Bible Strands
Psalms 135:14
For the LORD will vindicate His people and will have compassion on His servants.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses the worshiping community, declaring God's active care immediately after affirming that His name endures through all generations. This statement directly precedes the description of lifeless pagan idols in the following verse.
The words — יָדִין (ya.Din) literally translates as "he vindicates" or "he judges," while יִתְנֶחָם (yit.ne.Cham) literally means "he has compassion" or "he relents." These verbs anchor the psalmist's claim about God's intervention.
The thread — This pairing of vindication and compassion runs through Deuteronomy 32:36, where Yahweh acts when Israel's strength fails, and aligns with the judicial appeals in Psalms 7:8 and 50:4 regarding God judging His people.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that divine justice and mercy function together for the covenant community, requiring reliance on God's active intervention rather than human craftsmanship.
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
For the Lord will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 32:36 For the LORD will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants when He sees that their strength is gone and no one remains, slave or free.
- Psalms 7:8 The LORD judges the peoples; vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and integrity.
- Psalms 50:4 He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that He may judge His people:
- Jonah 4:2 So he prayed to the LORD, saying, “O LORD, is this not what I said while I was still in my own country? This is why I was so quick to flee toward Tarshish. I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion—One who relents from sending disaster.
- Judges 10:16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and He could no longer bear the misery of Israel.
- 1 Chronicles 21:15 Then God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem, but as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and relented from the calamity, and He said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that time the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
- Hosea 11:8 How could I give you up, O Ephraim? How could I surrender you, O Israel? How could I make you like Admah? How could I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned within Me; My compassion is stirred!
- Amos 7:3 So the LORD relented from this plan. “It will not happen,” He said.
- Amos 7:6 So the LORD relented from this plan. “It will not happen either,” said the Lord GOD.
- Psalms 90:13 Return, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on Your servants.