For the king trusts in the LORD; through the loving devotion of the Most High, he will not be shaken.
Parallel translations
- WEB For the king trusts in Yahweh. Through the loving kindness of the Most High, he shall not be moved.
- KJV For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.
- NKJV For the king trusts in the Lord, And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved.
- NASB ¶For the king trusts in the Lord, And through the faithfulness of the Most High he will not be shaken.
- NLT For the king trusts in the Lord. The unfailing love of the Most High will keep him from stumbling.
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
Because the king trusts in the Lord and rests in the Most High's steadfast love, he will not be moved. Faith, not strength, secures him.
Overview
At the psalm's center stands the reason for the king's blessing: his trust in Yahweh and reliance on God's covenant love ('loving kindness'). This faith, anchored in God's faithfulness, makes him immovable. The unshakable security of the trusting king is fully realized in the Messiah and offered to all who likewise trust the Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Ps 16:8I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
- Ps 91:2I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
- Ps 18:2The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
- Ps 20:7–8Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
- Ps 9:2I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
- Dan 7:14And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
- Ps 26:1Of David. Vindicate me, O LORD! For I have walked with integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
- Heb 2:13And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And once again: “Here am I, and the children God has given Me.”
- 1 Sam 30:6And David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of every man grieved for his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.
- Ps 61:6–7Increase the days of the king’s life; may his years span many generations.
- Ps 13:5But I have trusted in Your loving devotion; my heart will rejoice in Your salvation.
- Ps 91:9–10Because you have made the LORD your dwelling—my refuge, the Most High—
- Ps 61:4Let me dwell in Your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah
- Deut 32:8–9When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He divided the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.
- Matt 27:43He trusts in God. Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
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 21:7 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.