2Sa 23:3 | KD | STEP | The God of Israel saith, The Rock of Israel speaketh to me: A Ruler over men, just, A Ruler in the fear of God. 4 And as light of the morning, when the sun rises, As morning without clouds: From shining out of rain (springeth) green out of the earth. 5 For is not my house thus with God? For He hath made me an everlasting covenant, Provided with all, and attested; For all my salvation and all good pleasure, Should He then not cause it to grow? As the prophets generally preface their saying with “thus saith the Lord,” so David commences his prophetic saying with “ the God of Israel saith ,” for the purpose of describing it most emphatically as the word of God. He designates God “ the God ” and “ The Rock ” (as in ) of Israel, to indicate that the contents of his prophecy relate to the salvation of the people of Israel, and are guaranteed by the unchangeableness of God. The saying which follows bears the impress of a divine oracle even in its enigmatical brevity. The verbs are wanting in the different sentences of and 2Sa 23:4. “ A ruler over men ,” sc., “will arise,” or there will be. בּאדם does not mean “among men,” but “ over men; ” for בּ is to be taken as with the verb משׁל, as denoting the object ruled over (cf. ; , etc.). האדם does not mean certain men, but the human race, humanity. This ruler is “ just ” in the fullest sense of the word, as in the passages founded upon this, viz., ; Zec 9:9, and Psa 72:2. The justice of the ruler is founded in his “ fear of God .” אלהים יראת is governed freely by מושׁל. (On the fact itself, see -3.) The meaning is, “A ruler over the human race will arise, a just ruler, and will exercise his dominion in the spirit of the fear of God.”

‏ 2 Samuel 23:3

2Sa 22:3 3 The God of Israel saith,

The Rock of Israel speaketh to me:

A Ruler over men, just,

A Ruler in the fear of God. 4 And as light of the morning, when the sun rises,

As morning without clouds:

From shining out of rain (springeth) green out of the earth. 5 For is not my house thus with God?

For He hath made me an everlasting covenant,

Provided with all, and attested;

For all my salvation and all good pleasure,

Should He then not cause it to grow?

As the prophets generally preface their saying with “thus saith the Lord,” so David commences his prophetic saying with “the God of Israel saith,” for the purpose of describing it most emphatically as the word of God. He designates God “the God” and “The Rock” (as in 2Sa 22:3) of Israel, to indicate that the contents of his prophecy relate to the salvation of the people of Israel, and are guaranteed by the unchangeableness of God. The saying which follows bears the impress of a divine oracle even in its enigmatical brevity. The verbs are wanting in the different sentences of 2Sa 23:3 and 2Sa 23:4. “A ruler over men,” sc., “will arise,” or there will be. בּאדם does not mean “among men,” but “over men;” for בּ is to be taken as with the verb משׁל, as denoting the object ruled over (cf. Gen 3:16; Gen 4:7, etc.). האדם does not mean certain men, but the human race, humanity. This ruler is “just” in the fullest sense of the word, as in the passages founded upon this, viz., Jer 23:5; Zec 9:9, and Psa 72:2. The justice of the ruler is founded in his “fear of God.” אלהים יראת is governed freely by מושׁל. (On the fact itself, see Isa 11:2-3.) The meaning is, “A ruler over the human race will arise, a just ruler, and will exercise his dominion in the spirit of the fear of God.”