Sustain me as You promised, that I may live; let me not be ashamed of my hope.
Parallel translations
- WEB Uphold me according to your word, that I may live. Let me not be ashamed of my hope.
- KJV Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope.
- NKJV Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.
- NASB Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.
- NLT Lord, sustain me as you promised, that I may live! Do not let my hope be crushed.
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
He asks God to uphold him by His word so he may live and not be ashamed of his hope. He depends on God to sustain the very hope God gave.
Overview
The psalmist prays for God's sustaining support according to His promise, that he might live and never be put to shame for trusting. His confidence is that God will not abandon those who hope in Him. This assurance is fulfilled in the gospel, where hope in Christ does not disappoint because God's love is poured into our hearts (Rom. 5:5; Rom. 10:11).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Rom 5:5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
- Ps 25:2in You, my God, I trust. Do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
- 1 Pet 2:6For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”
- Isa 41:10Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness.
- Ps 37:24Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, for the LORD is holding his hand.
- Rom 10:11It is just as the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”
- Ps 37:17For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
- Ps 54:4Surely God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my soul.
- Ps 63:8My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.
- Ps 94:18If I say, “My foot is slipping,” Your loving devotion, O LORD, supports me.
- Isa 42:1“Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.
- Isa 45:17But Israel will be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation; you will not be put to shame or humiliated, to ages everlasting.
- Ps 41:12In my integrity You uphold me and set me in Your presence forever.
- Rom 9:32–33Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
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 119:116 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.