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They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
Psalms 22:31 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB They shall come and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born, for he has done it.
  • BSB They will come and proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn—all that He has done.
  • NKJV They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this.
  • NASB They will come and will declare His righteousness To a people who will be born, that He has performed it.
  • NLT His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done.

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

They will declare God's righteousness to a people yet unborn, announcing 'he has done it.' The finished work of God is the message handed down.

Overview

The psalm closes by proclaiming God's righteousness to a people not yet born, summed up in the declaration that he has accomplished it. Many see in 'he has done it' an anticipation of Christ's cry, 'It is finished' (John 19:30). The verse roots all future faith in the completed, gracious work of God in saving his people.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 14

  • Ps 78:6That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
  • Ps 86:9All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.
  • Rom 1:17For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
  • Isa 44:3–5For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:
  • Ps 102:18This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.
  • Ps 40:9I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.
  • Ps 145:4–7One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
  • 2 Cor 5:21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
  • Rom 3:21–25But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
  • Isa 60:4Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.
  • Isa 54:1Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.
  • Rom 5:19–21For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
  • Isa 66:7–9Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.
  • Isa 49:21–23Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

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 22:31YouTube · 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 22:31 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.