Bible Strands
Psalms 119:42
Then I can answer him who taunts, for I trust in Your word.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses God directly, framing his capacity to respond to opposition as dependent on divine revelation. This declaration follows a petition for salvation and precedes a plea that God’s truth never depart from his lips.
The words — The Hebrew verb אֶֽעֱנֶה (‘e‘nêh) means “I may answer,” paired with חֹרְפִי (chôrphî), “him who taunts me.” The causal particle כִּי (kî) links this capacity to trust in בִּדְבָרֶךָ (bîḏəḇārêkā), “your word.”
The thread — This pattern of defense grounded in divine promise appears in Proverbs 27:11 and Acts 27:25, where reliance on God’s word enables bold speech. The same taunt-and-response dynamic surfaces in Matthew 27:63, where opponents quote a predicted resurrection.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to ground public responses in reliance on divine revelation rather than personal argument. It demands that trust in God’s word become the operational basis for addressing opposition.
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
So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word.
Cross-references
- Acts 27:25 So take courage, men, for I believe God that it will happen just as He told me.
- Proverbs 27:11 Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart, so that I can answer him who taunts me.
- Matthew 27:63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’
- 2 Samuel 16:7 And as he yelled curses, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you worthless man of bloodshed!
- Psalms 56:10 In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise,
- Psalms 119:49 Remember Your word to Your servant, upon which You have given me hope.
- Psalms 119:74 May those who fear You see me and rejoice, for I have hoped in Your word.
- Psalms 119:81 My soul faints for Your salvation; I wait for Your word.
- 2 Samuel 7:12 And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.
- 2 Samuel 19:18 and crossed at the ford to carry over the king’s household and to do what was good in his sight. When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell down before the king