2 Samuel 22:37 — Word Study
WLCתַּרְחִ֥יב צַעֲדִ֖י תַּחְתֵּ֑נִי וְלֹ֥א מָעֲד֖וּ קַרְסֻלָּֽי׃
BSAYou broadenrâchab▸ [enlarge, make wide] the pathtsaʻad [step, pace] beneath metachath so that my anklesqarçôl [joints, feet] do notlôʼ [in no way] give waymâʻad■ [slip, slide, fail]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| תַּרְחִ֥יב | you enlarge | Verb, Hiphil, imperfect second person masculine singular |
| צַעֲדִ֖י | step[s] my | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| תַּחְתֵּ֑נִי | under me | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| וְלֹ֥א | and not | Conjunction, particle |
| מָעֲד֖וּ | they slip | Verb, Qal, perfect third person common plural |
| קַרְסֻלָּֽי׃ | ankles my | Noun common feminine dual construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way. |
| KJV | Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip. |
| ASV | Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; And my feet have not slipped. |
| YLT | Thou enlargest my step under me, And mine ankles have not slidden. |
| WEB | You have enlarged my steps under me. My feet have not slipped. |
| BBE | You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet make no slip. |
Where they part company is in the rendering of the Hebrew word תַּרְחִ֥יב — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence has a main clause followed by a purpose clause, indicating the reason for God's action.
4 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Cambridge, Whedon & more — read them ›
clause
verbרָחַב
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — 2 Samuel 22:37
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — David's Song of Praisegenerated
2 Samuel 22:37 reflects David's acknowledgment of God's support in his life. He describes how God enlarges the path beneath him, ensuring that he can walk steadily and without fear of stumbling. This verse is part of a larger song where David recounts God's deliverance and protection during his trials, emphasizing the theme of divine assistance in times of trouble.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 4:1 | Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved my distress; show me grace and hear my prayer. |
| 2 | Psalm 18:36 | You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way. |
| 3 | Proverbs 4:12 | When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; when you run, you will not stumble. |
| 4 | 1 Samuel 2:9 | He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail. |
| 5 | Psalm 17:5 | My steps have held to Your paths; my feet have not slipped. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 7 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — תַּרְחִ֥יב, tar.Chivgenerated
The verb תַּרְחִ֥יב (tar.Chiv) is a Hiphil imperfect form of the root רָחַב (rachab), which means to enlarge or make wide. This word conveys the action of expanding or increasing the breadth of something, in this case, the path that David walks on.
The Hiphil form indicates that David is not merely describing a passive state; rather, he is acknowledging God's active role in making his path secure. The imagery suggests a spacious and safe way, allowing him to move freely without the risk of slipping.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb תַּרְחִ֥יב (you enlarge) governs the entire verse, indicating God's action. It is followed by a noun phrase describing the object of the enlargement, צַעֲדִ֖י (my step(s)), and a prepositional phrase תַּחְתֵּ֑נִי (beneath me) that specifies the location.
The structure emphasizes the relationship between God's action and David's experience, highlighting the security provided by the broad path.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates תַּרְחִ֥יב as πλατυσμὸν (platyismon), which also means to make wide or broad. This choice reflects a similar understanding of God's provision for a safe path.
The Greek term captures the essence of the Hebrew verb, emphasizing the widening of the path as a divine act of support.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
2 Samuel 22:37 shows David thanking God for making his path safe and secure. He describes how God enlarges the way beneath him so that he can walk without fear of stumbling. This verse is part of a larger song where David praises God for His protection and help during difficult times.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It means that God makes the way safe and spacious for David, allowing him to walk confidently without fear of slipping.
This verse illustrates God's active involvement in David's life, ensuring that he has a secure path to follow, symbolizing guidance and support.
The imagery of a path represents the journey of life, and a broad path suggests freedom and safety, indicating that God provides a way for David to navigate his challenges.
We can learn the importance of relying on God's guidance and support in our own lives, especially during difficult times.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what areas of my life do I need to trust God to broaden my path?
- How can I recognize God's guidance when I feel uncertain about my steps?
