By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.
Parallel translations
- WEB I have relied on you from the womb. You are he who took me out of my mother’s womb. I will always praise you.
- BSB I have leaned on You since birth; You pulled me from my mother’s womb. My praise is always for You.
- NKJV By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb. My praise shall be continually of You.
- NASB I have leaned on You since my birth; You are He who took me from my mother’s womb; My praise is continually of You.
- NLT Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you!
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 psalmist has relied on God since birth, even from the womb, and resolves to praise him always. It grounds lifelong praise in God's lifelong care.
Overview
The psalmist recalls that God has upheld him from his very birth, even bringing him from his mother's womb, and so he vows continual praise. God's faithful care begins before we are aware of it and continues to the end. This recognition of God's sustaining hand from the womb echoes his sovereign care over each life, set apart by him for his purposes.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Jer 1:5Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
- Ps 22:9–10But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.
- Ps 139:15–16My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
- Gal 1:15But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace,
- Isa 49:1Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
- Isa 49:5And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.
- Isa 46:3–4Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb:
- Ps 34:1I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
- Ps 145:1–2I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
- Prov 8:17I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
- Jer 3:4Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?
- Luke 1:31–32And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
- Ps 71:14But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.
- Eph 5:20Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
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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 71:6 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.