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For the Lord hears the cries of the needy; he does not despise his imprisoned people.
Psalms 69:33 · New Living Translation
Parallel translations
  • WEB For Yahweh hears the needy, and doesn’t despise his captive people.
  • KJV For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.
  • BSB For the LORD listens to the needy and does not despise His captive people.
  • NKJV For the Lord hears the poor, And does not despise His prisoners.
  • NASB For the Lord hears the needy, And does not despise those of His who are prisoners.

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 Lord hears the needy and does not despise his imprisoned people. It assures the afflicted that God attends to them.

Overview

David affirms that God listens to the poor and does not scorn those of his people who are bound or captive. God's special care for the lowly and oppressed runs throughout Scripture. This compassion finds its fullest expression in Christ, who came to proclaim liberty to captives and good news to the poor (Luke 4:18).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 16

  • Acts 5:18–19and laid hands on the apostles, and put them in public custody.
  • Ps 68:6God sets the lonely in families. He brings out the prisoners with singing, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.
  • Zech 9:11–12As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I have set free your prisoners from the pit in which is no water.
  • Rev 2:10Don’t be afraid of the things which you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested; and you will have oppression for ten days. Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life.
  • Ps 146:7who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. Yahweh frees the prisoners.
  • Luke 4:18“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed,
  • Eph 3:1For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,
  • Ps 12:5“Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says Yahweh; “I will set him in safety from those who malign him.”
  • Acts 12:4–11When he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.
  • Ps 10:17Yahweh, you have heard the desire of the humble. You will prepare their heart. You will cause your ear to hear,
  • Ps 102:20to hear the groans of the prisoner; to free those who are condemned to death;
  • Ps 102:17He has responded to the prayer of the destitute, and has not despised their prayer.
  • Ps 34:6This poor man cried, and Yahweh heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
  • Ps 72:12–14For he will deliver the needy when he cries; the poor, who has no helper.
  • Isa 66:2For my hand has made all these things, and so all these things came to be,” says Yahweh: “but to this man will I look, even to he who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word.
  • Ps 107:10Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

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 69:33YouTube · 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 69:33 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.