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Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.
Psalms 119:117 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Hold me up, and I will be safe, and will have respect for your statutes continually.
  • BSB Uphold me, and I will be saved, that I may always regard Your statutes.
  • NKJV Hold me up, and I shall be safe, And I shall observe Your statutes continually.
  • NASB Sustain me so that I may be safe, That I may have regard for Your statutes continually.
  • NLT Sustain me, and I will be rescued; then I will meditate continually on your decrees.

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 hold him up so he will be safe and continually attentive to His statutes. Sustained by God, he can persevere in obedience.

Overview

The psalmist seeks divine support as the condition of his safety and ongoing regard for God's statutes. He knows his perseverance depends on God's upholding hand. This dependence reflects the truth that God is able to keep His people from stumbling and to preserve them blameless until the day of Christ (Jude 24; Phil. 1:6).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Ps 119:6Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
  • Jude 1:24Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
  • Ps 71:6By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.
  • John 10:28–29And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
  • Ps 17:5Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
  • Ps 139:10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
  • Rom 14:4Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
  • Ps 119:111–112Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.
  • Ps 119:48My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.
  • Isa 41:13For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
  • Ps 73:23Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.
  • 1 Pet 1:5Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 119:117YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 119:117 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.