The Bible — World English Bible
Psalm 94
In brief
Psalm 94 is a cry against injustice addressed to the God of vengeance, that is, the judge of the earth. The psalmist describes wicked people who crush the widow and the orphan and claim that God sees nothing. He answers that the one who formed the ear and the eye hears and sees. Then he turns to the believer under trial: God teaches and does not forsake his people. The psalm also reveals the author's personal testimony: God's comforts delight his soul when his thoughts overwhelm him.
The chapter in 5 parts
1Yahweh, you God to whom vengeance belongs, you God to whom vengeance belongs, shine out.
2Rise up, you judge of the earth. Pay back the proud what they deserve.
3Yahweh, how long will the wicked, how long will the wicked triumph?
4They pour out arrogant words. All the evildoers boast.
5They break your people in pieces, Yahweh, and afflict your heritage.
6They kill the widow and the alien, and murder the fatherless.
7They say, “Yah will not see, neither will Jacob’s God consider.”
8Consider, you senseless among the people; you fools, when will you be wise?
9He who implanted the ear, won’t he hear? He who formed the eye, won’t he see?
10He who disciplines the nations, won’t he punish? He who teaches man knows.
11Yahweh knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile.
12Blessed is the man whom you discipline, Yah, and teach out of your law,
13that you may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked.
14For Yahweh won’t reject his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.
15For judgment will return to righteousness. All the upright in heart shall follow it.
16Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will stand up for me against the evildoers?
17Unless Yahweh had been my help, my soul would have soon lived in silence.
18When I said, “My foot is slipping!” Your loving kindness, Yahweh, held me up.
19In the multitude of my thoughts within me, your comforts delight my soul.
20Shall the throne of wickedness have fellowship with you, which brings about mischief by statute?
21They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.
22But Yahweh has been my high tower, my God, the rock of my refuge.
23He has brought on them their own iniquity, and will cut them off in their own wickedness. Yahweh, our God, will cut them off.
Key verses
Yahweh, you God to whom vengeance belongs, you God to whom vengeance belongs, shine out. Rise up, you judge of the earth. Pay back the proud what they deserve.
The psalmist calls on God to rise up as judge. He does not take justice into his own hands: he hands injustice over to the one who judges all the earth.
He who implanted the ear, won’t he hear? He who formed the eye, won’t he see?
The one who made the ear and the eye hears and sees. This argument answers those who say God does not look: the Creator cannot ignore what his creatures do.
For Yahweh won’t reject his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.
The Lord will not reject his people. This assurance supports the believer's patience while waiting for justice to come.
Unless Yahweh had been my help, my soul would have soon lived in silence. When I said, “My foot is slipping!” Your loving kindness, Yahweh, held me up.
The psalmist tells how God held him up: without his help, he would soon have lived in silence. When his foot slips, God's loving kindness holds him.
In the multitude of my thoughts within me, your comforts delight my soul.
When anxious thoughts crowd his heart, God's comforts bring him joy. It is a verse often cited for anxiety, because it describes a calm received from God.
Bible verses to meditate on
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Frequently asked questions about Psalm 94
What does Psalm 94 mean?
Psalm 94 is a prayer in the face of injustice. The psalmist asks God, judge of the earth, to act against the wicked who oppress the weak. He affirms that God sees and hears, that he does not forsake his people and that he comforts those under trial. He invites us to wait for God's justice with trust.
What does God of vengeance mean?
The expression does not mean a personal or cruel revenge, but God's justice that restores what is right. The psalmist does not take revenge himself, he entrusts the injustice to God. This idea is found in the New Testament, which invites us to leave room for God's justice (Romans 12:19).
How can I pray Psalm 94 when I am anxious?
Read verse 19 slowly and name to God the thoughts that stir you, without hiding them. Ask him for his comfort, then read verse 22: the Lord is my high tower and the rock of my refuge. This psalm does not remove anxiety all at once, it teaches you to hand it over to God.
Articles quoting Psalm 94
World English Bible translation — public domain.