Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, May 13th, 2025
the Fourth Week after Easter
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Psalms 14:5

Night is coming for them, and nightmares, for God takes the side of victims. Do you think you can mess with the dreams of the poor? You can't, for God makes their dreams come true.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Thompson Chain Reference - Courage-Fear;   Terror;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Psalms, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Generation;   Poor, Orphan, Widow;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - English Versions;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Psalms;   Righteousness;   Sin;   Text, Versions, and Languages of Ot;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Psalms the book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Belly;   Generation;   Justification;   Psalms, Book of;   Text of the Old Testament;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for March 16;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then they will be filled with dread,for God is with those who are righteous.
Hebrew Names Version
There were they in great fear, For God is in the generation of the righteous.
King James Version
There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
English Standard Version
There they are in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous.
New Century Version
But the wicked are filled with terror, because God is with those who do what is right.
New English Translation
They are absolutely terrified, for God defends the godly.
Amplified Bible
There they tremble with great fear, For God is with the [consistently] righteous generation.
New American Standard Bible
There they are in great dread, For God is with a righteous generation.
World English Bible
There were they in great fear, For God is in the generation of the righteous.
Geneva Bible (1587)
There they shall be taken with feare, because God is in the generation of the iust.
Legacy Standard Bible
There they are in great dread,For God is with the righteous generation.
Berean Standard Bible
There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is in the company of the righteous.
Contemporary English Version
But you will be frightened, because God is on the side of every good person.
Complete Jewish Bible
There they are, utterly terrified; for God is with those who are righteous.
Darby Translation
There were they in great fear; for God is in the generation of the righteous.
Easy-to-Read Version
They will have plenty to fear, because God is with those who do what is right.
George Lamsa Translation
There were they in great fear; for God is in the generation of the righteous.
Good News Translation
But then they will be terrified, for God is with those who obey him.
Lexham English Bible
There they are very fearful because God is with the generation of the righteous.
Literal Translation
There they were afraid of terror, for God is in the righteous generation.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
How can they haue vnderstondinge, yt worke myschefe, eatinge vp my people, as it were bred, & call not vpo ye LORDE?
American Standard Version
There were they in great fear; For God is in the generation of the righteous.
Bible in Basic English
Then were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the upright.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
There are they in great fear; for God is with the righteous generation.
King James Version (1611)
There were they in great feare; for God is in the generation of the righteous.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Hereafter they shalbe taken with a great feare: for the Lorde is in the generation of the righteous.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
There were they alarmed with fear, where there was no fear; for God is in the righteous generation.
English Revised Version
There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thei clepeden not the Lord; thei trembliden there for dreed, where was no drede;
Update Bible Version
There they were in great fear; For God is in the generation of the righteous.
Webster's Bible Translation
There were they in great fear: for God [is] in the generation of the righteous.
New King James Version
There they are in great fear, For God is with the generation of the righteous.
New Living Translation
Terror will grip them, for God is with those who obey him.
New Life Bible
There they are in much fear. For God is with the people of this day who do what is right and good.
New Revised Standard
There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the company of the righteous.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
There have they been in great dread, because, God, is in the circle of the righteous man.
Douay-Rheims Bible
(13-5) They have not called upon the Lord: there have they trembled for fear, where there was no fear.
Revised Standard Version
There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous.
Young's Literal Translation
There they have feared a fear, For God [is] in the generation of the righteous.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
There they are in great dread, For God is with the righteous generation.

Contextual Overview

4 Don't they know anything, all these impostors? Don't they know they can't get away with this— Treating people like a fast-food meal over which they're too busy to pray? 5Night is coming for them, and nightmares, for God takes the side of victims. Do you think you can mess with the dreams of the poor? You can't, for God makes their dreams come true. 7 Is there anyone around to save Israel? Yes. God is around; God turns life around. Turned-around Jacob skips rope, turned-around Israel sings laughter.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

were: etc. Heb. they feared a fear, Psalms 53:5, Exodus 15:16, Esther 8:7, Proverbs 1:26, Proverbs 1:27, Proverbs 28:1

God: Psalms 46:5, Psalms 46:7, Psalms 46:11, Isaiah 8:10, Isaiah 12:6, Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 43:1, Isaiah 43:2, Matthew 1:23

the generation: Psalms 22:30, Psalms 24:6, Psalms 73:15, Psalms 112:2, 1 Peter 2:9

