Psalms 25:9
in Psalms 25He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The meek will he guide in justice; And the meek will he teach his way.
KJV
The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
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This verse in Psalms 25
Commentary
11 notes on this verseBy using the term meek he excludes the proud and exalted.… "The mild" are just the opposite of the proud, who kick against the easy yoke and light burden with a freedom that does harm to them; God will teach those who do without grumbling …
This site's exposition
Good and upright is the LORD
on Psalms 25:8-10
The prayer turns to statement here. God is good and upright, and He shows sinners the way and guides the humble in what is right. Verse 10 holds the promise and the condition together: His ways are loving and faithful to all who keep His covenant.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"He will guide the meek in judgment." He will guide the meek, and will not confound in the judgment those that follow His will, and do not, in withstanding It, prefer their own. "The gentle He will teach His ways" [Psalm 25:9]. He will teach His ways, not to those that desire to run before, as if they were better able to rule themselves; but to those who do not exalt the neck, nor lift the heel, when the easy yoke and the light burden is laid upon them. [Matthew 11:30]
The Medieval Church1 voice
The second effect is that he directs penitents; hence he says, "He will guide the meek in judgment." Now a beast is tamed when, having laid aside its fierceness, it submits to men; so men, when they lay aside sins, submit to God; and therefore …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The meek - Such as meekly submit themselves to God, and are desirous to be directed and governed by him. Judgment - In the paths of judgment, in the right way.
The meek will he guide in judgment,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
The meek will he guide in judgment. Meek spirits are in high favour with the Father of the meek and lowly Jesus, for he sees in them the image of his only begotten Son. They know their need of guidance, and are willing to submit their own understandings to the divine will, and therefore the Lord condescends to be their guide. Humble spirits are in this verse endowed with a rich inheritance; let them be of good cheer.
4 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
These three verses are a meditation upon the attributes and acts of the Lord. He who toils in the harvest field of prayer should occasionally pause awhile and refresh himself with a meal of meditation.
The meek will he guide in judgment. Meek spirits are in high favour with the Father of the meek and lowly Jesus, for he sees in them the image of his only begotten Son. They know their need of guidance, and are willing to submit their own understandings to the divine will, and therefore the Lord condescends to be their guide. Humble spirits are in this verse endowed with a rich inheritance; let them be of good cheer. Trouble puts gentle spirits to their wit's ends, and drives them to act without discretion, but grace comes to the rescue, enlightens their minds to follow that which is just, and helps them to discern the way in which the Lord would have them to go. Proud of their own wisdom fools will not learn, and therefore miss their road to heaven, but lowly hearts sit at Jesu's feet, and find the gate of glory, for the meek will he teach his way. Blessed teacher! Favoured scholar! Divine lesson! My soul, be thou familiar with the whole.
The meek will he guide - ענוים anavim, the poor, the distressed; he will lead in judgment - he will direct them in their cause, and bring it to a happy issue, for he will show them the way in which they should go.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The meek will he guide - The humble, the teachable, the prayerful, the gentle of spirit - those who are willing to learn. A proud person who supposes that he already knows enough cannot be taught; a haughty person who has no respect for others, cannot learn of them; a person who is willing to believe nothing cannot be instructed. The first requisite, therefore, in the work of religion, as in respect to all kinds of knowledge, is a meek and docile spirit. See Mat 18:3. In judgment - In a right judgment or estimate of things. It is not merely in the administration of justice, or in doing “right,” but it is in judging of truth; of duty; of the value of objects; of the right way to live; of all upon which the mind can be called to exercise judgment, or to come to a decision. And the meek will he teach his way - The way in which he would have them to go. […]
The words behind it
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יַדְרֵ֣ךְ | yadrekh | he leads | H1869 → | 62 times |
| עֲ֭נָוִים | ʾanavim | humble [people] | H6035 → | 22 times |
| בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט | bamishpat | in <the> justice | H4941 → | 422 times |
| וִֽילַמֵּ֖ד | vilamed | so he may teach | H3925 → | 85 times |
| עֲנָוִ֣ים | ʾanavim | humble [people] | H6035 → | 22 times |
| דַּרְכּֽוֹ׃ | darko | way his | H1870 → | 707 times |
יַדְרֵ֣ךְhe leads
yadrekhH1869 →62 times
עֲ֭נָוִיםhumble [people]
ʾanavimH6035 →22 times
בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑טin <the> justice
bamishpatH4941 →422 times
וִֽילַמֵּ֖דso he may teach
vilamedH3925 →85 times
עֲנָוִ֣יםhumble [people]
ʾanavimH6035 →22 times
דַּרְכּֽוֹ׃way his
darkoH1870 →707 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 14:6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
it leads to
- Acts 4:12
Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
- John 10:9
I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.
- Ephesians 2:18
For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
- John 11:25–26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.
- John 1:4
In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
- Acts 4:12
Through
1 Peter 3:15But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and…
it leads to
- Colossians 4:6
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
- Colossians 4:6
Through
Matthew 5:5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
it leads to
- Psalms 37:11
But the meek will inherit the land and delight in abundant prosperity.
- Psalms 37:11
Through
Psalms 23:3He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name.
it leads to
- Isaiah 42:16
I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light before them and rough places into level ground. These…
- Isaiah 42:16
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
On this chapter
About Psalms
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 25; Cassiodorus, EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 25:9; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 1; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Thomas Aquinas, Exposition on the Psalms of David.