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We have endured much scorn from the arrogant, much contempt from the proud.
Psalms 123:4 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scoffing of those who are at ease, with the contempt of the proud.
  • KJV Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.
  • NKJV Our soul is exceedingly filled With the scorn of those who are at ease, With the contempt of the proud.
  • NASB Our soul has had much more than enough Of the scoffing of those who are at ease, And of the contempt of the proud.
  • NLT We have had more than our fill of the scoffing of the proud and the contempt of the arrogant.

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

Their soul is overwhelmed by the scoffing of the complacent and the contempt of the proud. The pride and mockery of others weighs heavily on God's people.

Overview

The psalmist names the source of their distress: the 'scoffing' of those 'at ease' and the 'contempt of the proud.' The arrogance of the comfortable adds to the suffering of the lowly. Yet the people bring this burden to God, trusting the One who opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble in Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 15

  • Ps 119:51The arrogant utterly deride me, but I do not turn from Your law.
  • Job 12:5The one at ease scorns misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.
  • Acts 17:32When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to mock him, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this topic.”
  • Isa 32:11Shudder, you ladies of leisure; tremble, you daughters of complacency. Strip yourselves bare and put sackcloth around your waists.
  • 1 Cor 4:13when we are slandered, we answer gently. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.
  • Job 16:4I could also speak like you if you were in my place; I could heap up words against you and shake my head at you.
  • Jer 48:11Moab has been at ease from youth, settled like wine on its dregs; he has not been poured from vessel to vessel or gone into exile. So his flavor has remained the same, and his aroma is unchanged.
  • Isa 32:9Stand up, you complacent women; listen to me. Give ear to my word, you overconfident daughters.
  • Acts 26:24At this stage of Paul’s defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You are insane, Paul! Your great learning is driving you to madness!”
  • Neh 2:19But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked us and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
  • Amos 6:1Woe to those at ease in Zion and those secure on Mount Samaria, the distinguished ones of the foremost nation, to whom the house of Israel comes.
  • Jer 48:29We have heard of Moab’s pomposity, his exceeding pride and conceit, his proud arrogance and haughtiness of heart.
  • Ps 73:5–9They are free of the burdens others carry; they are not afflicted like other men.
  • Acts 17:21Now all the Athenians and foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing more than hearing and articulating new ideas.
  • Jer 48:27Was not Israel your object of ridicule? Was he ever found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him you shake your head.

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 123:4YouTube · 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 123:4 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.