Limitless Word
For the needy shall not always be forgotten; The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever.
Psalms 9:18 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
  • KJV For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.
  • BSB For the needy will not always be forgotten; nor the hope of the oppressed forever dashed.
  • NASB For the needy will not always be forgotten, Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.
  • NLT But the needy will not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.

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 needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever. God will surely vindicate the afflicted in time.

Overview

Against the apparent triumph of the wicked, David assures that God will not permanently overlook the poor. Their hope, anchored in God, will not be disappointed. This confidence sustains believers amid delayed justice and anticipates the kingdom in which the poor in spirit are blessed (Matthew 5:3).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 13

  • Ps 12:5“Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says Yahweh; “I will set him in safety from those who malign him.”
  • Prov 23:18Indeed surely there is a future hope, and your hope will not be cut off.
  • Prov 24:14so you shall know wisdom to be to your soul; if you have found it, then there will be a reward, your hope will not be cut off.
  • Jas 2:5Listen, 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?
  • Luke 1:53He has filled the hungry with good things. He has sent the rich away empty.
  • Luke 6:20He lifted up his eyes to his disciples, and said, “Blessed are you who are poor, God’s Kingdom is yours.
  • Ps 102:20to hear the groans of the prisoner; to free those who are condemned to death;
  • Ps 109:31For he will stand at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who judge his soul.
  • Ps 72:4He will judge the poor of the people. He will save the children of the needy, and will break the oppressor in pieces.
  • Ps 102:17He has responded to the prayer of the destitute, and has not despised their prayer.
  • Ps 71:5For you are my hope, Lord Yahweh; my confidence from my youth.
  • Ps 9:12For he who avenges blood remembers them. He doesn’t forget the cry of the afflicted.
  • Ps 72:12–14For he will deliver the needy when he cries; the poor, who has no helper.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

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 9:18YouTube · 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 9:18 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.