2 Samuel 22:35

He trains ¹  my hands for battle; ²  my arms can bend even the strongest bow. ³ 

He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

"He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

He prepares me for battle; he strengthens me to draw a bow of bronze.

He shows me how to fight; I can bend a bronze bow!

He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms.

He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

He trains ¹  my hands for battle; ²  my arms can bend even the strongest bow. ³ 

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.