Bible Strands
2 Samuel 22:20
He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David speaks to the Lord, recounting his deliverance from enemies during a time of calamity. The verse immediately follows his declaration that the Lord was his support when confronted in his day of distress.
The words — The verb יְחַלְּצֵֽנִי (yechalletzéni) translates "He rescued me," while the conjunction כִּי־חָפֵֽץ (ki-chafetz) reads "because He delighted." These terms tie the act of rescue directly to divine favor rather than human action.
The thread — The image of being set in a "roomy place" or "open" runs through Psalm 31:8 and Psalm 118:5, where distress ends with divine rescue. The phrase "delighted in me" parallels David’s submission to God’s will in 2 Samuel 15:26.
Why it lands — The text states that rescue occurs because God delights in the speaker, not because of his righteousness. It requires the reader to accept deliverance as an unearned act of divine choice rather than a reward for moral performance.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
Cross-references
- Psalms 31:8 You have not delivered me to the enemy; You have set my feet in the open.
- 2 Samuel 15:26 But if He should say, ‘I do not delight in you,’ then here I am; let Him do to me whatever seems good to Him.”
- Psalms 118:5 In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered and set me free.
- Psalms 22:8 “He trusts in the LORD, let the LORD deliver him; let the LORD rescue him, since He delights in him.”
- Psalms 149:4 For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the afflicted with salvation.
- Psalms 147:11 The LORD is pleased with those who fear Him, who hope in His loving devotion.
- Acts 2:32 God has raised this Jesus to life, to which we are all witnesses.
- Genesis 26:22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Rehoboth and said, “At last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”
- 1 Chronicles 4:10 And Jabez called out to the God of Israel, “If only You would bless me and enlarge my territory! May Your hand be with me and keep me from harm, so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted the request of Jabez.
- Isaiah 42:1 “Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.