1 Samuel 2:9

Bible in Basic English

He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the evil-doers will come to their end in the dark night, for by strength no man will overcome.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He guards the steps of his faithful ones,but the wicked perish in darkness,for a person does not prevail by his own strength.

Hebrew Names Version
He will keep the feet of his holy ones; But the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; For by strength shall no man prevail.

King James Version
He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

Lexham English Bible
He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked will be destroyed in the darkness, because a man will not prevail by his might.

English Standard Version
"He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.

New Century Version
He protects those who are loyal to him, but evil people will be silenced in darkness. Power is not the key to success.

New English Translation
He watches over his holy ones, but the wicked are made speechless in the darkness, for it is not by one's own strength that one prevails.

Amplified Bible
"He guards the feet of His godly (faithful) ones, But the wicked ones are silenced and perish in darkness; For a man shall not prevail by might.

New American Standard Bible
"He watches over the feet of His godly ones, But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness; For not by might shall a person prevail.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Hee will keepe the feete of his Saintes, and the wicked shall keepe silence in darkenes: for in his owne might shall no man be strong.

Legacy Standard Bible
He keeps the feet of His holy ones,But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness,For not by power shall a man prevail.

Contemporary English Version
You protect your loyal people, but everyone who is evil will die in darkness. We cannot win a victory by our own strength.

Complete Jewish Bible
He will guard the steps of his faithful, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. For it is not by strength that a person prevails —

Darby Translation
He keepeth the feet of his saints, but the wicked are silenced in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

Easy-to-Read Version
He protects his holy people. He keeps them from stumbling. But evil people will be destroyed. They will fall in the darkness. Their power won't help them win.

George Lamsa Translation
He will guard the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for not by his own strength shall a mighty man prevail.

Good News Translation
"He protects the lives of his faithful people, but the wicked disappear in darkness; a man does not triumph by his own strength.

Literal Translation
He keeps the feet of His saints, and the wicked are silenced in darkness; for man does not become mighty by power.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He shall preserue the fete of his sayntes, but ye vngodly shal be put to sylece in darcnesse. For there is no ma that can do oughte of his owne power.

American Standard Version
He will keep the feet of his holy ones; But the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; For by strength shall no man prevail.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
He wyll kepe the feete of his saintes, and the wicked shall kepe scilence in darknesse, and in his owne myght shal no man be strong.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
He will keep the feet of His holy ones, but the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; for not by strength shall man prevail.

King James Version (1611)
He will keepe the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall bee silent in darkenesse; for by strength shall no man preuaile.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
granting his petition to him that prays; and he blesses the years of the righteous, for by strength cannot man prevail.

English Revised Version
He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

Berean Standard Bible
He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He schal kepe `the feet of hise seyntis, and wickid men schulen be stille to gidere in derknessis; for a man schal not be maad strong in his owne strengthe.

Young's Literal Translation
The feet of His saints He keepeth, And the wicked in darkness are silent, For not by power doth man become mighty.

Update Bible Version
He will keep the feet of his holy ones; But the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; For by strength no man shall prevail.

Webster's Bible Translation
He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

World English Bible
He will keep the feet of his holy ones; But the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; For by strength shall no man prevail.

New King James Version
He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. "For by strength no man shall prevail.

New Living Translation
"He will protect his faithful ones, but the wicked will disappear in darkness. No one will succeed by strength alone.

New Life Bible
He watches over the steps of His good people. But the sinful ones will be made quiet in darkness. For a man will not win by strength.

New Revised Standard
"He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness; for not by might does one prevail.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The feet of his loving ones, he doth guard, But, the lawless, in darkness shall be silent, - For, by strength, shall no man prevail.

Douay-Rheims Bible
He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; because no man shall prevail by his own strength.

Revised Standard Version
"He will guard the feet of his faithful ones; but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness; for not by might shall a man prevail.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"He keeps the feet of His godly ones, But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness; For not by might shall a man prevail.

