Our oxen will bear great loads. There will be no breach in the walls, no going into captivity, and no cry of lament in our streets.
Parallel translations
- WEB Our oxen will pull heavy loads. There is no breaking in, and no going away, and no outcry in our streets.
- KJV That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets.
- NKJV That our oxen may be well laden; That there be no breaking in or going out; That there be no outcry in our streets.
- NASB May our cattle be bred Without mishap and without loss, May there be no outcry in our streets!
- NLT and may our oxen be loaded down with produce. May there be no enemy breaking through our walls, no going into captivity, no cries of alarm in our town squares.
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
David envisions strong oxen, no breached walls, and no outcry in the streets. It depicts the peace and security of a well-ordered, protected society.
Overview
The picture of laden oxen and undisturbed streets signifies prosperity, safety, and the absence of invasion or distress. This is the shalom that flows from God's blessing on a people. Such complete peace anticipates the perfect security of God's kingdom under the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6-7; Revelation 21:4).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Zech 8:3–5This is what the LORD says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of Hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.”
- Deut 28:7The LORD will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will march out against you in one direction but flee from you in seven.
- Deut 28:25The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them in one direction but flee from them in seven. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
- Isa 24:11In the streets they cry out for wine. All joy turns to gloom; rejoicing is exiled from the land.
- Judg 6:6Israel was greatly impoverished by Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the LORD.
- Judg 5:8When they chose new gods, then war came to their gates. Not a shield or spear was found among forty thousand in Israel.
- Judg 6:3Whenever the Israelites would plant their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east would come up and invade them,
- Jer 14:2“Judah mourns and her gates languish. Her people wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
- Jer 13:17–19But if you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.
- Jer 14:18If I go out to the country, I see those slain by the sword; if I enter the city, I see those ravaged by famine! For both prophet and priest travel to a land they do not know.’”
- 1 Sam 31:7When the Israelites along the valley and those on the other side of the Jordan saw that the army of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines came and occupied their cities.
- 1 Sam 13:17–23And raiders went out of the Philistine camp in three divisions. One headed toward Ophrah in the land of Shual,
- Lam 1:4–6The roads to Zion mourn, because no one comes to her appointed feasts. All her gates are deserted; her priests groan, her maidens grieve, and she herself is bitter with anguish.
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 144:14 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.