Unless the LORD had been my helper, I would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.
Parallel translations
- WEB Unless Yahweh had been my help, my soul would have soon lived in silence.
- KJV Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.
- NKJV Unless the Lord had been my help, My soul would soon have settled in silence.
- NASB ¶If the Lord had not been my help, My soul would soon have dwelt in the land of silence.
- NLT Unless the Lord had helped me, I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave.
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
Unless the LORD had helped him, the psalmist would have perished into silence. God's intervention alone preserved his life.
Overview
The psalmist confesses that without God's help he would already be dead and silent in the grave. This recognition turns his earlier despair (v.16) into grateful dependence. Such rescue from the brink points to the God who delivers from death itself, fully accomplished in Christ's victory over the grave (Psalm 116:8; 1 Corinthians 15:54-57).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ps 124:1–2A song of ascents. Of David. If the LORD had not been on our side—let Israel now declare—
- Ps 31:17O LORD, let me not be ashamed, for I have called on You. Let the wicked be put to shame; let them lie silent in Sheol.
- 2 Tim 4:16–17At my first defense, no one stood with me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be charged against them.
- Ps 118:13I was pushed so hard I was falling, but the LORD helped me.
- Ps 13:3Consider me and respond, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death,
- Ps 115:17It is not the dead who praise the LORD, nor any who descend into silence.
- Ps 125:1A song of ascents. Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion. It cannot be moved; it abides forever.
- Ps 142:4–5Look to my right and see; no one attends to me. There is no refuge for me; no one cares for my soul.
- John 16:32“Look, an hour is coming and has already come when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and you will leave Me all alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
- 2 Cor 1:8–10We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 94:17 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.