Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will stand for me against the workers of iniquity?
Parallel translations
- WEB Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will stand up for me against the evildoers?
- KJV Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
- NKJV Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
- NASB Who will stand up for me against evildoers? Who will take his stand for me against those who do injustice?
- NLT Who will protect me from the wicked? Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
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 psalmist asks who will rise up for him against the wicked. He realizes no human champion is sufficient against evildoers.
Overview
Facing oppression, the psalmist looks for a defender and finds none among men. This honest sense of helplessness drives him to depend wholly on God (v.17). Ultimately God Himself is the believer's defender, supremely in Christ who rose to defeat every enemy on our behalf (Romans 8:31-34).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- Judg 5:23‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the LORD. ‘Bitterly curse her inhabitants; for they did not come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.’
- Num 25:6–13Just then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and the whole congregation of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
- Ps 59:2Deliver me from workers of iniquity, and save me from men of bloodshed.
- 3 Jn 1:8Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
- John 7:50–51Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who himself was one of them, asked,
- Isa 59:16He saw that there was no man; He was amazed that there was no one to intercede. So His own arm brought salvation, and His own righteousness sustained Him.
- Neh 5:7and after serious thought I rebuked the nobles and officials, saying, “You are exacting usury from your own brothers!” So I called a large assembly against them
- Jer 5:1“Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem. Look now and take note; search her squares. If you can find a single person, anyone who acts justly, anyone who seeks the truth, then I will forgive the city.
- 2 Kgs 9:32He looked up at the window and called out, “Who is on my side? Who?” And two or three eunuchs looked down at him.
- Ezek 22:30I searched for a man among them to repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, so that I should not destroy it. But I found no one.
- Jer 26:16–19Then the officials and all the people told the priests and prophets, “This man is not worthy of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God!”
- Isa 63:5I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled that no one assisted. So My arm brought Me salvation, and My own wrath upheld Me.
- Exod 32:26–29So Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites gathered around him.
- Num 10:35Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say, “Rise up, O LORD! May Your enemies be scattered; may those who hate You flee before You.”
- 1 Kgs 18:39–40When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”
- 2 Kgs 10:15When he left there, he found Jehonadab son of Rechab, who was coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and asked, “Is your heart as true to mine as my heart is to yours?” “It is!” Jehonadab replied. “If it is,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.” So he gave him his hand, and Jehu helped him into his chariot,
- Ps 17:13Arise, O LORD, confront them! Bring them to their knees; deliver me from the wicked by Your sword,
- Matt 12:30He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 94:16 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.