Psalm 33

¹ Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous! Praise is fitting for the upright.

² Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre. Sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings.

³ Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully with a shout of joy!

⁴ For the LORD’s word is right. All his work is done in faithfulness.

⁵ He loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of the loving kindness of the LORD.

⁶ By the LORD’s word, the heavens were made: all their army by the breath of his mouth.

⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the deeps in storehouses.

⁸ Let all the earth fear the LORD. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

⁹ For he spoke, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood firm.

¹⁰ The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing. He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect.

¹¹ The counsel of the LORD stands fast forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.

¹³ The LORD looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men.

¹⁴ From the place of his habitation he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,

¹⁵ he who fashions all of their hearts; and he considers all of their works.

¹⁶ There is no king saved by the multitude of an army. A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.

¹⁷ A horse is a vain thing for safety, neither does he deliver any by his great power.

¹⁸ Behold, the LORD’s eye is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his loving kindness,

¹⁹ to deliver their soul from death, to keep them alive in famine.

²⁰ Our soul has waited for the LORD. He is our help and our shield.

²¹ For our heart rejoices in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.

²² Let your loving kindness be on us, LORD, since we have hoped in you.

Around Psalm 33

Book context

PsalmsEditorial draft

Psalms is a collection of 150 songs and prayers used in Israel’s worship, written by several people over a long period. Headings name David most often, along with Asaph, the sons of Korah and others. The collection falls into five books, each ending with a short blessing of the LORD (41:13, 72:19, 89:52, 106:48), and it closes with a call for everything that has breath to praise the LORD (150:6). The psalms hold praise, lament, thanksgiving, confession and trust, so readers find words for nearly every season of life.

Why we say this

HisFullGlory editorial · broad consensus · not yet reviewed by a theological reader

From the text itself

Sources

Notes summarise their sources in our own words. Where Christians or scholars disagree, the note says so. Notes are not original-language evidence and do not replace the text.

AI explanation

About Psalms as a whole · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this book is about

“How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?” A prayer can begin like that, and in the Psalms it does. Four times the poet asks how long, and then, in the same short song, comes the turn: “But I trust in your loving kindness.”

That honesty runs through the whole book. Psalms is a collection of 150 songs and prayers, and it holds praise, thanksgiving, lament, confession, songs for the king, and reflections on wisdom and on God's law. It is arranged in five books and moves, on the whole, from many laments at the start to pure praise at the end.

Joy, fear, anger, guilt and doubt are all spoken to God directly.

Background

The psalms were written and gathered over several centuries. Their headings link about half of them with David and others with Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon and Moses. They were sung in the worship of the temple and later in synagogues and churches.

How Christians read it

Jews and Christians have prayed the Psalms daily for well over two thousand years. The New Testament quotes them more than any other book and reads many as speaking of Christ, among them Psalms 2, 22 and 110. The psalms that call for judgment on enemies are hard to read. Many understand them as handing vengeance over to God instead of taking it oneself.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 19 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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