Psalms 21:7
in Psalms 21For the king trusts in the LORD; through the loving devotion of the Most High, he will not be shaken.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For the king trusteth in Jehovah; And through the lovingkindness of the Most High he shall not be moved.
KJV
For the king trusteth in the Lord, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.
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This verse in Psalms 21
Commentary
11 notes on this verse"For the king trusteth in the Lord." Our Lord, like a true King and leader, was a master in the use of the weapons, and could handle well the shield of faith, for he has set us a brilliant example of unwavering confidence in God. He felt himself safe in his Father's care until his hour was come, he knew that he was always heard in heaven; he committed his cause to him that judgeth right, and in his last moments he committed his spirit into the same hands.
This site's exposition
the king trusts in the LORD
The king trusts in the LORD; the loving devotion of the Most High holds him steady. That devotion is hesed, the covenant loyalty God keeps toward the man he has bound himself to. The verse turns the psalm from blessings received to enemies judged.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
"For the King hopes in the Lord." For the King is not proud, but humble in heart, he hopes in the Lord. "And in the mercy of the Most Highest He shall not be moved" [Psalm 21:7]. And in the mercy of the Most Highest His obedience even unto the death of the Cross shall not disturb His humility.
For that reason you placed glory and great honor on him, and you gave him eternal blessing, because he hoped in the Lord and in his mercy he was not deeply disturbed.
The Medieval Church1 voice
"For." Above the Psalmist announced the exaltation of Christ the king; here he declares the merit of this: and this merit is that Christ, insofar as he is man, and every just person, places his hope in God alone: Jer. 17: "Blessed is the man …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
His prosperous state shall not be disturbed; his faith and hope in God, which are the stay of his spirit, shall not be shaken. The mercy of the Most High (the divine goodness, power, and dominion) is enough to secure our happiness, and therefore our trust in that mercy should be enough to silence all our fears. God being at Christ's right hand in his sufferings ( Ps. xvi.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
For the King trusteth in the Lord,....
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
In this there is an eye to Messiah the Prince, and the glory of his kingdom; for to him divers passages in this psalm are more applicable than to David himself. The Subject's Thanksgiving. 1 The king shall joy in thy strength, O L ORD ; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
"For the king trusteth in the Lord." Our Lord, like a true King and leader, was a master in the use of the weapons, and could handle well the shield of faith, for he has set us a brilliant example of unwavering confidence in God. He felt himself safe in his Father's care until his hour was come, he knew that he was always heard in heaven; he committed his cause to him that judgeth right, and in his last moments he committed his spirit into the same hands. The joy expressed in the former verses was the joy of faith, and the victory achieved was due to the same precious grace. A holy confidence in Jehovah is the true mother of victories. This psalm of triumph was composed long before our Lord's conflict began, but faith overleaps the boundaries of time, and chants her "Io triumphe, " while yet she sings her battle song. "Through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved." Eternal mercy secures the mediatorial throne of Jesus. He who is Most High in every sense, engages all his infinite perfections to maintain the throne of grace upon which our King in Zion reigns. He was not moved from his purpose, nor in his sufferings, nor by his enemies, nor shall he be moved from the completion of his designs. He is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. Other empires are dissolved by the lapse of years, but eternal mercy maintains his growing dominion evermore; other kings fail because they rest upon an arm of flesh, but our monarch reigns on in splendour because he trusteth in Jehovah. It is a great display of divine mercy to men that the throne of King Jesus is still among them: nothing but divine mercy could sustain it, for human malice would overturn it to-morrow if it could.
The king trusteth in the Lord - It was not by my skill or valor that I have gained this victory, but by faith in the strong protecting, and conquering arm of Jehovah. He shall not be moved - Perhaps this may be best understood of him who was David’s prototype. His throne, kingdom, and government, shall remain for ever.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
For the king - David, the author of the psalm. Trusteth in the Lord - All these blessings have resulted from his confiding in God, and looking to him for his favor and protection. And through the mercy of the Most High - The favor of Him who is exalted above all; the most exalted Being in the universe. The word “mercy” here is equivalent to “favor.” He had already experienced God’s favor; he looked for a continuance of it; and through that favor he was confident that he would never be shaken in his purposes, and that he would never be disappointed. He shall not be moved - He shall be firmly established. That is, his throne would be firm; he himself would live a life of integrity, purity, and prosperity; and the promises which had been so graciously made to him, and which extended so far into the future, would all be acomplished. The truth taught here is, that however firm or prosperous our way seems to be, the continuance of our prosperity, and the completion of our hopes and our designs, depend wholly on the “mercy” or the favor of the Most High. Confiding in that, we may feel assured that whatever changes and reverses we may experience in our temporal matters, our ultimate welfare will be secure. Nothing can shake a hope of heaven that is founded on his gracious promises as made through a Saviour.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| הַ֭מֶּלֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| בֹּטֵ֣חַ | boteach | [is] trusting | H982 → | 120 times |
| בַּיהוָ֑ה | bayahweh | in Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וּבְחֶ֥סֶד | uvechesed | and in [the] covenant loyalty of | H2617 → | 247 times |
| עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן | elyon | [the] Most High | H5945 → | 53 times |
| בַּל־ | bal- | not | H1077 → | 73 times |
| יִמּֽוֹט׃ | yimot | he will be shaken | H4131 → | 38 times |
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
הַ֭מֶּלֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
בֹּטֵ֣חַ[is] trusting
boteachH982 →120 times
בַּיהוָ֑הin Yahweh
bayahwehH3068 →6520 times
וּבְחֶ֥סֶדand in [the] covenant loyalty of
uvechesedH2617 →247 times
עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן[the] Most High
elyonH5945 →53 times
בַּל־not
bal-H1077 →73 times
יִמּֽוֹט׃he will be shaken
yimotH4131 →38 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
Psalms 91:2I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
it leads to
- Proverbs 18:10
The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 18:2
The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
- Isaiah 26:3–4
You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You.
- Proverbs 18:10
Through
Psalms 16:8I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
it leads to
- Psalms 62:6
He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress; I will not be shaken.
- Acts 2:25–28
David says about Him: ‘I saw the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
- Psalms 73:23
Yet I am always with You; You hold my right hand.
- Psalms 121:5
The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is the shade on your right hand.
- Psalms 62:6
Through
Psalms 18:2The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
it leads to
- Psalms 144:2
He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. He is my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.
- Psalms 144:2
About Psalms

This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Arnobius the Younger, COMMENTARY ON PSALM 21; Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 21; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 1; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Exposition on the Psalms of David.
