Bible Strands
2 Samuel 22:3
My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation. My stronghold, my refuge, and my Savior, You save me from violence.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David, in a thanksgiving hymn following deliverance from Saul and his enemies, addresses God directly, shifting from the covenant name YHWH (v. 2) to the personal "my God."
The words — קֶרֶן (qeren, "horn") is a metaphor for strength and victory, not a literal animal part; it appears here as one of six protective images stacked in a single breath.
The thread — The verse is the near-identical counterpart of Psalm 18:2; the "refuge" language recurs in Psalms 9:9 and Proverbs 18:10, and Isaiah 12:2 compresses the same claim into "God is my salvation."
Why it lands — The verse asks the reader to notice that six metaphors are doing the work of one statement: God acted, and the speaker is cataloging what that action was to him. The final clause, "You save me from violence," is the plain fact the images rest on.
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
The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.
Cross-references
- Psalms 9:9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
- Isaiah 12:2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He also has become my salvation.”
- Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
- Psalms 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
- Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
- Genesis 15:1 After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
- Deuteronomy 33:29 Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is the shield that protects you, the sword in which you boast. Your enemies will cower before you, and you shall trample their high places.”
- Psalms 46:11 The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
- Psalms 115:9 O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield.
- Psalms 144:2 He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. He is my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.