- What does it mean for me to walk securely in the path that God has prepared for me?
- How can I encourage others to trust in God's provision for their journeys?
Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on 2 Samuel 22:37 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip. [See comments on Psalms 18:36].
Read John Gill on 2 Samuel 22 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.
Read Robert Jamieson on 2 Samuel 22 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges37. enlarged my steps, &c.] Given me free space for unobstructed motion (cp. 2 Samuel 22:20; Proverbs 4:12), and the power to advance with firm, unwavering steps.
Read Cambridge on 2 Samuel 22 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible37. Broad my steps — A broad way for my steps, so that I have ample room for walking without danger.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on 2 Samuel 22 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.
You have enlarged my steps under me. My feet have not slipped.
You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.
You widen my path; my feet do not slip.
Tyndale line
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; And my feet have not slipped.
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped.
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet have not slipped.
Thou hast inlarged my steppes vnder me, and mine heeles haue not slid.
Strictly literal
Thou enlargedst my steps under me; And mine ankles did not slip.
Thou enlargest my step under me, And mine ankles have not slidden.
You enlarge my step under me, || And my ankles have not slipped.
Thou enlargest my steps under me, so that my joints do not slip.
You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me, so my feet have not slipped.
From the Latin
Thou shalt enlarge my steps under me: and my ankles shall not fail.
Simplified
You gave me room to walk, and prevented my feet from slipping.
You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet make no slip.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text reads, "תַּרְחִ֥יב צַעֲדִ֖י תַּחְתֵּ֑נִי וְלֹ֥א מָעֲד֖וּ קַרְסֻלָּֽי׃" which translates to, "You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way." The Septuagint agrees with the Masoretic Text in the overall meaning and structure, as all six words match in a word-by-word correspondence, though the Greek translation may have a different word order. The Dead Sea Scrolls (4Q51) also reflect a similar sentiment, with the phrase "תרחיב צעד׳י ולא מעדו" indicating agreement with the Masoretic Text, although some words are partially restored or supplied by an editor, particularly the terms for "ankles." Overall, the primary witnesses align closely with the Masoretic Text in this verse, affirming its translation and meaning.
תַּרְחִ֥יב צַעֲדִ֖י תַּחְתֵּ֑נִי וְלֹ֥א מָעֲד֖וּ קַרְסֻלָּֽי׃
6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
תרחיב צעד׳י ולא מעדו [קרסל׳י] ולא [עמדו] [קמ׳י]
2 words on the leather — 3 partly restored, 3 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in 2 Samuel 22:37
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
רָחַב (rachab) is a Hebrew verb meaning to be or grow wide or large. It encompasses various forms, including being widened or enlarged (Qal), describing broad or roomy pastures (Niphal), and the act of making something large or enlarging it (Hiphil). The entries collectively emphasize both literal and figurative uses of the term.
רָחַב [? also רָחֹב] vb. be or grow, wide, large
Qal be widened, enlarged
Niph. broad, roomy, pasture.
Hiph.
make large
enlarge
base
H7337 רָחַב [? also רָחֹב] be or grow, wide, large
7337 rachab raw-khab'
a primitive root; to broaden (intransitive or transitive,
literal or figurative):--be an en-(make) large(-ing), make
room, make (open) wide.
רָחַב (ra.chav) — to enlarge.
1) to be or grow wide, be or grow large
1a) (Qal) to be widened, be enlarged
1b) (Niphal) broad or roomy pasture (participle)
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to make large
1c2) to enlarge
V-Hiphil-Imperf-2ms — Verb · Hiphil · imperfect second person masculine singularHVhi2ms
צַ֫עַד (tsa`ad) refers to a step or pace, indicating a regular movement or stride. It can also metaphorically represent the steps one takes in life. The word is derived from a related term, צָעַד (tsa`ad), which emphasizes the concept of movement.
[צַ֫עַד] n.m. step, pace
base
H6806 צַ֫עַד
6806 tsa`ad tsah'-ad
from 6804; a pace or regular step:--pace, step.
see HEBREW for 06804
צַ֫עַד (tsa.ad) — step.
