In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
Parallel translations
- WEB In God, I praise his word. In God, I put my trust. I will not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?
- BSB In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
- NKJV In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?
- NASB In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
- NLT I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to 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
Trusting God and praising his word, David refuses to fear mere mortal flesh. It declares confident faith that disarms human threats.
Overview
David grounds his courage in God and in God's promises ('his word'), concluding that frail flesh can do nothing ultimately to harm him. The rhetorical question dismisses the power of human enemies before the almighty God. It anticipates the New Testament assurance that if God is for us, none can prevail against us (Romans 8:31).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Heb 13:6So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
- Ps 118:6The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
- Rom 8:31–39What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
- Ps 27:1The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
- Isa 41:10Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
- Luke 12:4–5And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
- Ps 56:10–11In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.
- Ps 46:1–2God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
- Ps 119:89–90For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
- Isa 31:3Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.
- Ps 19:7–8The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
- Ps 12:6The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
- Ps 119:160Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
- Ps 138:2I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
- John 10:35If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
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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 56:4 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.