Thou answeredst them, O LORD our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.
Parallel translations
- WEB You answered them, Yahweh our God. You are a God who forgave them, although you took vengeance for their doings.
- BSB O LORD our God, You answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, yet an avenger of their misdeeds.
- NKJV You answered them, O Lord our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, Though You took vengeance on their deeds.
- NASB Lord our God, You answered them; You were a forgiving God to them, And yet an avenger of their evil deeds.
- NLT O Lord our God, you answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, but you punished them when they went wrong.
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
God answered His people, forgiving them while still disciplining their wrongdoing. He is both merciful and just.
Overview
This verse holds together God's forgiveness and His holy correction of sin, showing that pardon does not cancel discipline. God remains faithful to His people while taking their sin seriously. This tension is resolved at the cross, where God justly punishes sin in Christ and freely forgives those who trust Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Num 20:12And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
- Ps 89:33Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
- Jer 46:28Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.
- Eccl 7:29Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.
- Deut 9:19–20For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also.
- Num 20:24Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah.
- Num 14:20–34And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word:
- Num 11:33–34And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.
- Deut 3:26But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.
- Exod 32:2And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
- Rom 1:21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
- Zeph 3:7I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.
- Exod 32:34–35Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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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 99:8 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.