For he will deliver the needy who cry out and the afflicted who have no helper.
Parallel translations
- WEB For he will deliver the needy when he cries; the poor, who has no helper.
- KJV For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.
- NKJV For He will deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and him who has no helper.
- NASB ¶For he will save the needy when he cries for help, The afflicted also, and him who has no helper.
- NLT He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.
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 king delivers the needy who cry out and the poor who have no helper.
Overview
His greatness is measured by his mercy to those with no one else to defend them. The helpless find a champion in this king. Christ supremely embodies this compassion, answering the cry of the helpless and saving those who have no other refuge (Matthew 11:28).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Job 29:12because I rescued the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper.
- Ps 102:17He will turn toward the prayer of the destitute; He will not despise their prayer.
- Rev 3:17–18You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
- Eccl 4:1Again I looked, and I considered all the oppression taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; the power lay in the hands of their oppressors, and there was no comforter.
- Heb 7:25Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.
- Ps 10:17You have heard, O LORD, the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts. You will incline Your ear,
- Ps 82:3–4Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed.
- Ps 72:4May he vindicate the afflicted among the people; may he save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor.
- 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 proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed,
- 2 Cor 8:9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
- Isa 41:17The poor and needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
- Ps 102:20to hear a prisoner’s groaning, to release those condemned to death,
- Luke 7:22So He replied, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
- Isa 63:4–5For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and the year of My redemption had come.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 72:12 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.