1) step, pace, stride
1a) step, pace
1b) step, steps (of course of life) (fig)
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp1bs
תַּחַת (tachath) refers to the concept of being underneath or below. It can function as a noun meaning 'the under part,' or as an adverb and preposition indicating position or substitution, such as 'instead of' or 'for the sake of.' The word encompasses various uses, including physical placement and metaphorical meanings related to subjection or exchange.
תַּחַת n.[m.] the under part, hence as adv. accus. and prep. underneath, below, instead of
base
H8478 תַּחַת the under part, hence as adv. accus. and prep. underneath, below, instead of
8478 tachath takh'-ath
from the same as 8430; the bottom (as depressed); only
adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix
underneath), in lieu of, etc.:--as, beneath, X flat,
in(-stead), (same) place (where...is), room, for...sake, stead
of, under, X unto, X when...was mine, whereas, (where-)fore,
with.
see HEBREW for 08430
תַּחַת (ta.chat) — underneath: under.
: under/below
1) the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas n m
1a) the under part adv accus
1b) beneath prep
1c) under, beneath
1c1) at the foot of (idiom)
1c2) sweetness, subjection, woman, being burdened or oppressed (fig)
1c3) of subjection or conquest
1d) what is under one, the place in which one stands
1d1) in one's place, the place in which one stands (idiom with reflexive pronoun)
1d2) in place of, instead of (in transferred sense)
1d3) in place of, in exchange or return for (of things mutually interchanged)
conj
1e) instead of, instead of that
1f) in return for that, because that in compounds
1g) in, under, into the place of (after verbs of motion)
1h) from under, from beneath, from under the hand of, from his place, under, beneath
תַּחַת (ta.chat) — underneath: instead.
: instead/in_place/exchange
Prep | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp1bs
לֹא (lo') is a Hebrew word meaning 'not' or 'no.' It serves as a simple negation and can imply absence or prohibition. The word can also be used in various contexts, often combined with other particles for emphasis or clarification. Its Aramaic equivalent is לָא (la), which also means 'not.'
לֹא or לוֹא adv. not
base
H3808 לֹא or לוֹא not
3808 lo' lo
or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle;
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often
used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else,
ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never,
no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out
of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, +
of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.
לֹא (lo) — not.
1) not, no
1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition)
1b) not (with modifier-negation)
1c) nothing (subst)
1d) without (with particle)
1e) before (of time)
Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)
Conj | Part — Conjunction · particleHC/Tn
מָעַד (ma'ad) is a Hebrew verb meaning to slip or slide. It can describe the action of slipping or tottering in its basic form (Qal), and in the Hiphil form, it means to cause something to shake or totter. The entries collectively emphasize the physical instability implied by the word.
[מָעַד] vb. slip, slide, totter, shake (only Heb.);—
Qal slip
Pu. pass. not needed here
Hiph. cause to shake, i.e. make them totter
base
H4571 מָעַד, מוּעֶדֶת, עָמַד
4571 ma`ad maw-ad'
a primitive root; to waver:--make to shake, slide, slip.
מָעַד (ma.ad) — to slip.
1) to slip, slide, totter, shake
1a) (Qal) to slip
1b) (Hiphil) to cause or make to shake or totter
V-Qal-Perf-3cp — Verb · Qal · perfect third person common pluralHVqp3cp
As meaning "a cutting from a plant," it is still good English. In this sense in Isa 17:10 for zemorah, "branch," "twig." For the phrase "slip of the tongue" compare Sirach 14:1; 19:16; 20:18; 21:7; 25:8.
The Hebrew word קַרְסֹל (*qarcol*) means 'ankle' and is derived from the root meaning related to a protuberance or joint. It is consistently defined across entries as referring specifically to the ankle, with no significant disagreement among lexicons.
[קַרְסֹל] n.[f.] ankle
base
H7166 קַרְסֹל
7166 qarcol kar-sole'
from 7164; an ankle (as a protuberance or joint):--foot.
see HEBREW for 07164
קַרְסֹל (qar.sol) — ankle.
ankle
N-fd | Suff — Noun common feminine dual construct · suffixHNcfdc/Sp1bs