Contextual Overview

¹ And Hannah, in prayer before the Lord, said, My heart is glad in the Lord, my horn is lifted up in the Lord: my mouth is open wide over my haters; because my joy is in your salvation. ² No other is holy as the Lord, for there is no other God but you: there is no Rock like our God. ³ Say no more words of pride; let not uncontrolled sayings come out of your mouths: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, by him acts are judged. ⁴ The bows of the men of war are broken, and the feeble are clothed with strength. ⁵ Those who were full are offering themselves as servants for bread; those who were in need are at rest; truly, she who had no children has become the mother of seven; and she who had a family is wasted with sorrow. ⁶ The Lord is the giver of death and life: sending men down to the underworld and lifting them up. ⁷ The Lord gives wealth and takes a man's goods from him: crushing men down and again lifting them up; ⁸ Lifting the poor out of the dust, and him who is in need out of the lowest place, to give them their place among rulers, and for their heritage the seat of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's and he has made them the base of the world. ⁹ He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the evil-doers will come to their end in the dark night, for by strength no man will overcome. ¹⁰ Those who make war against the Lord will be broken; against them he will send his thunder from heaven: the Lord will be judge of the ends of the earth, he will give strength to his king, lifting up the horn of him on whom the holy oil has been put.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

will keep: Job 5:24, Psalms 37:23, Psalms 37:24, Psalms 91:11, Psalms 91:12, Psalms 94:18, Psalms 121:3, Psalms 121:5, Psalms 121:8, Proverbs 16:9, 1 Peter 1:5

his saints: Deuteronomy 33:3, Psalms 37:28, Psalms 97:10, Proverbs 2:8, Jude 1:1, Jude 1:3

be silent: Job 5:16, Ecclesiastes 5:17, Jeremiah 8:14, Zephaniah 1:15, Matthew 8:12, Matthew 22:12, Matthew 22:13, Romans 3:19, 2 Peter 2:17, Jude 1:13

by strength: 1 Samuel 17:49, 1 Samuel 17:50, Psalms 33:16, Psalms 33:17, Ecclesiastes 9:11, Jeremiah 9:23, Zechariah 4:6

Reciprocal: Exodus 15:16 - still 1 Samuel 25:29 - bound 1 Samuel 26:20 - let not my 2 Samuel 22:37 - feet 2 Chronicles 14:11 - man Psalms 7:9 - but Psalms 8:2 - still Psalms 9:19 - let not Psalms 12:7 - thou shalt Psalms 17:5 - Hold Psalms 26:1 - I shall Psalms 26:12 - My Psalms 31:17 - them Psalms 31:23 - for the Psalms 51:15 - O Lord Psalms 55:22 - suffer Psalms 56:13 - wilt Psalms 66:9 - suffereth Psalms 73:2 - feet Psalms 86:2 - Preserve Psalms 115:17 - go down Psalms 119:133 - Order Proverbs 3:26 - shall keep Proverbs 4:19 - General Isaiah 27:3 - do keep Isaiah 47:5 - silent Zephaniah 1:7 - thy Luke 1:51 - he hath scattered John 10:28 - they James 4:10 - he

Cross-References

Genesis 2:8
And the Lord God made a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had made.

Genesis 2:9
And out of the earth the Lord made every tree to come, delighting the eye and good for food; and in the middle of the garden, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:17
But of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not take; for on the day when you take of it, death will certainly come to you.

Genesis 3:3
But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, If you take of it or put your hands on it, death will come to you.

Deuteronomy 6:25
And it will be our righteousness if we take care to keep all this order before the Lord our God as he has given it to us.

Proverbs 3:18
She is a tree of life to all who take her in their hands, and happy is everyone who keeps her.

Proverbs 11:30
The fruit of righteousness is a tree of life, but violent behaviour takes away souls.

Isaiah 44:25
Who makes the signs of those who give word of the future come to nothing, so that those who have knowledge of secret arts go off their heads; turning the wise men back, and making their knowledge foolish:

Isaiah 47:10
For you had faith in your evil-doing; you said, No one sees me; by your wisdom and knowledge you have been turned out of the way: and you have said in your heart, I am, and there is no other.

