He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?
Parallel translations
- WEB He who disciplines the nations, won’t he punish? He who teaches man knows.
- BSB He who admonishes the nations, does He not discipline? He who teaches man, does He lack knowledge?
- NKJV He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge?
- NASB He who disciplines the nations, will He not rebuke, He who teaches mankind knowledge?
- NLT He punishes the nations—won’t he also punish you? He knows everything—doesn’t he also know what you are doing?
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 God who disciplines nations and teaches mankind surely knows and will punish. The God who corrects and instructs is fully aware of human deeds.
Overview
Continuing the argument, the psalmist reasons that the One who governs and instructs all peoples is not ignorant of their sin. God who teaches knowledge certainly possesses it perfectly. He will therefore call every nation and person to account, as the just Judge of all (Psalm 9:8; Romans 2:6).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 21
- Job 35:11Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?
- Isa 28:26For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.
- Ps 44:2How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.
- Jer 10:25Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.
- Ps 119:66Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.
- Hab 1:12Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.
- Prov 2:6For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
- Isa 10:5–6O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.
- Ps 10:16The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.
- Isa 37:36Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
- Ps 135:8–12Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.
- Amos 3:2You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
- Isa 54:13And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
- Ps 9:5Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.
- Ps 25:8–9Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
- John 6:45It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
- Hab 3:12Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger.
- Isa 2:3And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
- Isa 10:12Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.
- Ezek 39:21And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
- Ps 149:7To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;
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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 94:10 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
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