Psalm 33:20
New International Version
We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

New Living Translation
We put our hope in the LORD. He is our help and our shield.

English Standard Version
Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Berean Standard Bible
Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

King James Bible
Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.

New King James Version
Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

New American Standard Bible
Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

NASB 1995
Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

NASB 1977
Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

Legacy Standard Bible
Our soul is patient for Yahweh; He is our help and our shield.

Amplified Bible
We wait [expectantly] for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

Christian Standard Bible
We wait for the LORD; he is our help and shield.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
We wait for Yahweh; He is our help and shield.

American Standard Version
Our soul hath waited for Jehovah: He is our help and our shield.

Contemporary English Version
We depend on you, LORD, to help and protect us.

English Revised Version
Our soul hath waited for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
We wait for the LORD. He is our help and our shield.

Good News Translation
We put our hope in the LORD; he is our protector and our help.

International Standard Version
We wait on the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Majority Standard Bible
Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

NET Bible
We wait for the LORD; he is our deliverer and shield.

New Heart English Bible
Our soul waits for the LORD. He is our help and our shield.

Webster's Bible Translation
Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.

World English Bible
Our soul has waited for Yahweh. He is our help and our shield.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Our soul has waited for YHWH, "" He [is] our help and our shield,

Young's Literal Translation
Our soul hath waited for Jehovah, Our help and our shield is He,

Smith's Literal Translation
Our soul waited for Jehovah: he our help and our shield.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Our soul waiteth for the Lord: for he is our helper and protector.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Our soul remains with the Lord. For he is our helper and protector.

New American Bible
Our soul waits for the LORD, he is our help and shield.

New Revised Standard Version
Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and shield.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
But our soul has expected LORD JEHOVAH, because he is our helper and our shield.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Our soul hath waited for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Our soul waits on the Lord; for he is our helper and defender.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Praise to the Creator
19to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. 20Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. 21For our hearts rejoice in Him, since we trust in His holy name.…

Cross References
Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.

Lamentations 3:25-26
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. / It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

Psalm 62:5-6
Rest in God alone, O my soul, for my hope comes from Him. / He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress; I will not be shaken.

Psalm 130:5-6
I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope. / My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning—more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Isaiah 25:9
And in that day it will be said, “Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

Psalm 27:14
Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!

Psalm 37:7
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes.

Psalm 40:1
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 130:7
O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is loving devotion, and with Him is redemption in abundance.

Isaiah 8:17
I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in Him.

Romans 8:24-25
For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see? / But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently.

Hebrews 6:19
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,

1 Peter 1:13
Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Romans 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 1:10
and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.


Treasury of Scripture

Our soul waits for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.

soul

Psalm 27:14
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Psalm 62:1,2,5,6
To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David. Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation…

Psalm 130:5,6
I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope…

he is

Psalm 115:9-12
O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield…

Psalm 144:1,2
A Psalm of David. Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: …

1 Chronicles 5:20
And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him.

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Psalm 33
1. God is to be praised for his goodness
6. for his power
12. and for his providence
20. Confidence is to be placed in God














Our soul
The phrase "Our soul" in Psalm 33:20 emphasizes the collective nature of the psalmist's declaration. The Hebrew word for soul, "nephesh," refers to the life, self, or inner being of a person. It is a reminder that our deepest essence, our very life force, is involved in this act of waiting. In a conservative Christian perspective, this highlights the unity of believers as a community, collectively placing their trust and hope in God. The soul represents the seat of emotions and desires, indicating that this waiting is not passive but filled with expectation and longing.

waits for
The Hebrew root of "waits for" is "yachal," which conveys a sense of hope and expectation. This is not a passive waiting but an active, hopeful anticipation of God's intervention and deliverance. In the historical context of Israel, waiting on the Lord was a common theme, reflecting the nation's reliance on God's timing and faithfulness. For conservative Christians, this waiting is an act of faith, trusting in God's promises and His perfect timing, even when circumstances seem uncertain.

the LORD
"The LORD" is the English translation of the Hebrew "Yahweh," the covenant name of God. This name signifies God's eternal, self-existent nature and His faithfulness to His promises. In the context of Psalm 33, it underscores the personal relationship between God and His people. For conservative Christians, invoking the name of the LORD is a reminder of His sovereignty, holiness, and the intimate relationship believers have with Him through Jesus Christ.

He is our help
The phrase "He is our help" reflects the Hebrew word "ezer," which means assistance or support. This term is often used in the Old Testament to describe God's role as a helper to His people, providing strength and deliverance in times of need. Historically, Israel experienced God's help in battles and in their journey to the Promised Land. For conservative Christians, this assurance of divine help is a source of comfort and strength, affirming that God is actively involved in the lives of His people, providing aid and guidance.

and our shield
The word "shield" in Hebrew is "magen," symbolizing protection and defense. In ancient times, a shield was a crucial part of a warrior's armor, offering protection against enemy attacks. This imagery conveys God's role as a protector of His people, safeguarding them from spiritual and physical harm. For conservative Christians, God as a shield represents His protective presence in their lives, defending them against the adversities and spiritual battles they face, and ensuring their ultimate safety in Him.

(20-22) Hope--wait--trust.--The Hebrew language was naturally rich in words expressive of that attitude of expectancy which was characteristic of a nation whose golden age was not in the past, but in the future--a nation for which its great ancestor left in his dying words so suitable a motto--

"I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord,"

and which, while itself held back outside the promised land of the hope of immortality, was to be the birth-race of the great and consoling doctrine that alone could satisfy the natural craving expressed by the moralist in the well-known line--

"Man never is, but always to be, blest;"

and by the Christian apostle--

"For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come."

Verses 20-22. - A brief address of the people to God, arising out of what has been declared concerning his goodness (vers. 4, 5, 12-19) and his power (vers. 6-11), which constitute a call upon them for praise and adoration. Verse 20. - Our soul waiteth for the Lord (comp. Psalm 25:21; Psalm 62:1, 5; Psalm 130:5, 6, etc.). Confident in God's good will, and in his power to help us, we wait patiently and cheerfully for him to manifest himself in his own good time. He is our Help and our Shield. We trust in no one and nothing but him - not in armies (ver. 16), not in horses (ver. 17), not in our own strength (ver. 16). He alone is our dependence. (For the use of the metaphor "shield" for defence, see Psalm 5:12; Psalm 18:2; Psalm 28:7; Psalm 91:4; Psalm 119:114, etc.)

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Our soul
נַ֭פְשֵׁנוּ (nap̄·šê·nū)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

waits
חִכְּתָ֣ה (ḥik·kə·ṯāh)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 2442: To adhere to, to await

for the LORD;
לַֽיהוָ֑ה (Yah·weh)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

He
הֽוּא׃ (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

is our help
עֶזְרֵ֖נוּ (‘ez·rê·nū)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 5828: A help, helper

and our shield.
וּמָגִנֵּ֣נוּ (ū·mā·ḡin·nê·nū)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - common singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 4043: A shield, a protector, the scaly hide of the crocodile


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OT Poetry: Psalm 33:20 Our soul has waited for Yahweh (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 33:19
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