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¶The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes see, His eyelids test the sons of mankind.
Psalms 11:4 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Yahweh is in his holy temple. Yahweh is on his throne in heaven. His eyes observe. His eyes examine the children of men.
  • KJV The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
  • BSB The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD is on His heavenly throne. His eyes are watching closely; they examine the sons of men.
  • NKJV The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
  • NLT But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Yahweh is in His holy temple and on His heavenly throne, observing all people. God still reigns and sees everything despite earthly chaos.

Overview

David answers the crisis of collapsing foundations by lifting his eyes to God enthroned in heaven. God's watchful gaze examines all humanity, so nothing escapes His just attention. This vision of the sovereign, all-seeing God is the bedrock of confidence when earthly securities fail.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 24

  • Ps 103:19Yahweh has established his throne in the heavens. His kingdom rules over all.
  • Ps 2:4He who sits in the heavens will laugh. The Lord will have them in derision.
  • Ps 18:6In my distress I called on Yahweh, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry before him came into his ears.
  • Hab 2:20But Yahweh is in his holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before him!”
  • Ps 34:15–16Yahweh’s eyes are toward the righteous. His ears listen to their cry.
  • Ps 33:13Yahweh looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men.
  • Jer 23:24Can anyone hide himself in secret places so that I can’t see him?” says Yahweh. “Don’t I fill heaven and earth?” says Yahweh.
  • Isa 66:1Yahweh says, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build to me? Where will I rest?
  • Heb 4:13There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.
  • Rev 4:2Immediately I was in the Spirit. Behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting on the throne
  • 2 Chr 16:9For Yahweh’s eyes run back and forth throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. You have done foolishly in this; for from now on you will have wars.”
  • Matt 23:21He who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who was living in it.
  • 1 Chr 17:5for I have not lived in a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tent to another.
  • Matt 5:34but I tell you, don’t swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;
  • Ps 66:7He rules by his might forever. His eyes watch the nations. Don’t let the rebellious rise up against him. Selah.
  • Prov 15:3Yahweh’s eyes are everywhere, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
  • 2 Th 2:4he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God.
  • Jer 17:10“I, Yahweh, search the mind, I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”
  • Acts 7:49‘heaven is my throne, and the earth a footstool for my feet. What kind of house will you build me?’ says the Lord; ‘or what is the place of my rest?
  • Ps 9:11Sing praises to Yahweh, who dwells in Zion, and declare among the people what he has done.
  • Exod 40:34–35Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and Yahweh’s glory filled the tabernacle.
  • Zech 2:13Be silent, all flesh, before Yahweh; for he has roused himself from his holy habitation!”
  • Ps 44:21won’t God search this out? For he knows the secrets of the heart.
  • Mic 1:2Hear, you peoples, all of you. Listen, O earth, and all that is therein: and let the Lord Yahweh be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 11:4YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.

How Psalms 11:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.