Psalms 33:20

THE MESSAGE

We're depending on God ; he's everything we need. What's more, our hearts brim with joy since we've taken for our own his holy name. Love us, God , with all you've got— that's what we're depending on.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
We wait for the Lord;he is our help and shield.

Hebrew Names Version
Our soul has waited for the LORD. He is our help and our shield.

King James Version
Our soul waiteth for the Lord : he is our help and our shield.

English Standard Version
Our soul waits for the Lord ; he is our help and our shield.

New Century Version
So our hope is in the Lord . He is our help, our shield to protect us.

New English Translation
We wait for the Lord ; he is our deliverer and shield.

Amplified Bible
We wait [expectantly] for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

New American Standard Bible
Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

World English Bible
Our soul has waited for Yahweh. He is our help and our shield.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Our soule waiteth for the Lord: for he is our helpe and our shielde.

Legacy Standard Bible
Our soul is patient for Yahweh;He is our help and our shield.

Berean Standard Bible
Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

Contemporary English Version
We depend on you, Lord , to help and protect us.

Complete Jewish Bible
We are waiting for Adonai ; he is our help and shield.

Darby Translation
Our soul waiteth for Jehovah: he is our help and our shield.

Easy-to-Read Version
So we will wait for the Lord . He helps us and protects us.

George Lamsa Translation
Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Good News Translation
We put our hope in the Lord ; he is our protector and our help.

Lexham English Bible
Our soul waits for Yahweh; he is our help and our shield.

Literal Translation
Our soul waits for Jehovah; He is our help and shield.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Let oure soule paciently abyde the LORDE, for he is oure helpe and shilde.

American Standard Version
Our soul hath waited for Jehovah: He is our help and our shield.

Bible in Basic English
Our souls are waiting for the Lord; he is our help and our salvation.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Our soul hath waited for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

King James Version (1611)
Our soule waiteth for the Lord: he is our helpe, and our shield.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Our soule wayteth after God: he is our ayde and shielde.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Our soul waits on the Lord; for he is our helper and defender.

English Revised Version
Our soul hath waited for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Oure soule suffreth the Lord; for he is oure helpere and defendere.

Update Bible Version
Our soul has waited for Yahweh: He is our help and our shield.

Webster's Bible Translation
Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he [is] our help and our shield.

New King James Version
Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

New Living Translation
We put our hope in the Lord . He is our help and our shield.

New Life Bible
Our soul waits for the Lord. He is our help and our safe cover.

New Revised Standard
Our soul waits for the Lord ; he is our help and shield.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Our own soul, hath waited for Yahweh, Our help and our shield, is he!

Douay-Rheims Bible
(32-20) Our soul waiteth for the Lord: for he is our helper and protector.

Revised Standard Version
Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and shield.

Young's Literal Translation
Our soul hath waited for Jehovah, Our help and our shield [is] He,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Our soul waits for the Lord ; He is our help and our shield.

Contextual Overview

¹³From high in the skies God looks around, he sees all Adam's brood. From where he sits he overlooks all us earth-dwellers. He has shaped each person in turn; now he watches everything we do. ¹⁶No king succeeds with a big army alone, no warrior wins by brute strength. Horsepower is not the answer; no one gets by on muscle alone. ¹⁸Watch this: God's eye is on those who respect him, the ones who are looking for his love. He's ready to come to their rescue in bad times; in lean times he keeps body and soul together. ²⁰We're depending on God ; he's everything we need. What's more, our hearts brim with joy since we've taken for our own his holy name. Love us, God , with all you've got— that's what we're depending on.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

soul: Psalms 27:14, Psalms 62:1, Psalms 62:2, Psalms 62:5, Psalms 62:6, Psalms 130:5, Psalms 130:6, Isaiah 40:31

he is: Psalms 115:9-12, Psalms 144:1, Psalms 144:2, 1 Chronicles 5:20

Reciprocal: Psalms 25:3 - wait Isaiah 8:17 - I will Hosea 13:9 - but Zechariah 4:6 - might Hebrews 13:6 - The Lord

Cross-References

Genesis 8:20
Noah built an altar to God . He selected clean animals and birds from every species and offered them as burnt offerings on the altar. God smelled the sweet fragrance and thought to himself, "I'll never again curse the ground because of people. I know they have this bent toward evil from an early age, but I'll never again kill off everything living as I've just done.

Genesis 13:18
Abram moved his tent. He went and settled by the Oaks of Mamre in Hebron. There he built an altar to God .

Genesis 21:33
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and worshiped God there, praying to the Eternal God. Abraham lived in Philistine country for a long time.

Genesis 32:28
The man said, "But no longer. Your name is no longer Jacob. From now on it's Israel (God-Wrestler); you've wrestled with God and you've come through."

Genesis 33:8
Esau then asked, "And what was the meaning of all those herds that I met?" "I was hoping that they would pave the way for my master to welcome me."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Our soul waiteth for the Lord,.... This, and what follows, are the words of the church, expressing her expectation, faith, and joy, by reason of what is suggested in the preceding verses. She signifies her expectation of good by waiting for the Lord; either for his coming in the flesh, and salvation by him; for which the patriarchs, prophets, and all the Old Testament saints, waited,

Genesis 49:18; and so the Targum paraphrases it, "our soul waiteth for the redemption of the Lord"; or for his spiritual coming, his appearance to them, and gracious presence with them, he having been for some time absent; and it is right and good so to do, and in the issue proves advantageous, Isaiah 8:17; and this being soul waiting, it denotes the heartiness, sincerity, and earnestness of it;

he [is] our help and our shield; the Lord is the help of his people in time of trouble, when none else is or can be; and he is a present one, and helps right early, and at the best season: and he is their shield, who encompasses them about with his love and favour, and keeps them by his power in the greatest safety; all which encourages their waiting upon him, and expectation of good things from him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Our soul waiteth for the Lord - This and the subsequent verses to the end of the psalm refer to the people of God, expressing their faith in him in view of the considerations suggested in the former part of the psalm. The language is expressive of the general character of piety. True piety leads people to wait on the Lord; to depend on Him; to look to His interposition in danger, sickness, poverty, want; to rely upon Him for all that is hoped for in this life, and for salvation in the life to come. Compare Psalms 62:1; Psalms 25:3.

He is our help - Our aid; our helper. Compare Psalms 10:14; Psalms 22:11; Psalms 30:10.

And our shield - See the notes at Psalms 5:12. That is, He will defend us from our enemies, as if He threw His shield between us and them.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 33:20. Our soul waiteth — Our whole life is employed in this blessed work; we trust in nothing but him; neither in multitudes of armed men, nor in natural strength, nor in the fleetest animals, nor in any thing human: we trust in Him alone "who is our help and our shield."