Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.
Parallel translations
- WEB You frustrate the plan of the poor, because Yahweh is his refuge.
- BSB You sinners frustrate the plans of the oppressed, yet the LORD is their shelter.
- NKJV You shame the counsel of the poor, But the Lord is his refuge.
- NASB You would put to shame the plan of the poor, But the Lord is his refuge.
- NLT The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed, but the Lord will protect his people.
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 wicked try to thwart the plans of the poor, Yahweh is the poor man's refuge. It matters because God personally shelters the afflicted who trust him.
Overview
The wicked frustrate the hopes of the poor and lowly, but God himself is their refuge and cannot be overthrown. The verse contrasts human scheming with divine protection of the vulnerable. It reflects the Lord's consistent care for the humble, a care fulfilled in Christ who proclaimed good news to the poor.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Ps 9:9The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
- Ps 4:2O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.
- Ps 42:10As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?
- Neh 4:2–4And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?
- Matt 27:40–43And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
- Dan 3:15Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
- Ps 40:17But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.
- Ps 3:2Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.
- Isa 37:10–11Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God, in whom thou trustest, deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
- Ezek 35:10Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the LORD was there:
- Ps 46:1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
- Ps 22:7–8All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
- Ps 142:5I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.
- Heb 6:18That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
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 14:6 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.