¶Why should I fear in days of adversity, When the injustice of those who betray me surrounds me,
Parallel translations
- WEB Why should I fear in the days of evil, when iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
- KJV Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?
- BSB Why should I fear in times of trouble, when wicked usurpers surround me?
- NKJV Why should I fear in the days of evil, When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
- NLT Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me?
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 believer need not fear in evil times, even when surrounded by the wickedness of deceitful foes. Faith in God removes dread.
Overview
The psalmist asks rhetorically why he should fear when treacherous, wealthy enemies hem him in. His confidence rests not in his own resources but in God, who will redeem him (v. 15). This is the heart of the psalm: those who trust God need not fear the rich and ruthless, whose power ends at the grave.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Acts 27:24saying, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. Behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’
- Prov 24:10If you falter in the time of trouble, your strength is small.
- Phil 1:28and in nothing frightened by the adversaries, which is for them a proof of destruction, but to you of salvation, and that from God.
- Rom 8:33–34Who could bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who justifies.
- Gen 49:17Dan will be a serpent on the trail, an adder in the path, That bites the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward.
- Amos 5:13Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.
- Ps 27:1–2By David. Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?
- Ps 38:4For my iniquities have gone over my head. As a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
- Ps 23:4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
- Ps 22:16For dogs have surrounded me. A company of evildoers have enclosed me. They have pierced my hands and feet.
- Hos 7:2They don’t consider in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness. Now their own deeds have engulfed them. They are before my face.
- Isa 41:10–11Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.
- Prov 5:22The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare him. The cords of his sin hold him firmly.
- Ps 56:6–7They conspire and lurk, watching my steps, they are eager to take my life.
- Ps 46:1–2For the Chief Musician. By the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
- 1 Sam 26:20Now therefore, don’t let my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of Yahweh; for the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains.”
- Eph 5:16redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 49:5 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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