Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.
Parallel translations
- WEB Unless Yahweh had been my help, my soul would have soon lived in silence.
- BSB Unless the LORD had been my helper, I would soon have dwelt in the abode of 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 124:1–2If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say;
- Ps 31:17Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.
- 2 Tim 4:16–17At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
- Ps 118:13Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me.
- Ps 13:3Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
- Ps 115:17The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.
- Ps 125:1They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.
- Ps 142:4–5I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.
- John 16:32Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
- 2 Cor 1:8–10For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch 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.