2 Samuel 22; Psalm 18
One song in two books
David's song is preserved twice, in 2 Samuel 22 and Psalm 18, with dozens of small differences. In 22:11 God "was seen" (vayyera) on the wings of the wind; in Psalm 18 He "flew" (vayyede). Resh and dalet look alike in Hebrew script.
Read 2 Samuel 22; Psalm 18 in every edition
Manuscript variant: witnesses differ in wording
The family tree
Each row is a language or text tradition. Witnesses in the same row may share ancestry, revise one another, or have an uncertain relationship; the line under each box says which. A solid arrow appears only where direct copying or a documented revised edition is established. Order by date never implies copying. Scroll sideways on a phone.
✓ contains it · ✕ does not · ❝ quotes part of it · ⓘ reports on manuscripts · ▢ pages lost · – no copy survives
- Same line, through lost copies
- Translation
Some differences
- Opening
- Psalm 18 adds "I will love thee, O LORD, my strength."
- 22:12 / Ps 18:11
- "darkness pavilions round about him" vs "darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him."
- 22:36 / Ps 18:35
- Psalm 18 adds "thy right hand hath holden me up."
- Kinds of difference
- Letter confusions, spelling, and poetic variation in two lines of transmission.
Every witness, in order
Unknown (debated)
Original Samuel
No original survives.
Translated c. 2nd century BC; revised (kaige) from 11:2
Septuagint, 2 Kingdoms (library text: Giguet's French)
How the site knows this: Known here only through a translation.
et il s'est montré sur les ailes des vents (22:11)
and he showed himself on the wings of the winds
Follows "seen." One Greek text (Vaticanus type) via Giguet's French; not checked against a critical edition.
AD 1008
Masoretic Text (Leningrad Codex)
How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, a digital transcription of the Leningrad Codex.
וַיִּרְכַּב עַל־כְּרוּב וַיָּעֹף וַיֵּרָא עַל־כַּנְפֵי־רוּחַ (2 Sam 22:11)
he rode on a cherub and flew; and he was seen on the wings of the wind
AD 1008 (Leningrad Codex)
Psalm 18 (Masoretic Text)
How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, a digital transcription of the Leningrad Codex.
וַיִּרְכַּב עַל־כְּרוּב וַיָּעֹף וַיֵּדֶא עַל־כַּנְפֵי־רוּחַ (Ps 18:11 Hebrew)
he rode on a cherub and flew; and he soared on the wings of the wind
Psalm 18:10 in English Bibles: the Hebrew counts the title as verse 1.
1611
King James Bible
How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: King James Version (1769 text).
and he was seen upon the wings of the wind (2 Sam 22:11); yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind (Ps 18:10)
Keeps the difference.
What changed, and why
A rare case where the same text was copied in two places in the Bible. Comparing them shows how scribes transmitted poetry.
What the evidence shows
- 2 Samuel 22:11 and Psalm 18:11 (Hebrew) differ by a resh/dalet confusion.
Sources
- E. Tov, Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, 3rd ed. (2012)
Related lessons
- David's Song of Deliverance →David sings a long song of thanks for deliverance from his enemies and from Saul. God hears from His temple, the earth shakes, He rides on a cherub and flies on the wings of the wind, draws David out of many waters, rewards his righteousness, and gives him victory. The song appears again, with many small differences, as Psalm 18.
- How 2 Samuel Came to Us →2 Samuel is the second half of the Hebrew book of Samuel. It contains one of the most admired narratives of the ancient world, the "Court History" of David, plus older poems and an appendix arranged by theme. Its Greek is especially complicated: from 11:2 the main Greek manuscripts carry a revision toward the Hebrew (kaige), so the older Greek must be recovered from other witnesses.