Bible Strands
Psalms 17:5
My steps have held to Your paths; my feet have not slipped.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses God directly, reporting personal fidelity immediately after declaring avoidance of violent ways (Psalms 17:4) and just before petitioning for a response (Psalms 17:6).
The words — תָּמֹךְ (ta.Mokh) means they have held firm, and נָמ֥וֹטּוּ (na.Mo.tu) means they have been shaken, describing the psalmist's steps as anchored to divine paths and unshaken by external pressure.
The thread — The motif of steadfast steps appears in Psalms 44:18 and Psalms 119:133, while 1 Samuel 2:9 parallels the promise that God guards the steps of the faithful.
Why it lands — The verse demands a reader to examine whether their own conduct remains anchored to divine instruction or has drifted into self-reliant paths.
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
Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
Cross-references
- Psalms 44:18 Our hearts have not turned back; our steps have not strayed from Your path.
- Psalms 119:133 Order my steps in Your word; let no sin rule over me.
- 1 Samuel 2:9 He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail.
- Psalms 18:36 You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.
- Psalms 38:16 For I said, “Let them not gloat over me—those who taunt me when my foot slips.”
- Psalms 121:3 He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber.
- Psalms 121:7 The LORD will guard you from all evil; He will preserve your soul.
- Job 23:11 My feet have followed in His tracks; I have kept His way without turning aside.
- Psalms 94:18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,” Your loving devotion, O LORD, supports me.
- Psalms 119:116 Sustain me as You promised, that I may live; let me not be ashamed of my hope.