Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Samuel 7:23

"And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem unto himself for a people, and to make him a name, and to do great things for you, and terrible things for thy land, before thy people, whom thou redeemest to thee out of Egypt, [from] the nations and their gods?" — 2 Samuel 7:23 (ASV)

Whom God went to redeem. —The word here used for God, in this its usual plural form, is always construed with a singular verb when it refers to the true God. Here the verb is plural, because the thought is, “What nation is there whom its gods went to redeem?”

For you. —These words, which can only refer to Israel, seem strange in a prayer to God. They are omitted by the Septuagint and changed into for them by the Vulgate. If they are retained as they are, it must be understood that David for the moment turns in thought to the people, instead of to God whom he is immediately addressing.

For your land. —The Septuagint and the parallel passage (1 Chronicles 17:21), instead of this, have by driving out. If the text here may be corrected in this way, there will be no occasion for inserting from before the nations, which is not in the Hebrew. This part of the verse will then read, to do great things and terrible, by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed to you from Egypt, nations and their gods. The phrase great things and terrible, in reference to the Exodus, is taken from Deuteronomy 10:21. The whole of this part of the prayer is evidently founded upon Deuteronomy 4:7; Deuteronomy 4:32–34.