He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.
Parallel translations
- WEB He will drink of the brook on the way; therefore he will lift up his head.
- BSB He will drink from the brook by the road; therefore He will lift up His head.
- NKJV He shall drink of the brook by the wayside; Therefore He shall lift up the head.
- NASB He will drink from the brook by the wayside; Therefore He will lift up His head.
- NLT But he himself will be refreshed from brooks along the way. He will be victorious.
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
The victorious King drinks from a brook along the way and lifts up His head in triumph. He presses on to total victory without exhaustion.
Overview
This closing image likely portrays the conquering King pausing only briefly to refresh Himself before lifting His head in renewed strength and triumph. It pictures relentless, victorious pursuit of His enemies. Some see here a hint of the Messiah's path through lowliness to exaltation, fulfilled in Christ who was humbled and then lifted up (Philippians 2:8-9).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Ps 27:6And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.
- Heb 2:9–10But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
- Judg 7:5–6So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.
- Matt 26:42He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
- 1 Pet 1:11Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
- Phil 2:7–11But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
- John 18:11Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?
- Jer 52:31And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison,
- Luke 24:26Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
- Jer 23:15Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.
- Matt 20:22But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
- Ps 3:3But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
- Isa 53:11–12He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
- Job 21:20His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
- Ps 102:9For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 110:7 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.