Bible Strands
2 Samuel 22:45
Foreigners cower before me; when they hear me, they obey me.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David speaks to the Lord, recounting his deliverance from internal strife and his elevation as head over nations that previously did not know him.
The words — The verse centers on נֵכָר (ne.Khar), denoting foreignness, and יִתְכַּחֲשׁוּ (yit.kacha.shu), meaning they cringed or cowered.
The thread — The pattern of foreign nations responding to divine authority runs through Psalms 81:15, Psalms 66:3, and Deuteronomy 33:29.
Why it lands — The text reports that outsiders cower and obey upon hearing the Lord’s deliverance, requiring the reader to attribute national submission solely to divine action rather than human strategy.
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
Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me.
Cross-references
- Psalms 81:15 Those who hate the LORD would feign obedience, and their doom would last forever.
- Psalms 66:3 Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies cower before You.
- 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 18:44 When they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cower before me.
- Isaiah 56:3 Let no foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, “The LORD will utterly exclude me from His people.” And let the eunuch not say, “I am but a dry tree.”
- Isaiah 56:6 And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD to minister to Him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be His servants—all who keep the Sabbath without profaning it and who hold fast to My covenant—
- Acts 8:13 Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip closely and was astounded by the great signs and miracles he observed.
- Acts 8:21 You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God.