Because He has inclined His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.
Parallel translations
- WEB Because he has turned his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
- KJV Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.
- NKJV Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
- NASB Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
- NLT Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!
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
Because God turned his ear to him, the psalmist resolves to pray to him lifelong. It matters because God's attentiveness fuels a lifetime of prayer.
Overview
God's gracious inclination to listen prompts a vow of continual prayer. Experiencing answered prayer deepens dependence rather than diminishing it. This lifelong calling on the Lord models the believer's ongoing communion with God, made constant and confident through Christ our mediator.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ps 145:18–19The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth.
- Ps 40:1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry.
- Phil 4:6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Ps 55:16–17But I call to God, and the LORD saves me.
- Luke 18:1Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:
- Ps 86:6–7Hear my prayer, O LORD, and attend to my plea for mercy.
- Ps 31:2Incline Your ear to me; come quickly to my rescue. Be my rock of refuge, the stronghold of my deliverance.
- Col 4:2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful,
- Ps 88:1A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choirmaster. According to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite. O LORD, the God of my salvation, day and night I cry out before You.
- Job 27:10Will he delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 116:2 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.