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I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make for you a name like the greatest in the land.
2 Samuel 7:9 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you. I will make you a great name, like the name of the great ones who are in the earth.
  • KJV And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.
  • NKJV And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth.
  • NASB And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have eliminated all your enemies from you; I will also make a great name for you, like the names of the great men who are on the earth.
  • NLT I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes. Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth!

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 affirmed He had been with David, defeated his enemies, and would make his name great. David's success and renown flow from God's faithful presence.

Overview

God rehearses His past faithfulness, having been with David and cut off his foes, as the basis for His future promises. The pledge to make David a great name echoes the promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:2), tying David into God's larger redemptive plan. True greatness here is God's gift, not a human achievement.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 16

  • 2 Sam 5:10And David became greater and greater, for the LORD God of Hosts was with him.
  • 1 Chr 17:8I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make for you a name like the greatest in the land.
  • 2 Sam 8:6Then he placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to David and brought him tribute. So the LORD made David victorious wherever he went.
  • Ps 18:37–42I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
  • 1 Sam 18:14and he continued to prosper in all his ways, because the LORD was with him.
  • 2 Sam 22:34–38He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.
  • Ps 113:7–8He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the dump
  • 2 Sam 8:14He placed garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David. So the LORD made David victorious wherever he went.
  • Gen 12:2I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
  • Luke 1:52He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.
  • 2 Sam 22:30For in You I can charge an army; with my God I can scale a wall.
  • Ps 89:23I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him.
  • 1 Sam 2:8He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s, and upon them He has set the world.
  • 2 Sam 22:1And David sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
  • 1 Sam 31:6So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died together that same day.
  • Ps 87:3–6Glorious things are ascribed to you, O city of God. Selah

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 2 Samuel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 2 Samuel 7:9YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 2 SamuelMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 7:9 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.