Put an end to the evil of the wicked, but establish the righteous, O righteous God who searches hearts and minds.
Parallel translations
- WEB Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; their minds and hearts are searched by the righteous God.
- KJV Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.
- NKJV Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.
- NASB Please let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; For the righteous God puts hearts and minds to the test.
- NLT End the evil of those who are wicked, and defend the righteous. For you look deep within the mind and heart, O righteous 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
David prays that wickedness would end and the righteous be established, for God searches every heart. The God who tests minds and hearts judges with perfect knowledge.
Overview
David longs for evil to cease and the godly to be made secure, appealing to God as the one who probes the innermost thoughts. Because God sees the heart, His judgment is flawless and cannot be deceived. This searching knowledge both warns the hypocrite and comforts the upright, who are fully known and kept by their righteous God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 27
- Jer 17:10I, the LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his deeds deserve.
- Jer 11:20O LORD of Hosts, who judges righteously, who examines the heart and mind, let me see Your vengeance upon them, for to You I have committed my cause.
- Jer 20:12O LORD of Hosts, who examines the righteous, who sees the heart and mind, let me see Your vengeance upon them, for to You I have committed my cause.
- 1 Sam 16:7But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”
- 1 Chr 28:9As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.
- Ps 139:1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
- Ps 44:21would not God have discovered, since He knows the secrets of the heart?
- Ps 11:5The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked; His soul hates the lover of violence.
- Ps 26:2Test me, O LORD, and try me; examine my heart and mind.
- Ps 37:23The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey.
- Ps 10:15Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call him to account for his wickedness until none is left to be found.
- Rom 16:25Now to Him who is able to strengthen you by my gospel and by the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery concealed for ages past
- Rev 2:23Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
- Ps 17:3You have tried my heart; You have visited me in the night. You have tested me and found no evil; I have resolved not to sin with my mouth.
- Acts 12:23Immediately, because Herod did not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
- Ps 10:18to vindicate the fatherless and oppressed, that the men of the earth may strike terror no more.
- 1 Sam 2:9He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail.
- Ps 58:6O God, shatter their teeth in their mouths; O LORD, tear out the fangs of the lions.
- Isa 37:36–38Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!
- Dan 11:45He will pitch his royal tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain, but he will meet his end with no one to help him.
- 1 Th 3:13so that He may establish your hearts in blamelessness and holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. Amen.
- 1 Pet 5:10And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you.
- Ps 9:5–6You have rebuked the nations; You have destroyed the wicked; You have erased their name forever and ever.
- Ps 40:2He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm.
- Ps 74:10–11How long, O God, will the enemy taunt You? Will the foe revile Your name forever?
- Ps 74:22–23Rise up, O God; defend Your cause! Remember how the fool mocks You all day long.
- Jude 1:1Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who are called, loved by God the Father, and kept in Jesus Christ:
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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 7:9 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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