Reciprocal: Genesis 35:5 - General Genesis 50:15 - Joseph 1 Samuel 14:15 - there was trembling 2 Kings 7:6 - the Lord 2 Chronicles 23:13 - she looked Psalms 23:4 - for thou Song of Solomon 6:10 - clear Mark 5:15 - and they Revelation 6:16 - and from

Cross-References

Genesis 14:10
The Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into the tar pits, but the rest escaped into the mountains. The four kings captured all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, all their food and equipment, and went on their way. They captured Lot, Abram's nephew who was living in Sodom at the time, taking everything he owned with them.
Deuteronomy 3:11
Og king of Bashan was the last remaining Rephaite. His bed, made of iron, was over thirteen feet long and six wide. You can still see it on display in Rabbah of the People of Ammon.
Joshua 12:4
lass="passage-text">
2 Samuel 5:22
Later there was a repeat performance. The Philistines came up again and deployed their troops in the Rephaim Valley. David again prayed to God . This time God said, "Don't attack them head-on. Instead, circle around behind them and ambush them from the grove of sacred trees. When you hear the sound of shuffling in the trees, get ready to move out. It's a signal that God is going ahead of you to smash the Philistine camp." David did exactly what God told him. He routed the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
2 Samuel 23:13
One day during harvest, the Three parted from the Thirty and joined David at the Cave of Adullam. A squad of Philistines had set up camp in the Valley of Rephaim. While David was holed up in the Cave, the Philistines had their base camp in Bethlehem. David had a sudden craving and said, "Would I ever like a drink of water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem!" So the Three penetrated the Philistine lines, drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But David wouldn't drink it; he poured it out as an offering to God , saying, "There is no way, God , that I'll drink this! This isn't mere water, it's their life-blood—they risked their very lives to bring it!" So David refused to drink it. This is the sort of thing that the Three did.
1 Chronicles 11:15
The Big Three from the Thirty made a rocky descent to David at the Cave of Adullam while a company of Philistines was camped in the Valley of Rephaim. David was holed up in the Cave while the Philistines were prepared for battle at Bethlehem. David had a sudden craving: "What I wouldn't give for a drink of water from the well in Bethlehem, the one at the gate!" The Three penetrated the Philistine camp, drew water from the well at the Bethlehem gate, shouldered it, and brought it to David. And then David wouldn't drink it! He poured it out as a sacred offering to God , saying, "I'd rather be damned by God than drink this! It would be like drinking the lifeblood of these men—they risked their lives to bring it." So he refused to drink it. These are the kinds of things that the Big Three of the Mighty Men did.
Psalms 105:23
Then Israel entered Egypt, Jacob immigrated to the Land of Ham. God gave his people lots of babies; soon their numbers alarmed their foes. He turned the Egyptians against his people; they abused and cheated God's servants. Then he sent his servant Moses, and Aaron, whom he also chose. They worked marvels in that spiritual wasteland, miracles in the Land of Ham. He spoke, "Darkness!" and it turned dark— they couldn't see what they were doing. He turned all their water to blood so that all their fish died; He made frogs swarm through the land, even into the king's bedroom; He gave the word and flies swarmed, gnats filled the air. He substituted hail for rain, he stabbed their land with lightning; He wasted their vines and fig trees, smashed their groves of trees to splinters; With a word he brought in locusts, millions of locusts, armies of locusts; They consumed every blade of grass in the country and picked the ground clean of produce; He struck down every firstborn in the land, the first fruits of their virile powers. He led Israel out, their arms filled with loot, and not one among his tribes even stumbled. Egypt was glad to have them go— they were scared to death of them. God spread a cloud to keep them cool through the day and a fire to light their way through the night; They prayed and he brought quail, filled them with the bread of heaven; He opened the rock and water poured out; it flowed like a river through that desert— All because he remembered his Covenant, his promise to Abraham, his servant.
Jeremiah 48:1
The Message on Moab from God -of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel: "Doom to Nebo! Leveled to the ground! Kiriathaim demeaned and defeated, The mighty fortress reduced to a molehill, Moab's glory—dust and ashes. Conspirators plot Heshbon's doom: ‘Come, let's wipe Moab off the map.' Dungface Dimon will loudly lament, as killing follows killing. Listen! A cry out of Horonaim: ‘Disaster—doom and more doom!' Moab will be shattered. Her cries will be heard clear down in Zoar. Up the ascent of Luhith climbers weep, And down the descent from Horonaim, cries of loss and devastation. Oh, run for your lives! Get out while you can! Survive by your wits in the wild! You trusted in thick walls and big money, yes? But it won't help you now. Your big god Chemosh will be hauled off, his priests and managers with him. A wrecker will wreck every city. Not a city will survive. The valley fields will be ruined, the plateau pastures destroyed, just as I told you. Cover the land of Moab with salt. Make sure nothing ever grows here again. Her towns will all be ghost towns. Nobody will ever live here again. Sloppy work in God 's name is cursed, and cursed all halfhearted use of the sword.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

