Bible Strands
Psalms 9:18
For the needy will not always be forgotten; nor the hope of the oppressed forever dashed.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist speaks to God immediately after declaring that the wicked and nations who forget Him will return to Sheol. This declaration serves as the theological basis for the subsequent petition for divine intervention and judgment.
The words — The Hebrew נֶצַח (ne.tzach) means perpetuity or forever, and יִשָּׁכַח (yi.sha.Khach) means he will be forgotten. Together they form an absolute negation stating that God will not permanently overlook the afflicted.
The thread — The text's claim that the hope of the oppressed endures appears in Psalms 12:5 and Proverbs 23:18, where God's arising guarantees that the needy's hope will not be cut off. These references extend the psalm's assurance into broader wisdom and liturgical traditions.
Why it lands — The verse first states that God's remembrance overrides human neglect, then requires the reader to abandon reliance on temporal justice. It demands a practical posture of waiting on divine action rather than self-preservation.
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 needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.
Cross-references
- Psalms 12:5 “For the cause of the oppressed and for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will bring safety to him who yearns.”
- Proverbs 23:18 For surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
- Proverbs 24:14 Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, there is a future for you, and your hope will never be cut off.
- James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?
- Luke 1:53 He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.
- Luke 6:20 Looking up at His disciples, Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
- Psalms 102:20 to hear a prisoner’s groaning, to release those condemned to death,
- Psalms 72:4 May he vindicate the afflicted among the people; may he save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor.
- Psalms 102:17 He will turn toward the prayer of the destitute; He will not despise their prayer.
- Psalms 71:5 For You are my hope, O Lord GOD, my confidence from my youth.