Bible Strands
Psalms 56:9
Then my enemies will retreat on the day I cry for help. By this I will know that God is on my side.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David speaks from active persecution, positioned between a lament over his wanderings (v. 8) and a declaration of praise (v. 10). He addresses God directly, asserting what crisis has taught him.
The words — אָז (az, "then") frames the verse as a conditional conclusion: enemy retreat is the expected result of calling out. יָדַעְתִּי (yada'ti, "I know") is not hope but settled knowledge, carrying the weight of the whole statement.
The thread — The same logic appears in Romans 8:31 ("If God is for us, who can be against us?") and Psalms 118:6 ("The LORD is on my side; I will not be afraid").
Why it lands — It asks the reader to treat God's presence as a known fact rather than a felt emotion, and to expect a concrete outcome from the act of calling out.
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
When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.
Cross-references
- Romans 8:31 What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- Psalms 118:6 The LORD is on my side; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
- Psalms 46:11 The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
- Psalms 102:2 Do not hide Your face from me in my day of distress. Incline Your ear to me; answer me quickly when I call.
- Psalms 118:11 They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
- Isaiah 8:9 Huddle together, O peoples, and be shattered; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for battle, and be shattered; prepare for battle, and be shattered!
- Psalms 9:3 When my enemies retreat, they stumble and perish before You.
- Psalms 46:7 The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
- Jeremiah 33:3 Call to Me, and I will answer and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
- Psalms 27:2 When the wicked came upon me to devour my flesh, my enemies and foes stumbled and fell.