Bible Strands

2 Samuel 22:23

For all His ordinances are before me; I have not disregarded His statutes.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — David speaks these words as part of a song of deliverance, addressing God and the assembly after recounting his rescue from all his enemies.

The words — The Hebrew מִשְׁפָּטָיו (mishpātāw) literally means "his judgments" or "his ordinances," while אָסוּר ('āsûr) translates as "I turn aside," describing a deliberate refusal to deviate from divine law.

The thread — The text places divine statutes before the speaker and declares obedience, a pattern repeated in Psalms 119:30 and Psalms 119:102 where the psalmist similarly fixes ordinances before himself and refuses to depart from them, and aligns with John 15:14 where Jesus defines friendship with Him by obedience to His commands.

Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to verify that they keep God's commands before them and to actively avoid turning aside from established statutes.

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

כִּ֥יkiforכָל־khol-allמִשְׁפָּטָ֖יוmish.po.t/ojudgments/ hisלְנֶגְדִּ֑יle./neg.D/i[are] to/ before/ meוְחֻקֹּתָ֖יוve./chu.ko.Ta/vand/ statutes/ hisלֹא־lo'-notאָס֥וּר'a.SurI turn asideמִמֶּֽנָּה׃mi.Me./nahfrom/ it

King James Version

For all his judgments were before me: and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.

Cross-references