Bible Strands
2 Samuel 22:6
The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David addresses the LORD in a song of deliverance, describing the peak of his mortal peril just before he recounts calling on God for rescue. The verse captures the moment of maximum distress prior to divine intervention.
The words — חֶבְלֵי שְׁאֹל (chevei sheol) literally renders "cords of Sheol," portraying the grave as a binding trap. מֹקְשֵׁי מָוֶת (mokeše mavet) translates directly to "snares of death," emphasizing inescapable mortal threats.
The thread — The identical phrasing appears in Psalm 18:5, while Psalm 116:3 parallels the entanglement of death and anguish of Sheol. Job 36:8 also employs the cord imagery to describe affliction and binding.
Why it lands — The text forces acknowledgment that human peril is real and inescapable by human means. It directs the reader to move from recognizing entanglement to crying out to God for deliverance.
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 sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;
Cross-references
- Psalms 116:3 The ropes of death entangled me; the anguish of Sheol overcame me; I was confronted by trouble and sorrow.
- Job 36:8 And if men are bound with chains, caught in cords of affliction,
- Psalms 18:5 The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
- Psalms 140:5 The proud hide a snare for me; the cords of their net are spread along the path, and lures are set out for me. Selah
- Proverbs 5:22 The iniquities of a wicked man entrap him; the cords of his sin entangle him.
- Proverbs 13:14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning one from the snares of death.
- Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.
- Jonah 2:2 saying: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice.
- Acts 2:24 But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep Him in its grip.