Bible Strands
Psalms 118:9
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses the assembled community during a moment of national deliverance, following a declaration of trust in the LORD against surrounding nations.
The words — טוֹב (Tov) means [is] good or better, and נְדִיבִים (nediVim) translates to noble people or princes, establishing the verse’s core contrast.
The thread — The preference for divine refuge over human leadership appears in Psalms 146:3, while the supplied passages in Isaiah 31:1 and Ezekiel 29:7 extend the warning against relying on human power or military strength.
Why it lands — The text states that seeking safety in Yahweh surpasses relying on human authorities, requiring the reader to actively choose divine refuge over political or personal security.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
Cross-references
- Psalms 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, in mortal man, who cannot save.
- Isaiah 31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.
- Ezekiel 29:7 When Israel took hold of you with their hands, you splintered, tearing all their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke, and their backs were wrenched.
- Isaiah 30:2 They set out to go down to Egypt without asking My advice, to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shade.
- Isaiah 31:8 “Then Assyria will fall, but not by the sword of man; a sword will devour them, but not one made by mortals. They will flee before the sword, and their young men will be put to forced labor.
- Isaiah 30:15 For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said: “By repentance and rest you would be saved; your strength would lie in quiet confidence—but you were not willing.”
- Isaiah 36:6 Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.