Psalms 33:14
in Psalms 33From His dwelling place He gazes on all who inhabit the earth.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
From the place of his habitation he looketh forth Upon all the inhabitants of the earth,
KJV
From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
⋯
This verse in Psalms 33
Commentary
8 notes on this verseThen when he says, "From his prepared dwelling place," he removes the doubt. For some believed that God dwells in the heavens as though in remote parts he would not know human affairs: Job 22: "He walks about the poles of heaven and does not …
This site's exposition
looks down from heaven
on Psalms 33:13-15
The lens widens from the chosen nation to all the sons of men, watched from one place. He shapes the hearts of each, so the maker of every heart is the one who considers every work. No plan is hidden from Him.
This site's exposition
From His dwelling place
Thomas Aquinas read this line as an answer to those who thought God dwelt too far off in heaven to know human affairs. He cited Job 22. Charles Spurgeon pictured the Lord as a great man at a window watching the crowd below.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"From His prepared habitation:" from His habitation of assumed Humanity, which He prepared for Himself. "He looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth" [Psalm 33:14]: He looks mercifully upon all who live in the flesh, that He may be over them in ruling them.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
From the place of his habitation,.... Which is heaven, that is, the habitation of his holiness, and of his glory, Isa 63:15; he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth; good and bad; and not the nation of Israel only, but the Gentile world, whom in former times he overlooked, but under the Gospel dispensation visits in a way of mercy; by sending his son to die for them, by spreading his Gospel among them, by calling them by his grace, by planting churches in the midst of them, and by continuing his word and ordinances with them.
They, and all they do, are obnoxious to his judgment; for he considers all their works, not only knows them, but weighs them, that he may render to every man according to his works, in the day, in the world, of retribution, in the judgment, and to eternity. All the powers of the creature have a dependence upon him, and are of no account, of no avail at all, without him,
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. Here the sentiment is repeated: it is worth repeating, and it needs repeating, for man is most prone to forget it. As great men sit at their windows and watch the crowd below, so doth the Lord; he gazes intently upon his responsible creatures, and forgets nothing of what he sees.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
From the place of his habitation - From his dwelling - heaven. He looketh down - He continually sees. The sentiment is repeated here to show that no one can escape his eye; that the condition, the characters, the wants of all are intimately known to him, and that thus he can watch over his people - all that love and serve him - and can guard them from danger. See Psa 33:18-19.
The words behind it
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מִֽמְּכוֹן־ | mimekhon- | from [the] place of | H4349 → | 17 times |
| שִׁבְתּ֥וֹ | shivto | dwelling his | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| הִשְׁגִּ֑יחַ | hishgiach | he looks | H7688 → | |
| אֶ֖ל | ʾel | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יֹשְׁבֵ֣י | yoshevei | [the] inhabitants of | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| הָאָֽרֶץ׃ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
מִֽמְּכוֹן־from [the] place of
mimekhon-H4349 →17 times
שִׁבְתּ֥וֹdwelling his
shivtoH3427 →1079 times
הִשְׁגִּ֑יחַhe looks
hishgiachH7688 →
אֶ֖לto
ʾelH413 →5510 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
יֹשְׁבֵ֣י[the] inhabitants of
yosheveiH3427 →1079 times
הָאָֽרֶץ׃the earth
haaretzH776 →2504 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
Isaiah 66:1This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or where will My place of repose be?
it leads to
- Acts 7:48–50
However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:
- Acts 17:24
The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.
- Matthew 5:34–35
But I tell you not to swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
- 1 Kings 8:27
But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.
- Psalms 132:7
Let us go to His dwelling place; let us worship at His footstool.
- Acts 7:48–50
Through
Psalms 123:1I lift up my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven.
it leads to
- Psalms 121:1
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
- Psalms 141:8
But my eyes are fixed on You, O GOD the Lord. In You I seek refuge; do not leave my soul defenseless.
- Psalms 121:1
Through
1 Kings 8:27But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.
it leads to
- Isaiah 66:1
This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or where will My place of repose be?
- Isaiah 66:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Psalms
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 33; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; 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.