Ezekiel 31:16
I will send shaking on the nations at the sound of his fall, when I send him down to the underworld with those who go down into the deep: and on earth they will be comforting themselves, all the trees of Eden, the best of Lebanon, even all the watered ones.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He will keep the feet of his saints,.... Now follow promises and prophecies of future things respecting the Israel of God, either in a literal or spiritual sense. By "his saints" are meant not angels, though they are his Holy Ones, but men, and a body of them; who though unholy in themselves, nor can they make themselves holy, yet are made so by the grace of God, in consequence of electing grace, by which they are chosen to be holy, from Christ the source and spring of all holiness, by the Holy Spirit of God, as the efficient cause, and which is done in the effectual calling; hence they live holy lives and conversations, though not altogether without sin in the present state. The word also signifies such to whom God has been kind and gracious, and on whom he has bestowed blessings of goodness, and who are bountiful and beneficent to others. These are the Lord's, whom he has set apart for himself, and has sanctified in Christ, and by his Spirit; and of these he is keeper, not angels, nor ministers of the word, nor themselves, but the Lord himself is the keeper of them; and who is an able, faithful, tender and compassionate, constant and everlasting keeper of them; and particularly he keeps their "feet"; he indeed keeps their whole persons, their bodies and souls; the members of their bodies, and the powers of their souls, their head, their heart, their affections, from turning aside from him; he guides, directs, and orders all their actions and goings; he keeps their feet in his own ways, where he has guided them; he keeps them in Christ the way, and in all the paths of faith, truth, righteousness, and holiness, and in the way everlasting: he keeps them from falling; for though they are liable to fall into sin, and by temptation, and from a lively exercise of grace, yet not totally and finally; they are secured from it by his love to them; the promises he has made them; his power exerted on their behalf; their being in the hands of Christ, and the glory of all the three Persons concerned herein:

and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; sin has spread darkness over all human nature; every man is born and brought up in darkness, and walks in it: a state of unregeneracy is a state of darkness, in which wicked men continue; and they are in the dark about God, the perfections of his nature, his mind and will, word and worship; about Christ, and the way of life, peace, and salvation by him; about their own state and condition by nature, and the danger they are in; about the nature and necessity of regeneration; and about the Scriptures, and the doctrines of the Gospel; and living and dying; in such a state, darkness, blackness of darkness, is their portion forever: so the Targum,

"the wicked in hell in darkness shall be judged:''

and it is said they shall be "silent" in it; they are quiet, easy, and content in the state of natural darkness in which they are; they neither do nor will understand; they do not care to come to the light, but shun the means of light and knowledge; they have nothing to say of God, of Christ, of the Spirit of God, or of divine things; they can talk enough of evil things, and pour them out in great plenty, but not of any good; and when their evils are charged upon them by the law, their mouths are stopped, and they pronounced guilty, and have nothing to say why justice and judgment should not take place; and so they will be silent and speechless at the great day of judgment. Some interpret it, they shall be "cut off in darkness"; so Kimchi and Ben Melech; that is, by death, by the hand of God, by the sword of justice:

for by strength shall no man prevail; which is a reason both why God will keep his saints, and why the wicked shall be silent, or cut off and perish: with respect to good men, they are not saved, kept, and preserved by their own strength; they are not saved without a righteousness, without regeneration, without repentance towards God, and faith in Christ; neither of which they can perform in their own strength: nor can a saint keep himself from, or prevail over his spiritual enemies of himself, not over sin, nor Satan, nor the world; but it is by the power of God that he is kept through faith unto salvation: and with respect to wicked men, these shall not prevail by their strength over good men, or the church, who are built upon a rock, against which the gates of hell cannot prevail; nor can the wicked so prevail by their strength as to hinder their being cut off, and cast into outer darkness; they have no power over the spirit to retain it in the day of death; and whether they will or not, they shall be cast into hell, and go into everlasting punishment.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 2:9. He will keep the feet of his saints — He will order and direct all their goings, and keep them from every evil way.

The wicked shall be silent in darkness — The Targum understands this of their being sent to the darkness of hell; they shall be slain.

By strength shall no man prevail. — Because God is omnipotent, and no power can be successfully exerted against him.