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He will spare the poor and needy, And will save the souls of the needy.
Psalms 72:13 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB He will have pity on the poor and needy. He will save the souls of the needy.
  • KJV He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.
  • BSB He will take pity on the poor and needy and save the lives of the oppressed.
  • NASB He will have compassion on the poor and needy, And he will save the lives of the needy.
  • NLT He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue 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

He will have pity on the poor and needy and save the lives of the needy.

Overview

The king's heart is moved with compassion for the lowly, and he acts to preserve their lives. Pity that leads to saving action marks his rule. This mercy is perfectly displayed in Jesus, who was moved with compassion and came to seek and save the lost (Matthew 9:36; Luke 19:10).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Ezek 34:16I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but the fat and the strong I will destroy; I will feed them in justice.
  • Matt 5:3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
  • Ps 109:31For he will stand at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who judge his soul.
  • Job 5:15–16But he saves from the sword of their mouth, even the needy from the hand of the mighty.
  • Jas 2:5–6Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him?
  • Matt 18:10See that you don’t despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

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 72:13YouTube · 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 72:13 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.