Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Parallel translations
- WEB I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
- BSB I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.
- NKJV Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.
- NASB I have treasured Your word in my heart, So that I may not sin against You.
- NLT I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
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
Storing up God's word in the heart is a defense against sin. It matters because internalized Scripture shapes desires and decisions before temptation strikes.
Overview
The psalmist treasures God's word inwardly so that it actively guards him from sinning against the LORD. This is more than memorization; it is the word taking root and governing the heart. Such hidden treasure points to the gospel work of the Spirit, who writes God's law within and conforms believers to Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Ps 37:31The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
- Col 3:16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
- Ps 40:8I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
- Jer 15:16Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
- Ps 1:2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
- Job 22:22Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
- Prov 2:10–11When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
- Ps 119:97O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
- Isa 51:7Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.
- Prov 2:1My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
- Luke 2:19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
- Ps 19:13Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
- Luke 2:51And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
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 119:11 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.