Bible Strands
Psalms 56:3
When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David addresses God while pursued by proud enemies who assail him all day long (Psalms 56:2). He voices this response in the immediate context of fearing his foes and resolving not to be afraid (Psalms 56:4).
The words — The Hebrew אִירָ֑א ('i.Ra) translates literally to "I will fear," paired with אֶבְטָֽח ('ev.Tach), meaning "I will trust." These verbs structure the verse by moving from the experience of fear to the act of reliance.
The thread — This pattern of crying out for deliverance from fear appears in Psalms 34:4, where the psalmist seeks the LORD and receives an answer. It parallels the crisis in 1 Samuel 30:6, where David faces threats of stoning and the deep grief of his people.
Why it lands — The text commands a direct pivot from fear to trust in God rather than the elimination of fear itself. It requires the reader to acknowledge the threat while actively placing reliance on divine promise.
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
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
Cross-references
- Psalms 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.
- 1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of every man grieved for his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.
- 2 Corinthians 7:5 For when we arrived in Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were pressed from every direction—conflicts on the outside, fears within.
- Psalms 55:4 My heart pounds within me, and the terrors of death assail me.
- 2 Corinthians 1:8 We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
- 1 Samuel 21:12 Now David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
- 2 Chronicles 20:3 Jehoshaphat was alarmed and set his face to seek the LORD. And he proclaimed a fast throughout Judah.
- Psalms 11:1 For the choirmaster. Of David. In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain!
- 1 Samuel 21:10 That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.