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Friday, September 12th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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Bible in Basic English

Psalms 44:21

Will not God make search for it? for he sees the secrets of the heart.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Backsliders;   God Continued...;   Heart;   Idolatry;   Murmuring;   Secret;   Sin;   Thompson Chain Reference - Knowledge;   Knowledge, Divine;   Knowledge-Ignorance;   Searcher of Hearts;   Secret Sins;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Heart, the;   Wisdom of God, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Korah;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Heart;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Knowledge;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - English Versions;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Korah, Korahites;   Psalms;   Sin;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Self-Examination;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - God;   Korah;   Psalms the book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Search;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Hand;   Judaism;   Worship, Idol-;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for December 24;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
wouldn’t God have found this out,since he knows the secrets of the heart?
Hebrew Names Version
Won't God search this out? For he knows the secrets of the heart.
King James Version
Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
English Standard Version
would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.
New Century Version
God would have known, because he knows what is in our hearts.
New English Translation
would not God discover it, for he knows one's thoughts?
Amplified Bible
Would not God discover this? For He knows the secrets of the heart.
New American Standard Bible
Would God not find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.
World English Bible
Won't God search this out? For he knows the secrets of the heart.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Shall not God searche this out? for hee knoweth the secrets of the heart.
Legacy Standard Bible
Would not God find this out?For He knows the secrets of the heart.
Berean Standard Bible
would not God have discovered, since He knows the secrets of the heart?
Contemporary English Version
You would have known it because you discover every secret thought.
Complete Jewish Bible
If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
Darby Translation
Would not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
Easy-to-Read Version
If we did, then God knows it, because he knows our deepest secrets.
George Lamsa Translation
God will look into this thing, for he knows the secrets of the heart.
Good News Translation
you would surely have discovered it, because you know our secret thoughts.
Lexham English Bible
would not God discover this, for he knows the secrets of the heart?
Literal Translation
shall not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf we had forgotten the name of oure God, & holde vp oure hondes to eny straunge God: Shulde not God fynde it out? for he knoweth the very secretes of the hert.
American Standard Version
Will not God search this out? For he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
If we had forgotten the name of our God, or spread forth our hands to a strange god;
King James Version (1611)
Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
woulde not God searche it out? for he knoweth the very secretes of the heart.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
for he knows the secrets of the heart.
English Revised Version
Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If we foryaten the name of oure God; and if we helden forth oure hondis to an alien God.
Update Bible Version
Will not God search this out? For he knows the secrets of the heart.
Webster's Bible Translation
Will not God search out this? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
New King James Version
Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.
New Living Translation
God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart.
New Life Bible
would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.
New Revised Standard
would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Would not, God, have searched into this, Seeing that, he, knoweth the secrets of the heart?
Douay-Rheims Bible
(43-22) Shall not God search out these things: for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
Revised Standard Version
would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.
Young's Literal Translation
Doth not God search out this? For He knoweth the secrets of the heart.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.

Contextual Overview

17 All this has come on us, but still we have kept you in our memory; and we have not been false to your word. 18 Our hearts have not gone back, and our steps have not been turned out of your way; 19 Though you have let us be crushed in the place of jackals, though we are covered with darkest shade. 20 If the name of our God has gone out of our minds, or if our hands have been stretched out to a strange god, 21 Will not God make search for it? for he sees the secrets of the heart. 22 Truly, because of you we are put to death every day; we are numbered like sheep for destruction. 23 Why are you sleeping, O Lord? awake! and come to our help, do not give us up for ever. 24 Why is your face covered, and why do you give no thought to our trouble and our cruel fate? 25 For our souls are crushed down to the dust: our bodies are stretched out on the earth. 26 Up! and come to our help, and give us salvation because of your mercy.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Shall: Psalms 139:1-24, Job 31:4, Job 31:14, Job 34:21, Job 34:22, Jeremiah 17:10, Jeremiah 23:24

knoweth: Joshua 22:22, Joshua 22:23, Ecclesiastes 12:14, Romans 2:16, 1 Corinthians 4:5, Hebrews 4:12, Hebrews 4:13, Revelation 2:23

Reciprocal: Genesis 18:15 - Nay Deuteronomy 27:15 - and putteth 1 Samuel 2:3 - a God 2 Samuel 11:8 - go down Job 10:6 - General Job 12:22 - discovereth Job 13:9 - search Job 13:23 - many Job 20:27 - heaven Job 31:5 - walked Job 31:7 - If my Job 42:2 - no Psalms 7:9 - for Psalms 11:4 - his eyes Psalms 33:15 - considereth Psalms 69:5 - and my sins Psalms 73:11 - is there Psalms 94:9 - hear Psalms 119:168 - for all my Proverbs 15:11 - the hearts Proverbs 24:12 - doth not he that Jeremiah 12:3 - knowest Matthew 6:4 - seeth Matthew 9:4 - knowing Luke 6:8 - But Acts 1:24 - Lord Acts 15:8 - which Romans 8:27 - And he 2 Corinthians 6:14 - for 2 Corinthians 11:11 - God 1 Thessalonians 2:4 - but God 1 John 3:20 - and

Cross-References

Genesis 42:15
But in this way will you be put to the test: by the life of Pharaoh, you will not go away from this place till your youngest brother comes here.
Genesis 42:20
And come back to me with your youngest brother, so that your words may be seen to be true, and you will not be put to death. This is what you are to do.
Genesis 43:29
Then, lifting up his eyes, he saw Benjamin, his brother, his mother's son, and he said, Is this your youngest brother of whom you gave me word? And he said, God be good to you, my son.
Jeremiah 24:6
For I will keep my eyes on them for good, and I will take them back again to this land, building them up and not pulling them down, planting them and not uprooting them.
Jeremiah 40:4
Now see, this day I am freeing you from the chains which are on your hands. If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, then come, and I will keep an eye on you; but if it does not seem good to you to come with me to Babylon, then do not come: see, all the land is before you; if it seems good and right to you to go on living in the land,
Amos 9:4
And though they are taken away as prisoners by their attackers, even there will I give orders to the sword to put them to death: my eyes will be fixed on them for evil and not for good.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Shall not God search this out?.... Undoubtedly he would, was it so, and expose it, and punish for it; as he will the Balaamites and children of Jezebel, Revelation 2:18; this seems to be an appeal to God for the truth of all that the church had said concerning her steadfastness and integrity under the most trying exercises;

for he knoweth the secrets of the heart; whether the heart is turned back, or there is any inclination to apostatize from God, or his name is forgotten in it; as well as whether in fact the hand has been stretched out, or prayer made to a strange god, Jeremiah 17:9.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Shall not God search this out? - That is, If this had been the case, it would be known to God. If, as a nation, we had been given to idolatry, or if our hearts had been secretly alienated from the true God, though there had been no open manifestation of apostasy, yet that could not have been concealed from him. The question here asked implies a solemn declaration on the part of the psalmist that this was not so; or that there was no such national apostasy from God, and no such prevalence of idolatry in the land as to account for what had occurred. The reason for the calamities which had come upon them, therefore, must be found in something else.

For he knoweth the secrets of the heart - What is in the heart: what is concealed from the world. If there were any such alienation from him in the hearts of the people, he would know it. The fact that God knows the heart, or that he understands all the secret thoughts, purposes, and motives of people, is one that is everywhere affirmed in the Scriptures. See 1 Chronicles 28:9; Romans 8:27; compare the notes at Revelation 2:23.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 44:21. Shall not God search this out? — We confidently appeal to the true God, the searcher of hearts, for the truth of this statement.


 
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