There were they in great fear,.... This, shows that they had some knowledge of God, and consciousness of guilt, which they endeavoured to banish out of their minds by their fears of punishment; and these fears men of the most atheistic principles cannot get rid of. In Psalms 53:5 it is added, "where no fear was": that is, any cause or reason for it: such men are often frightened at their own shadows, afraid to be in the dark alone, as Hobbes the atheist was. The wicked flee when no man pursues, and are chased by the sound of a shaken leaf; see

Proverbs 28:1; or where there was no fear of God before their eyes, nor on their hearts, as well as no regard to men; or where before there were perfect peace and security, and no apprehension or dread of any calamity, ruin, and destruction;

for God [is] in the generation of the righteous, or "of the righteous One" b; which some understood of Jesus Christ the righteous: and though the age or generation in which he lived was a very wicked one, yet God was with him; as was seen by the doctrines he taught, and the miracles he wrought; and which filled the Jews with panic fears, lest the Romans should come and take away their place and nation: but rather this is to be understood of the generation of the saints, who are righteous through the righteousness of Christ, and have the new man in them, which is created in righteousness and true holiness, and live soberly and righteously; these are sometimes called the generation of the upright, and of the children of God, and of them that seek him,

Psalms 112:2; in the midst of these God is, among them he affords his gracious presence, and is with them, for their help and assistance against their enemies: and as this makes them fearless of them, it fills their enemies with dread and terror; see Joshua 2:9. The Targum renders it,

"the Word of the Lord is in the generation of the righteous.''

b צדיק "justi", Montanus, Gejerus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

There were they in great fear - Margin, as in Hebrew, “they feared a fear.” The idea is, that they were in great terror or consternation. They were not calm in their belief that there was no God. They endeavored to be. They wished to satisfy themselves that there was no God, and that they had nothing to dread. But they could not do this. In spite of all their efforts, there was such proof of his existence, and of his being the friend of the righteous, and consequently the enemy of such as they themselves were, as to fill their minds with alarm. People cannot, by an effort of will, get rid of the evidence that there is a God. In the face of all their attempts to convince themselves of this, the demonstration of his existence will press upon them, and will often fill their minds with terror.

For God is in the generation of the righteous - The word “generation” here, as applied to the righteous, seems to refer to them as a “race,” or as a “class” of people. Compare Psalms 24:6; Psalms 73:15; Psalms 112:2. It commonly in the Scriptures refers to a certain age or duration, as it is used by us, reckoning an age or generation as about thirty or forty years (compare Job 42:16); but in the use of the term before us the idea of an “age” is dropped, and the righteous are spoken of merely as a “class” or “race” of persons. The idea here is, that there were such manifest proofs that God was among the righteous, and that he was their friend, that the wicked could not resist the force of that evidence, however much they might desire it, and however much they might wish to arrive at the conclusion that there was no God. The evidence that he was among the righteous would, of course, alarm them, because the very fact that he was the friend of the righteous demonstrated that he must be the enemy of the wicked, and, of course, that they were exposed to his wrath.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 14:5. There were they in great fear — This is a manifest allusion to the history of the Canaanitish nations; they were struck with terror at the sight of the Israelites, and by this allusion the psalmist shows that a destruction similar to that which fell upon them, should fall on the Babylonians. Several of the versions add, from Psalms 53:5, "Where no fear was." They were struck with terror, where no real cause of terror existed. Their fears had magnified their danger.

For God is in the generation — They feared the Israelites, because they knew that the Almighty God was among them.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile