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Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render a reward to the proud.
Psalms 94:2 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Rise up, you judge of the earth. Pay back the proud what they deserve.
  • KJV Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.
  • NKJV Rise up, O Judge of the earth; Render punishment to the proud.
  • NASB Rise up, Judge of the earth, Pay back retribution to the proud.
  • NLT Arise, O Judge of the earth. Give the proud what they deserve.

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 the Judge of all the earth to rise up and repay the proud. He longs for God to bring deserved justice on the arrogant.

Overview

Appealing to God as universal Judge, the psalmist asks Him to act against the proud who oppress the weak. This is a plea grounded in God's righteous character, not personal spite. The prayer anticipates the day when Christ, appointed Judge of all, will render to each according to his deeds (Acts 17:31; Genesis 18:25).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 21

  • Ps 7:6Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; rise up against the fury of my enemies. Awake, my God, and ordain judgment.
  • 2 Cor 5:10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.
  • Ps 31:23Love the LORD, all His saints. The LORD preserves the faithful, but fully repays the arrogant.
  • Gen 18:25Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
  • Mic 5:9Your hand will be lifted over your foes, and all your enemies will be cut off.
  • John 5:22–23Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son,
  • 1 Pet 5:5Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
  • Rev 18:6–8Give back to her as she has done to others; pay her back double for what she has done; mix her a double portion in her own cup.
  • Dan 4:37Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.
  • Job 40:11–12Unleash the fury of your wrath; look on every proud man and bring him low.
  • Dan 5:22–24But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this.
  • Isa 10:12So when the Lord has completed all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his arrogant heart and the proud look in his eyes.
  • Isa 2:17So the pride of man will be brought low, and the loftiness of men will be humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,
  • Isa 37:23Whom have you taunted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!
  • Isa 37:36–38Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!
  • Isa 37:29Because your rage and arrogance against Me have reached My ears, I will put My hook in your nose and My bit in your mouth; I will send you back the way you came.’
  • Ps 68:1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A song. God arises. His enemies are scattered, and those who hate Him flee His presence.
  • Jer 50:31–32“Behold, I am against you, O arrogant one,” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts, “for your day has come, the time when I will punish you.
  • Isa 2:11–12The proud look of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
  • Ps 74:22Rise up, O God; defend Your cause! Remember how the fool mocks You all day long.
  • Ps 50:6And the heavens proclaim His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

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 94:2YouTube · 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 94:2 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.