Devine Scripture

Psalms 27:9

What does Psalms 27:9 mean?

A plain-English look at Psalms 27:9 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Psalms 27:9 means

Building on his devoted pursuit of God's face, the psalmist now makes specific pleas, expressing his vulnerability. He entreats God not to 'hide thy face'—which would signify divine displeasure or abandonment—nor to 'put thy servant away in anger.' Recalling past help ('Thou hast been my help'), he grounds his present request in God's consistent character. He begs God not to 'cast me off' or 'forsake me,' reinforcing his dependence on God as 'my salvation,' the sole source of his deliverance and security.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

Hide not thy face from me; Put not thy servant away in anger: Thou hast been my help; Cast me not off, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

Hide not thy face from me; Put not thy servant away in anger: Thou hast been my help; Cast me not off, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

Let not your face be covered from me; do not put away your servant in wrath; you have been my help: do not give me up or take your support from me, O God of my salvation.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

Hide not Thy face from me, Turn not aside in anger Thy servant, My help Thou hast been. Leave me not, nor forsake me, O God of my salvation.

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

Save, O Lord, thy people, and bless thy inheritance: and rule them and exalt them for ever.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

Hide not thy face from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; cast me not off, neither forsake me, OGod of my salvation.

Context

This verse directly follows the psalmist's commitment to seek God's face (v. 8), and serves as the negative articulation of that desire: Do not withhold what I seek! It reiterates his dependence, transforming his past testimony of God's help into a present plea for continued assistance. This further emphasizes his need for divine presence and intervention, moving beyond general requests to specific fears of abandonment.

v.8When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Jehovah, will I seek.

v.9This passage

v.10When my father and my mother forsake me, Then Jehovah will take me up.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • 2 Corinthians 1:9

    yea, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raiseth the dead:

  • Psalms 51:11

    Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy Spirit from me.

  • 1 Chronicles 28:9

    And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for Jehovah searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts. If thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

  • Psalms 24:5

    He shall receive a blessing from Jehovah, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

  • Psalms 44:24

    Wherefore hidest thou thy face, And forgettest our affliction and our oppression?

  • Isaiah 50:1

    Thus saith Jehovah, Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, wherewith I have put her away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities were ye sold, and for your transgressions was your mother put away.

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