¶For the king trusts in the Lord, And through the faithfulness 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.
- BSB For the king trusts in the LORD; through the loving devotion of the Most High, he will not be shaken.
- NKJV For the king trusts in the Lord, And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved.
- 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 Yahweh always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
- Ps 91:2I will say of Yahweh, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”
- Ps 18:2Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
- Ps 20:7–8Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust the name of Yahweh our God.
- Ps 9:2I will be glad and rejoice in you. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
- Dan 7:14There was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
- Ps 26:1By David. Judge me, Yahweh, for I have walked in my integrity. I have trusted also in Yahweh without wavering.
- Heb 2:13Again, “I will put my trust in him.” Again, “Behold, here I am with the children whom God has given me.”
- 1 Sam 30:6David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the souls of all the people were grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God.
- Ps 61:6–7You will prolong the king’s life; his years shall be for generations.
- Ps 13:5But I trust in your loving kindness. My heart rejoices in your salvation.
- Ps 91:9–10Because you have made Yahweh your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place,
- Ps 61:4I will dwell in your tent forever. I will take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah.
- Deut 32:8–9When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the children of men, he set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel.
- 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.