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Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
Psalms 33:18 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Behold, Yahweh’s eye is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his loving kindness;
  • BSB Surely the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His loving devotion
  • NKJV Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy,
  • NASB ¶Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who wait for His faithfulness,
  • NLT But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.

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's eye is on those who fear him and hope in his steadfast love.

Overview

In contrast to false confidences, God watches with care over those who revere him and hope in his loving kindness. His attentive gaze means protection and favor, not mere observation. Such hope rests fully in the covenant love displayed in Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • 1 Pet 3:12For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
  • Ps 147:11The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.
  • Job 36:7He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings are they on the throne; yea, he doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted.
  • Ps 34:15–20The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
  • Heb 6:18That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
  • Ps 13:5But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.
  • Ps 52:8But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
  • Rom 4:4–8Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

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 33:18YouTube · 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 33:18 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.