When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid;
Parallel translations
- WEB For the waves of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
- BSB For the waves of death engulfed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
- 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 thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.
- Ps 69:14–15Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
- Isa 59:19So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.
- Jer 46:7–8Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers?
- Rev 12:15–16And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
- Ps 18:4The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
- 1 Th 5:3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
- Rev 17:1And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
- Ps 93:3–4The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
- Rev 17:15And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, 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.