שמואל ב, פרק כ״ב, פסוק ו׳

David experiences a profound sense of suffocation and existential danger, feeling entirely surrounded by threats that drag him closer to the grave. The primary approach among commentators is that he is enduring intense agony, similar to the severe pains of childbirth. This suffering is so extreme that it threatens to pull him directly into the underworld, which represents death and the grave [מצודת ציון, רלב״ג, מצודת דוד]. Other perspectives suggest that these surrounding threats take a physical form. He finds himself encircled by camps and bands of wicked people [רש״י, רד״ק], or he is being targeted by literal hunting ropes extending from the abyss to trap him [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Regardless of the exact nature of the threat, the danger is all-encompassing. His enemies act with calculated anticipation, laying deadly traps in his path ahead of time [רלב״ג]. No matter where David turns, he discovers that fatal snares have already been placed before him, waiting to cause his sudden downfall [רש״י, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת דוד].

Another layer of meaning connects this overwhelming sense of death to the suffering of leprosy, as a leper is traditionally viewed as being akin to a dead person. Usually, God brings afflictions upon a person gradually to encourage repentance. The affliction first appears on a person's house, then on their clothes, and only strikes their body if they fail to change their ways. A sudden, direct strike to the body is typically a severe punishment reserved for the completely wicked, leaving them no opportunity to correct their behavior. David, however, was struck with bodily leprosy for six months without any prior warning. Because this suffering arrived so suddenly and bypassed the usual merciful stages, he felt that the strike of death had come for him prematurely. This sudden affliction left him with the terrifying conviction that he was already doomed to the grave [אהבת יהונתן].