Psalms 17:14
in Psalms 17from such men, O LORD, by Your hand— from men of the world whose portion is in this life. May You fill the bellies of Your treasured ones and satisfy their sons, so they leave their abundance to their children.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
From men by thy hand, O Jehovah, From men of the world, whose portion is in this life, And whose belly thou fillest with thy treasure: They are satisfied with children, And leave the rest of their substance to their babes.
KJV
From men which are thy hand, O Lord, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.
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This verse in Psalms 17
Commentary
5 notes on this verseHere the psalmist is not criticizing the children's food, as some would think (for those things that enter the mouth do not make a person unclean), but he regards those to whom God has given many offspring unwise when they leave behind them not excellence …
This site's exposition
Arise, O LORD
on Psalms 17:13-14
Arise, O LORD calls God to stand up and confront them. The psalmist asks to be delivered by Your sword, so the weapon is God's own, and men of the world hold a portion that stops at this life. The last lines ask God to fill His treasured ones and satisfy their sons, down to their children.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Belly - Mind or appetite, as that word is used, Job xx, 20. Treasure - With extraordinary wealth and glory. Children - When many of thy faithful servants are barren, these are blessed with a numerous posterity.
(2.) They have abundance of the world. [1.] They have enlarged appetites, and a great deal wherewith to satisfy them: Their bellies thou fillest with thy hidden treasures. The things of this world are called treasures, because they are so accounted; otherwise, to a soul, and in comparison with eternal blessings, they are but trash.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Almost every word of this verse has furnished matter for discussion to scholars, for it is very obscure. We will, therefore, rest content with the common version, rather than distract the reader with divers translations. "From men which are thy hand." Having styled the ungodly a sword in his Father's hand, he now likens them to that hand itself, to set forth his conviction that God could as easily remove their violence as a man moves his own hand. He will never slay his child with his own hand.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
Of those who die by Your hand I choose to be one of those who die by Your hand on their bed.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מִֽמְתִ֥ים | mitim | from men | H4962 → | 22 times |
| יָדְךָ֨׀ | yadekha | hand your | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| יְהוָ֡ה | yahweh | O Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| מִֽמְתִ֬ים | mitim | from men | H4962 → | 22 times |
| מֵחֶ֗לֶד | mecheled | from [the] world | H2465 → | 5 times |
| חֶלְקָ֥ם | chelkam | [whom] portion their | H2506 → | 67 times |
| בַּֽחַיִּים֮ | bachaiyim | [is] in the life | H2416 → | 498 times |
| וּֽצְפוּנְךָ֮ | utzefinekha | and treasured [thing] your | H6845 → | 32 times |
| תְּמַלֵּ֪א | temale' | you fill | H4390 → | 249 times |
| בִ֫טְנָ֥ם | vitnam | belly their | H990 → | 72 times |
| יִשְׂבְּע֥וּ | yisbeu | they are satisfied | H7646 → | 97 times |
| בָנִ֑ים | vanim | sons | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| וְהִנִּ֥יחוּ | vehinichu | and they leave | H5117 → | 142 times |
| יִ֝תְרָ֗ם | yitram | abundance their | H3499 → | 102 times |
| לְעוֹלְלֵיהֶֽם׃ | leoleihem | to children their | H5768 → | 20 times |
מִֽמְתִ֥יםfrom men
mitimH4962 →22 times
יָדְךָ֨׀hand your
yadekhaH3027 →1618 times
יְהוָ֡הO Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
מִֽמְתִ֬יםfrom men
mitimH4962 →22 times
מֵחֶ֗לֶדfrom [the] world
mecheledH2465 →5 times
חֶלְקָ֥ם[whom] portion their
chelkamH2506 →67 times
בַּֽחַיִּים֮[is] in the life
bachaiyimH2416 →498 times
וּֽצְפוּנְךָ֮and treasured [thing] your
utzefinekhaH6845 →32 times
תְּמַלֵּ֪אyou fill
temale'H4390 →249 times
בִ֫טְנָ֥םbelly their
vitnamH990 →72 times
יִשְׂבְּע֥וּthey are satisfied
yisbeuH7646 →97 times
בָנִ֑יםsons
vanimH1121 →4930 times
וְהִנִּ֥יחוּand they leave
vehinichuH5117 →142 times
יִ֝תְרָ֗םabundance their
yitramH3499 →102 times
לְעוֹלְלֵיהֶֽם׃to children their
leoleihemH5768 →20 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 17:14I have given them Your word and the world has hated them; for they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
it leads to
- John 17:16
They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 John 4:5–6
They are of the world. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective, and the world listens to them.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- John 15:18–21
If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.
- 1 John 5:19–20
We know that we are of God, and that the whole world is under the power of the evil one.
- John 8:23
Then He told them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
- John 17:16
Through
Luke 16:25But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony.
it leads to
- Luke 6:24
But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
- 1 John 2:15
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
- Luke 6:24
Through
John 8:23Then He told them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
it leads to
- John 3:31
The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is…
- John 3:31
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Psalms
This page draws on Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 1; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Hesychius of Jerusalem, LARGE COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 17:14; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.