Bible Strands
Psalms 37:25
I once was young and now am old, yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned or their children begging for bread.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses the covenant community while reflecting on a lifetime of observing God’s providence. He speaks from the vantage point of aging, contrasting his past youth with his present old age.
The words — נַ֤עַר (Na.'ar) denotes a young man or youth, while נֶעֱזָ֑ב (ne.'e.Zav) literally means forsaken or abandoned. These terms anchor the psalmist’s empirical claim that God’s care spans the full human lifespan.
The thread — The theme of divine non-abandonment extends to Hebrews 13:5, which quotes God’s promise to never leave His people, and Psalm 37:28, which declares the LORD will not forsake His saints. Psalm 25:13 similarly links faithful living to the secure inheritance of one’s descendants.
Why it lands — The text demands a reader to ground their confidence in observable divine faithfulness rather than immediate circumstances. It requires accepting that God’s provision for the righteous is a documented reality, not a theoretical guarantee.
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
I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
Cross-references
- Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
- Psalms 37:28 For the LORD loves justice and will not forsake His saints. They are preserved forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off.
- Psalms 25:13 His soul will dwell in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.
- Psalms 112:2 His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
- 1 Samuel 12:22 Indeed, for the sake of His great name, the LORD will not abandon His people, because He was pleased to make you His own.
- 2 Corinthians 4:9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.
- Psalms 94:14 For the LORD will not forsake His people; He will never abandon His heritage.
- Psalms 71:18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, until I proclaim Your power to the next generation, Your might to all who are to come.
- Joshua 1:5 No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
- Genesis 17:7 I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.