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I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.
Psalms 31:6 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB I hate those who regard lying vanities, but I trust in Yahweh.
  • BSB I hate those who cling to worthless idols, but in the LORD I trust.
  • NKJV I have hated those who regard useless idols; But I trust in the Lord.
  • NASB ¶I hate those who devote themselves to worthless idols, But I trust in the Lord.
  • NLT I hate those who worship worthless idols. I trust in the Lord.

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 hates those who cling to worthless idols, but he trusts in the Lord. It contrasts false worship with true faith.

Overview

Devotion to 'lying vanities' is empty, and David rejects it in favor of trusting the living God. His hatred is for idolatry, not merely persons. The verse calls believers to undivided trust in the Lord rather than the false securities the world offers.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Jonah 2:8They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
  • Ps 26:5I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.
  • Ps 24:4He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
  • Jer 10:15They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
  • 1 Cor 10:20But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
  • Jer 10:8But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.
  • 1 Cor 8:4As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
  • John 2:8And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
  • 1 Chr 16:28–29Give unto the LORD, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
  • Ps 96:7–9Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
  • Rom 1:21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
  • Ps 139:2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

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 31:6YouTube · 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 31:6 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.