical peril and spiritual dread. It gives voice to every believer who has felt overwhelmed, and it foreshadows the deeper waters of death that Christ entered and overcame.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Jonah 2:3For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current swirled about me; all Your breakers and waves swept over me.
- Ps 69:14–15Rescue me from the mire and do not let me sink; deliver me from my foes and out of the deep waters.
- Isa 59:19So shall they fear the name of the LORD where the sun sets, and His glory where it rises. For He will come like a raging flood, driven by the breath of the LORD.
- Jer 46:7–8Who is this, rising like the Nile, like rivers whose waters churn?
- Rev 12:15–16Then from the mouth of the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent.
- Ps 18:4The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
- 1 Th 5:3While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
- Rev 17:1Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.
- Ps 93:3–4The floodwaters have risen, O LORD; the rivers have raised their voice; the seas lift up their pounding waves.
- Rev 17:15Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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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 22:5 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.