Psalms 59:9

Easy-to-Read Version

God, my strength, I look to you for help. You are my place of safety, high in the mountains.

Parallel Translations

New Living Translation
You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me, for you, O God, are my fortress.

English Revised Version
O my strength, I will wait upon thee: for God is my high tower.

Update Bible Version
My strength, I will give heed to you; For God is my high tower.

New Century Version
God, my strength, I am looking to you, because God is my defender.

New English Translation
You are my source of strength! I will wait for you! For God is my refuge.

Webster's Bible Translation
[Because of] his strength will I wait upon thee: for God [is] my defense.

World English Bible
Oh, my Strength, I watch for you, For God is my high tower.

Amplified Bible
O [God] my strength, I will watch for You; For God is my stronghold [my refuge, my protector, my high tower].

English Standard Version
O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
I schal kepe my strengthe to thee;

Berean Standard Bible
I will keep watch for You, O my strength; for You, O God, are my fortress.

Contemporary English Version
You are my mighty fortress, and I depend on you.

American Standard Version
Because of his strength I will give heed unto thee; For God is my high tower.

Bible in Basic English
O my strength, I will put my hope in you; because God is my strong tower.

Complete Jewish Bible
But you, Adonai , laugh at them, you mock all the nations.

Darby Translation
Their strength! … I will take heed to thee; for God is my high fortress.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
But Thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; Thou shalt have all the nations in derision.

King James Version (1611)
Because of his strength will I wait vpon thee: for God is my defence.

New Life Bible
O my Strength, I will watch for You. For God is my strong place.

New Revised Standard
O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress.

Geneva Bible (1587)
He is strong: but I will waite vpon thee: for God is my defence.

George Lamsa Translation
To thee shall I give praise, O God, for thou art my defense.

Good News Translation
I have confidence in your strength; you are my refuge, O God.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
O my Strength, unto thee, will I make melody, For, God, is my high tower.

Douay-Rheims Bible
(58-10) I will keep my strength to thee: for thou art my protector:

Revised Standard Version
O my Strength, I will sing praises to thee; for thou, O God, art my fortress.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
I wyl reserue his strength for thee: for thou O Lorde art my refuge.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
will keep my strength, looking to thee; for thou, O God, art my helper.

Christian Standard Bible®
I will keep watch for you, my strength,because God is my stronghold.

Hebrew Names Version
Oh, my Strength, I watch for you, For God is my high tower.

King James Version
Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.

Lexham English Bible
O my strength, I will watch for you, because you, O God, are my (high) stronghold.

Literal Translation
O my Strength, let me look to You; for God is my strong tower.

Young's Literal Translation
O my Strength, unto Thee I take heed, For God [is] my tower -- the God of my kindness.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
My stregth do I ascrybe vnto the, for thou (o God) art my defender.

New American Standard Bible
Because of his strength I will watch for You, For God is my refuge.

New King James Version
I will wait for You,O You his Strength; [fn] For God is my defense;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Because of his strength I will watch for You, For God is my stronghold.

Legacy Standard Bible
Because of his strength I will watch for You,For God is my stronghold.

Contextual Overview

⁸ Lord , laugh at them. Make fun of them all. ⁹ God, my strength, I look to you for help. You are my place of safety, high in the mountains. ¹⁰ God loves me, and he will help me win. He will help me defeat my enemies. ¹¹ Don't just kill them, or my people might forget. My Lord and Protector, scatter and defeat them with your strength. ¹² Those evil people curse and tell lies. Punish them for what they said. Let their pride trap them. ¹³ Destroy them in your anger. Destroy them completely! Then people all over the world will know that God rules over the people of Jacob. Selah ¹⁴ Those evil men are like dogs that come into town in the evening, growling and roaming the streets. ¹⁵ They roam around looking for food, but even if they eat their fill, they still growl and complain. ¹⁶ But I will sing about your strength. I will rejoice in your love every morning. You have been my place of safety, the place I can run to when troubles come. ¹⁷ I will sing praises to you, my source of strength. You, God, are my place of safety. You are the God who loves me!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

his strength: Instead of uzzo, "his strength," fourteen manuscripts, read uzzee, "my strength." "O my strength, I will wait upon thee." Psalms 18:1, Psalms 18:1, Psalms 18:2, Psalms 27:1, Psalms 27:14, Psalms 46:1, Psalms 62:5, Psalms 62:6, Psalms 62:11, Isaiah 12:2, Isaiah 26:3, Isaiah 26:4, Isaiah 40:31, Matthew 6:13

God: Psalms 59:17, Psalms 62:2

defence: Heb. high place, Psalms 9:9, Psalms 20:1, Psalms 46:7,*marg. Isaiah 58:14, Habakkuk 3:19

Reciprocal: Psalms 59:16 - But Psalms 94:22 - But

Gill's Notes on the Bible

[Because of] his strength will I wait upon thee,.... Either because of the strength of Saul, who was stronger than David, he determined to wait upon the Lord for salvation and deliverance from him; or because of the strength of the Lord, which he expected from him, and therefore would wait upon him for it. The Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions, and also the Chaldee paraphrase, render the words, "my strength will I keep for thee"; or "with thee". I ascribe all my strength unto thee; I expect every supply of it from thee, and put my trust and confidence in thee for it: so did Christ as man, and had strength from the Lord, according to his promise, Isaiah 50:7; and so every believer, Isaiah 14:24;

for God [is] my defence; or "my high refuge"; or "high tower" w; see Psalms 9:9; where he was defended and exalted, as is petitioned

Psalms 59:1; and was safe and secure from every enemy.

w משגבי "vice arcis sublimis", Tigurine version; Vatablus, Piscator, Gejerus, Michaelis, all to the same purport.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Because of his strength will I wait upon thee - literally, “His strength - I will wait upon thee.” The reference here is not to the strength or power of God, as if the fact that “He” was powerful was a reason why the psalmist should look to him - but it is to the strength or power of the enemy - of Saul and his followers. There is much abruptness in the expression. The psalmist looks at the power of his enemy. “‘His strength,’ he cries. It is great. It is beyond my power to resist it. It is so great that I have no other refuge but God; and because it is so great, I will fix my eyes on him alone.” The word rendered “wait upon” means rather to look to; to observe; to fix the eyes upon.

For God is my defense - Margin, “My high place.” That is, God was to him “as” a high place, or a place of refuge; a place where he would be safe. See the notes at Psalms 18:2.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 59:9. Because of his strength will I wait upon thee — With this reading, I can make no sense of the passage. But instead of עזו uzzo, "his strength," עזי uzzi, "my strength," is the reading of fourteen of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS., of the Vulgate, Septuagint, Chaldee, and, in effect, of the AEthiopic, Syriac, and Arabic; and also of the Anglo-Saxon. To thee I commit all MY strength; all I have I derive from thee, and all the good I possess I attribute to thee. The old Psalter translates, My strenght I shall kepe till the, for myn uptaker thou art. See on Psalms 59:17.