For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.
Parallel translations
- WEB For Yahweh is righteous. He loves righteousness. The upright shall see his face.
- BSB For the LORD is righteous; He loves justice. The upright will see His face.
- NKJV For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.
- NASB For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will see His face.
- NLT For the righteous Lord loves justice. The virtuous will see his face.
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 righteous and loves righteousness; the upright will see His face. The just God welcomes the righteous into His presence.
Overview
The psalm closes with the assurance that the righteous God loves righteous deeds and will grant the upright the surpassing joy of beholding His face. To 'see his face' is the highest blessing, fellowship with God Himself. This hope is secured through Christ, by whom the pure in heart shall see God (Matthew 5:8).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Rev 22:4And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
- Ps 17:15As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
- 1 Pet 3:12For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
- Ps 45:7Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
- Job 36:7He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings are they on the throne; yea, he doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted.
- 1 Jn 3:2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
- Ps 33:18Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
- Ps 34:15The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
- Ps 21:6For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.
- Ps 33:5He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.
- Ps 99:4The king’s strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.
- Ps 5:12For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.
- Ps 42:5Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
- Ps 146:8The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:
- Ps 7:9Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.
- Isa 61:8For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
- Ps 7:11God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
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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 11:7 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.