Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
Parallel translations
- WEB Light dawns in the darkness for the upright, gracious, merciful, and righteous.
- KJV Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
- BSB Light dawns in the darkness for the upright—for the gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
- NASB Light shines in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
- NLT Light shines in the darkness for the godly. They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.
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
Light dawns in darkness for the upright, who are gracious, merciful, and righteous. God brings hope to the godly amid trouble.
Overview
Even in dark times the righteous experience God's light of hope and deliverance. The traits 'gracious, merciful, and righteous' are the very qualities attributed to God in Psalm 111:4, showing the godly person reflecting God's character. Christ is the true Light who shines in the darkness for His people (John 8:12).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 19
- Job 11:17Life shall be clearer than the noonday. Though there is darkness, it shall be as the morning.
- Ps 97:11Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
- Col 3:12–13Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance;
- Isa 58:10and if you pour out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul: then your light will rise in darkness, and your obscurity will be as the noonday;
- Luke 6:36“Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful.
- 1 Jn 3:7Little children, let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
- 1 Jn 2:29If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
- Ps 106:1Praise Yahweh! Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.
- Eph 4:32And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
- Ps 37:6he will make your righteousness go out as the light, and your justice as the noon day sun.
- Eph 5:9for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth,
- John 12:46I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness.
- Titus 2:11–12For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
- 2 Cor 8:8–9I speak not by way of commandment, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity also of your love.
- Mal 4:2But to you who fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings. You will go out, and leap like calves of the stall.
- Isa 50:10Who among you fears Yahweh, and obeys the voice of his servant? He who walks in darkness, and has no light, let him trust in Yahweh’s name, and rely on his God.
- Eph 5:15Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise;
- 1 Jn 3:10In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn’t do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn’t love his brother.
- Mic 7:8–9Don’t rejoice against me, my enemy. When I fall, I will arise. When I sit in darkness, Yahweh will be a light to me.
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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 112:4 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.