Discovery Box2 Samuel 11:19 
Context11:19 He instructed the messenger as follows: “When you finish giving the battle report to the king,
2 Samuel 22:35
Context22:35 He trains 1 my hands for battle; 2
my arms can bend even the strongest bow. 3
2 Samuel 22:40
Context22:40 You give me strength for battle; 4
you make my foes kneel before me. 5
1 tn Heb “teaches.”
2 tn The psalmist attributes his skill with weapons to divine enabling. Egyptian reliefs picture gods teaching the king how to shoot a bow. See O. Keel, Symbolism of the Biblical World, 265.
3 tn Heb “and a bow of bronze is bent by my arms.” The verb נָחֵת (nakhet) apparently means “to pull back; to bend” here (see HALOT 692 s.v. נחת). The bronze bow referred to here was probably laminated with bronze strips, or a purely ceremonial or decorative bow made entirely from bronze. In the latter case the language is hyperbolic, for such a weapon would not be functional in battle.
4 tn Heb “you clothed me with strength for battle.”
5 tn Heb “you make those who rise against me kneel beneath me.”
