The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
Parallel translations
- WEB The law of his God is in his heart. None of his steps shall slide.
- BSB The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not falter.
- 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 thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
- Deut 6:6And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
- Isa 51:7Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.
- Ps 119:11Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
- Jer 31:33But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
- Ps 37:23The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
- Ps 121:3He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
- Heb 8:10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
- Prov 4:4He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
- Ps 40:2–3He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
- Deut 11:18–20Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
- Ps 44:18Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;
- Job 23:11My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.
- Ps 119:98Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.
- Ps 1:2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
- Ps 17:5Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
- Prov 14:15The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.
- Ps 73:2But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
- Ezek 27:6Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches of ivory, brought out of the isles of Chittim.
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 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
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.