The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not falter.
Parallel translations
- WEB The law of his God is in his heart. None of his steps shall slide.
- KJV The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
- NKJV The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.
- NASB The Law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip.
- NLT They have made God’s law their own, so they will never slip from his path.
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
God's law is in the heart of the righteous, so his steps do not slide. Internalized truth gives stability of life.
Overview
David identifies the source of the righteous person's steadfastness: 'The law of his God is in his heart.' When God's word is internalized, not merely external, it keeps one's steps secure. This points forward to the new covenant promise that God writes His law on the hearts of His people (Jeremiah 31:33), fulfilled in those indwelt by His Spirit through Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 19
- Ps 40:8I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”
- Deut 6:6These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts.
- Isa 51:7Listen to Me, you who know what is right, you people with My law in your hearts: Do not fear the scorn of men; do not be broken by their insults.
- Ps 119:11I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.
- Jer 31:33“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.
- Ps 37:23The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey.
- Ps 121:3He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber.
- Heb 8:10For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.
- Prov 4:4he taught me and said, “Let your heart lay hold of my words; keep my commands and you will live.
- Ps 40:2–3He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm.
- Deut 11:18–20Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
- Ps 44:18Our hearts have not turned back; our steps have not strayed from Your path.
- Job 23:11My feet have followed in His tracks; I have kept His way without turning aside.
- Ps 119:98Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are always with me.
- Ps 1:2But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.
- Ps 17:5My steps have held to Your paths; my feet have not slipped.
- Prov 14:15The simple man believes every word, but the prudent man watches his steps.
- Ps 73:2But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.
- Ezek 27:6Of oaks from Bashan they made your oars; of wood from the coasts of Cyprus they made your deck, inlaid with ivory.
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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 37:31 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
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