The LORD is on my side; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh is on my side. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
- KJV The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
- NKJV The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
- NASB The Lord is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?
- NLT The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?
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
With the Lord on his side, the psalmist will not fear what man can do. It matters because God's presence removes the fear of human threats.
Overview
Confidence in God's nearness banishes the dread of human opposition. The verse is quoted in Hebrews 13:6 to assure believers of God's faithful help. Because the Lord stands with his people, ultimately in Christ who is Immanuel, they may face hostility without fear.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Heb 13:6So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
- Rom 8:31What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- Ps 56:4In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
- Ps 56:11in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
- Mic 7:8–10Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.
- Ps 56:9Then my enemies will retreat on the day I cry for help. By this I will know that God is on my side.
- Ps 27:1–3Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?
- Jer 20:11But the LORD is with me like a fearsome warrior. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and will not prevail. Since they have not succeeded, they will be utterly put to shame, with an everlasting disgrace that will never be forgotten.
- Ps 23:4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
- Isa 51:12“I, even I, am He who comforts you. Why should you be afraid of mortal man, of a son of man who withers like grass?
- Ps 46:11The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
- Ps 146:5Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
- Ps 46:1For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.
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 118:6 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.