With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury.

2 SAMUEL 22:27KJV
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2 Samuel 22:27 (KJV)

What does 2 Samuel 22:27 mean?

2 Samuel 22:27 says that God responds to people according to their character: He shows Himself pure to those who are pure, but to those who are crooked or stubborn, He appears difficult or harsh. The verse highlights how God’s dealings with people reflect their own attitudes and actions toward Him.

David is speaking these words as part of a song of praise after God delivered him from his enemies. In this verse, David is reflecting on how God’s justice works—God treats people in a way that matches their own behavior, showing fairness and consistency. The verse fits into a larger theme in David’s song about God’s faithfulness and the way He interacts with people based on their hearts.

The Hebrew behind 2 Samuel 22:27

  • pure (בָּרַר, barar): This word means "to be pure" or "to be clean." In this context, it refers to someone whose motives and actions are sincere and honest. God responds to such a person with the same purity.
  • froward (עִקֵּשׁ, iqqesh): This word means "twisted," "crooked," or "perverse." It describes someone who is stubborn or morally bent. The verse uses this word to contrast with the pure.
  • unsavoury (פָּתַל, pathal): This word means "to show oneself twisted" or "to be shrewd." Here, it suggests that God appears tricky or difficult to those who are themselves devious, matching their attitude.

Why 2 Samuel 22:27 matters

  • This verse clears up the idea that God is arbitrary or unfair; instead, it shows that God’s responses are consistent with people’s own choices and character.
  • The verse emphasizes personal responsibility, making it clear that how one approaches God affects how one experiences Him.
  • In the context of David’s song, this verse helps explain why God rescued David—because David sought to be upright, God dealt with him in a way that reflected that uprightness.

Where else these words appear

“unsavoury” Hebrew H6617 · used in 5 verses

  • Genesis 30:8 And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed: and she called his name Naphtali.
  • Job 5:13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.
  • Psalms 18:26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

“froward” Hebrew H6141 · used in 11 verses

  • Deuteronomy 32:5 They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.
  • Proverbs 2:15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:
  • Proverbs 17:20 He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.

“pure” Hebrew H1305 · used in 16 verses

  • 1 Chronicles 7:40 All these were the children of Asher, heads of their father's house, choice and mighty men of valour, chief of the princes. And the number throughout the genealogy of them that were apt to the war and to battle was twenty and six thousand men.
  • Psalms 18:26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.
  • Jeremiah 51:11 Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple.