It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
Parallel translations
- WEB It is better to take refuge in Yahweh, than to put confidence in man.
- KJV It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
- NKJV It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man.
- NASB It is better to take refuge in the Lord Than to trust in people.
- NLT It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people.
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
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It matters because God is a surer refuge than any human help.
Overview
Often noted as near the center of the Bible, this verse states a core principle: divine refuge surpasses human reliance. People disappoint, but God never fails. This wisdom directs all trust to the Lord, supremely to Christ, the unfailing rock of refuge for all who hide in him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Ps 40:4Blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, who has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
- Jer 17:5–7This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes the flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.
- Ps 62:8–9Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah
- Mic 7:5–7Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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 118:8 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.