“Yahweh’s Spirit spoke by me. His word was on my tongue.
Parallel translations
- KJV The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.
- BSB The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; His word was on my tongue.
- NKJV “TheSpirit of the Lord spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue.
- NASB “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me, And His word was on my tongue.
- NLT “The Spirit of the Lord speaks through me; his words are upon my tongue.
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 testifies that the LORD's Spirit spoke through him, marking his words as divinely inspired prophecy.
Overview
David claims direct inspiration: Yahweh's Spirit spoke by him and His word was on David's tongue. This is a clear Old Testament witness to the doctrine of inspiration, where God moves a human author to speak His own word, the same Spirit who would later testify of Christ through the Scriptures (2 Peter 1:21).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 2 Pet 1:21For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit.
- Matt 22:43He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying,
- Acts 2:25–31For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before my face, For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.
- Mark 12:36For David himself said in the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.”’
- Heb 3:7–8Therefore, even as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you will hear his voice,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 23:2 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.