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A Psalm of Asaph. Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
Psalms 73:1 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB A Psalm by Asaph. Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
  • KJV Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.
  • ESV Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
  • NKJV Truly God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart.
  • NASB God certainly is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart!
  • NLT Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure.

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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

Asaph affirms the settled truth that God is truly good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

Overview

This opening declaration is the conclusion Asaph reaches after deep struggle, placed first as the anchor of the whole psalm. God's goodness is enjoyed especially by the pure in heart, those whose hearts are set on him. This points to the blessing Jesus pronounced on the pure in heart, who will see God (Matthew 5:8).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 24

  • Matt 5:8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
  • Ps 51:10Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
  • Luke 12:32Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
  • Ps 84:11For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.
  • Jas 4:8Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
  • John 1:47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, He said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.”
  • Rom 2:28–29A man is not a Jew because he is one outwardly, nor is circumcision only outward and physical.
  • Jer 4:14Wash the evil from your heart, O Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts within you?
  • 1 Chr 25:1–6Additionally, David and the commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. The following is the list of the men who performed this service:
  • 2 Chr 29:30Then King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the LORD in the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshiped.
  • Titus 3:5He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
  • Ps 83:1A song. A Psalm of Asaph. O God, be not silent; be not speechless; be not still, O God.
  • Ps 50:1A Psalm of Asaph. The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from where the sun rises to where it sets.
  • Ps 24:4He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear deceitfully.
  • Rom 4:16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may rest on grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
  • 1 Chr 16:37So David left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to minister there regularly according to the daily requirements,
  • Ps 2:6“I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.”
  • Ps 73:18Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin.
  • 1 Chr 16:7On that day David first committed to Asaph and his brothers this song of thanksgiving to the LORD:
  • 1 Chr 15:17So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his brothers, Asaph son of Berechiah; from their brothers the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah;
  • 1 Chr 6:39Heman’s kinsman was Asaph, who served at his right hand: Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea,
  • Isa 63:7–9I will make known the LORD’s loving devotion and His praiseworthy acts, because of all that the LORD has done for us—the many good things for the house of Israel according to His great compassion and loving devotion.
  • Ps 42:11Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.
  • Rom 9:6–7It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

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 73:1YouTube · 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 73:1 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.