The Beginning: After the LORD gives David rest from his enemies, David responds not with another military report but with worship. He sings a public song of thanksgiving to the LORD, recalling how God rescued him from danger and from those who sought his life.
The Middle: David praises the LORD as his “rock,” “fortress,” and “deliverer,” describing God’s salvation in vivid images of upheaval—earth shaking, waters threatening, and God intervening with power. He recounts that God drew him out of distress, strengthened him for conflict, and preserved him from violent opposition. David also speaks of God’s just ways, affirming that the LORD responds faithfully and righteously, and that God’s guidance enabled David to lead and to overcome hostile nations.
The End: The song concludes by exalting the LORD as the living God who gives victory and protection. David ends with gratitude for God’s steadfast love shown to “his anointed,” and he connects his own deliverance to God’s enduring mercy toward David’s house.
This song presents the LORD as the covenant God who saves—personally attentive to his servant’s cries and powerfully active in history. David’s deliverance is not credited to human strength alone but to God’s faithfulness, justice, and steadfast love. By emphasizing God’s mercy to “his anointed” and to David’s offspring, the song ties David’s life to the broader covenant purpose of God: sustaining the kingship he established and advancing his redemptive plan through it.
Songs of victory and thanksgiving were common across the ancient Near East, but Israel’s worship is distinct in directing praise to the LORD as the true source of deliverance rather than to the king’s own greatness. The poetic titles “rock,” “fortress,” and “stronghold” reflect the real landscape of Judah and its defensible terrain, where fortified places and rugged refuges were central to survival in times of conflict.
“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.” — 2 Samuel 22:2
Answer the questions below. When you choose an option, you will see the result and an explanation.
1. After the LORD gave David rest from his enemies, how did David respond?
2. In David’s song, what titles does he use to praise the LORD?