2 Samuel 7:23 Meaning and Explanation
“And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →David marvels that no nation is like Israel, whom God redeemed from Egypt to be His own people.
What Does 2 Samuel 7:23 Mean?
David's wonder widens from himself to the whole nation. What people, he asks, is like Israel, whom God went out to redeem for Himself, doing great and awesome things to bring them out of Egypt? God did not merely free a people; He claimed them as His own and made for Himself a name in their deliverance.
The redemption from Egypt was the founding wonder of Israel's life, and David sees that the same God who saved them then is the God who now blesses his house. To be redeemed is to be made God's own possession. This great rescue foreshadows the greater redemption by which God would gather to Himself a people from every nation.
2 Samuel 7:23 in the Original Language
gaal (גָּאַל), 'to redeem' -- to buy back or rescue a kinsman, claiming the freed one as one's own.
Frequently Asked Questions About 2 Samuel 7:23
What does 2 Samuel 7:23 mean?
David marvels that no nation is like Israel, whom God redeemed from Egypt to be His own people.