Though the ropes of the wicked bind me, I do not forget Your law.
Parallel translations
- WEB The ropes of the wicked bind me, but I won’t forget your law.
- KJV The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law.
- NKJV The cords of the wicked have bound me, But I have not forgotten Your law.
- NASB The snares of the wicked have surrounded me, But I have not forgotten Your Law.
- NLT Evil people try to drag me into sin, but I am firmly anchored to your instructions.
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
Though the cords of the wicked ensnare him, the psalmist does not forget God's law. It matters because faithfulness to Scripture endures even when surrounded by hostile forces.
Overview
The wicked attempt to bind and entangle the psalmist, yet he refuses to forget God's law. Their schemes cannot pull his mind from the word. This steadfastness amid opposition points to Christ, who remained faithful under the assaults of evil and keeps His people from being ensnared.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Rom 12:17–21Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody.
- Ps 119:176I have strayed like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commandments.
- Hos 6:9Like raiders who lie in ambush, so does a band of priests; they murder on the way to Shechem; surely they have committed atrocities.
- Prov 24:29Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.”
- Ps 140:5The proud hide a snare for me; the cords of their net are spread along the path, and lures are set out for me. Selah
- 1 Sam 26:9–11But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?”
- Ps 119:95The wicked wait to destroy me, but I will ponder Your testimonies.
- Job 1:17While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels, and took them away. They put the servants to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
- Ps 3:1A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom. O LORD, how my foes have increased! How many rise up against me!
- 1 Sam 30:3–5When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned down and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.
- 1 Sam 24:9–11and said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Look, David intends to harm you’?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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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 119:61 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.