Psalms 118:6
in Psalms 118The LORD is on my side; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Jehovah is on my side; I will not fear: What can man do unto me?
KJV
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
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This verse in Psalms 118
Commentary
12 notes on this verseA commentator
Athanasius of Alexandria296–373
Discourses Against the Arians 3.29.54 · Written before 373.
And how should Christ, who said to Abraham, "Fear not, for I am with you," and encouraged Moses against Pharaoh and said to the son of Nun, "Be strong and of a good courage," himself be terrified before Herod and Pilate? Furthermore, did he who helps others overcome fear (for "the Lord," says Scripture, "is on my side, I will not fear what people shall do to me"), fear governors, who are mortals? Was he who himself encountered death terrified of death?
This site's exposition
In my distress I called to the LORD
on Psalms 118:5-7
The Hebrew moves from a tight place into merchav, open ground. Twice he says the LORD is on his side, and the second time he calls Him his helper. Hebrews 13:6 carries the same confession, the Lord is my helper, what can man do to me.
This site's exposition
What can man do to me?
Spurgeon gave two renderings of on my side: the LORD for him, fighting his battle, and the LORD to him, his own possession. Psalm 56:11 asks the same question from a man who trusts in God. Romans 8:31 asks a like question.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
The injuries and punishments of persecutions are not to be feared, because the Lord is greater in protecting than the devil in assaulting. John in his epistle approves, saying, "Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world." Likewise in Psalm 117 [LXX]: "I shall not fear what people do to me; the Lord is my helper." And again: "Those are strong in chariots, these in horses, but we, in the name of our God. They with their feet bound have fallen, but we are risen up and stand erect."
A brother asked an old man, "What shall a man do in every temptation that comes on him and in every thought sent by the enemy?" He replied, "He must weep in the sight of the goodness of God, that he may aid and assist …
But are men, then, the only enemies that the Church hath? What is a man devoted to flesh and blood, save flesh and blood? But the Apostle saith, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against," ...he saith, "spiritual wickedness in high places;" that is, the devil and his angels; that devil whom elsewhere he calleth "the prince of the power of the air."
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): " The Lord is on my side. He is a righteous God, and therefore espouses my righteous cause and will plead it." If we are on God's side, he is on ours; if we be for him and with him, he will be for us and with us (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
The enemy is a man, a depending creature, whose power is limited, and subordinate to a higher power, and therefore I will not fear him." Who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of a man that shall die? The apostle quotes this, with application to all Christians, Heb. xiii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The Lord is on my side,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
The Lord is on my side, or, he is "for me." Once his justice was against me, but now he is my reconciled God, and engaged on my behalf. The Psalmist naturally rejoiced in the divine help; all men turned against him, but God was his defender and advocate, accomplishing the divine purposes of his grace. The expression may also be translated "to me, "that is to say, Jehovah belongs to me, and is mine. What infinite wealth is here! If we do not magnify the Lord we are of all men most brutish. I will not fear.
The Lord is on my side, or, he is "for me." Once his justice was against me, but now he is my reconciled God, and engaged on my behalf. The Psalmist naturally rejoiced in the divine help; all men turned against him, but God was his defender and advocate, accomplishing the divine purposes of his grace. The expression may also be translated "to me, "that is to say, Jehovah belongs to me, and is mine. What infinite wealth is here! If we do not magnify the Lord we are of all men most brutish. I will not fear. He does not say that he should not suffer, but that he would not fear: the favour of God infinitely outweighed the hatred of men, therefore setting the one against the other he felt that he had no reason to be afraid. He was calm and confident, though surrounded with enemies, and so let all believers be, for thus they honour God. What can man do unto me? He can do nothing more than God permits; at the very uttermost he can only kill the body, but he hath no more that he can do. God having purposed to set his servant upon the throne, the whole race of mankind could do nothing to thwart the divine decree: the settled purpose of Jehovah's heart could not be turned aside, nor its accomplishment delayed, much less prevented, by the most rancorous hostility of the most powerful of men. Saul sought to slay David, but David outlived Saul, and sat upon his throne. Scribe and Pharisee, priest and Herodian, united in opposing the Christ of God, but he is exalted on high none the less because of their enmity. The mightiest man is a puny thing when he stands in opposition to God, yea, he shrinks into utter nothingness. It were a pity to be afraid of such a pitiful, miserable, despicable object as a man opposed to the almighty God.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The Lord is on my side - Margin, as in Hebrew,” for me.” The Lord is with me. He is my helper. He defends my cause. I will not fear - I have nothing to be afraid of. God is more mighty than any or all of my foes, and he can deliver me from them all. Compare Psa 56:4, Psa 56:9,Psa 56:11. What can man do unto me? - Any person; all people. They can do no more than God permits. They cannot destroy me when he means to save me; they cannot defeat his gracious designs toward me. I am safe if God is my Friend. Compare the notes at Rom 8:31.
The words behind it
8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| לִ֭י | li | [is] for me | ||
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| אִירָ֑א | ʾira' | I will be afraid | H3372 → | 315 times |
| מַה־ | mah- | what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| יַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה | yaaseh | will he do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| לִ֣י | li | to me | ||
| אָדָֽם׃ | ʾadam | anyone | H120 → | 551 times |
יְהוָ֣הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
לִ֭י[is] for me
li
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
אִירָ֑אI will be afraid
ʾira'H3372 →315 times
מַה־what?
mah-H4100 →752 times
יַּעֲשֶׂ֖הwill he do
yaasehH6213 →2628 times
לִ֣יto me
li
אָדָֽם׃anyone
ʾadamH120 →551 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
Hebrews 13:6So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
it leads to
- Isaiah 41:10
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 118:6–9
The LORD is on my side; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
- Romans 8:31
What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- Psalms 27:1–3
The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— whom shall I dread?
- Psalms 124:8
Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
- Isaiah 41:10
Through
Romans 8:31What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
it leads to
- Jeremiah 1:19
They will fight against you but will never overcome you, since I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.
- Psalms 56:11
in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
- 1 John 4:4
You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
- Jeremiah 1:19
Where this verse is studied
About Psalms
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Athanasius of Alexandria, Discourses Against the Arians 3.29.54; Augustine of Hippo, On the Psalms, Psalm 118; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 5; Cyprian, Treatise XI. Exhortation to Martyrdom 5:10; Desert Fathers, SAYINGS OF THE EGYPTIAN FATHERS 36; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.