The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men.
- KJV The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.
- BSB The LORD looks down from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.
- NKJV The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.
- NASB ¶The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of mankind;
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
The Lord looks down from heaven and sees all humanity.
Overview
The psalmist affirms God's all-seeing oversight as he observes every person from heaven. Nothing escapes his attentive gaze. This omniscience is both comforting and sobering, and it is fully known in Christ, who knows what is in each heart.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Job 28:24For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole sky.
- Ps 11:4Yahweh is in his holy temple. Yahweh is on his throne in heaven. His eyes observe. His eyes examine the children of men.
- Ps 53:2God looks down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there are any who understood, who seek after God.
- Heb 4:13There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.
- 2 Chr 16:9For Yahweh’s eyes run back and forth throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. You have done foolishly in this; for from now on you will have wars.”
- Prov 15:3Yahweh’s eyes are everywhere, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
- Jer 23:23–24“Am I a God at hand,” says Yahweh, “and not a God afar off?
- Ps 14:2Yahweh looked down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who understood, who sought after God.
- Ps 102:19For he has looked down from the height of his sanctuary. From heaven, Yahweh saw the earth;
- Lam 3:50until Yahweh looks down, and sees from heaven.
- Gen 6:12God saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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 33:13 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.