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God will hear, and afflict them, Even He who abides from of old. Selah Because they do not change, Therefore they do not fear God.
Psalms 55:19 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB God, who is enthroned forever, will hear, and answer them. Selah. They never change, who don’t fear God.
  • KJV God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
  • BSB God will hear and humiliate them—the One enthroned for the ages—Selah because they do not change and they have no fear of God.
  • NASB God will hear and humiliate them— Even the One who sits enthroned from ancient times— Selah With whom there is no change, And who do not fear God.
  • NLT God, who has ruled forever, will hear me and humble them. Interlude For my enemies refuse to change their ways; they do not fear God.

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, enthroned forever, will hear and humble those who refuse to fear him. It contrasts God's eternal reign with the unrepentant wicked.

Overview

David appeals to God's everlasting kingship as the ground for confident expectation that he will answer and judge. The wicked 'never change' because they will not fear God, exposing the hardness of unrepentance. God's eternal throne assures believers that he will deal rightly with all who defy him.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 15

  • Deut 33:27The eternal God is your dwelling place. Underneath are the everlasting arms. He thrust out the enemy from before you, and said, ‘Destroy!’
  • Zeph 1:12It will happen at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are settled on their dregs, who say in their heart, “Yahweh will not do good, neither will he do evil.”
  • Eccl 8:11Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
  • Mic 5:2But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times.
  • Col 1:17He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.
  • Rev 6:10–11They cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, Master, the holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
  • Jer 48:11“Moab has been at ease from his youth, and he has settled on his lees, and has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither has he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed.
  • 1 Th 2:15–16who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out, and didn’t please God, and are contrary to all men;
  • Ps 78:59When God heard this, he was angry, and greatly abhorred Israel;
  • Prov 1:32For the backsliding of the simple will kill them. The careless ease of fools will destroy them.
  • Ps 143:12In your loving kindness, cut off my enemies, and destroy all those who afflict my soul, For I am your servant.
  • Isa 36:20Who are they among all the gods of these countries that have delivered their country out of my hand, that Yahweh should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”
  • Ps 65:5By awesome deeds of righteousness, you answer us, God of our salvation. You who are the hope of all the ends of the earth, of those who are far away on the sea;
  • Ps 73:5–6They are free from burdens of men, neither are they plagued like other men.
  • Ps 90:1–2A Prayer by Moses, the man of God. Lord, you have been our dwelling place for all generations.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

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 55:19YouTube · 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 55:19 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.