Yahweh looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men.
From the place of his habitation he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,
he who fashions all of their hearts; and he considers all of their works.
Parallel Translations
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Yahweh looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men.
From the place of his habitation he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,
he who fashions all of their hearts; and he considers all of their works.
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The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.
From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.
Show all 3 translations
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The LORD looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men;
From the place of His habitation He looketh intently upon all the inhabitants of the earth;
He that fashioneth the hearts of them all, that considereth all their doings.
Cross-references (33)
- Job 28:24 (v13) For he looks to the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole sky.
- Psalms 11:4 (v13) Yahweh is in his holy temple. Yahweh is on his throne in heaven. His eyes observe. His eyes examine the children of men.
- Jeremiah 32:19 (v15) great in counsel, and mighty in work; whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of men, to give everyone according to his ways,…
- Psalms 53:2 (v13) God looks down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there are any who understood, who seek after God.
- Hebrews 4:13 (v13) There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an…
Show all 33 cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 16:9 (v13) For Yahweh’s eyes run back and forth throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward…
- Psalms 44:21 (v15) won’t God search this out? For he knows the secrets of the heart.
- Proverbs 15:3 (v13) Yahweh’s eyes are everywhere, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
- Jeremiah 23:23-24 (v13) “Am I a God at hand,” says Yahweh, “and not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places so that I can’t see him?” says Yahweh.…
- Hosea 7:2 (v15) They don’t consider in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness. Now their own deeds have engulfed them. They are before my face.
- Psalms 14:2 (v13) Yahweh looked down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who understood, who sought after God.
- Psalms 102:19 (v13) For he has looked down from the height of his sanctuary. From heaven, Yahweh saw the earth;
- 1 Corinthians 4:5 (v15) Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and reveal the…
- 1 Kings 8:39 (v14) then hear in heaven, your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to every man according to all his ways, whose heart you know (for…
- Job 10:8 (v15) “ ‘Your hands have framed me and fashioned me altogether, yet you destroy me.
- Job 11:11 (v15) For he knows false men. He sees iniquity also, even though he doesn’t consider it.
- Proverbs 22:2 (v15) The rich and the poor have this in common: Yahweh is the maker of them all.
- Proverbs 24:12 (v15) If you say, “Behold, we didn’t know this,” doesn’t he who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, doesn’t he know it? Shall…
- Proverbs 27:19 (v15) Like water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.
- Ecclesiastes 7:29 (v15) Behold, I have only found this: that God made man upright; but they search for many schemes.”
- Isaiah 64:8 (v15) But now, Yahweh, you are our Father. We are the clay and you our potter. We all are the work of your hand.
- Lamentations 3:50 (v13) until Yahweh looks down, and sees from heaven.
- Acts 17:26 (v15) He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the…
- Genesis 6:12 (v13) God saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
- 1 Kings 8:27 (v14) But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens can’t contain you; how much less this house that I…
- 1 Kings 8:30 (v14) Listen to the supplication of your servant, and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Yes, hear in heaven, your dwelling…
- 1 Kings 8:43 (v14) hear in heaven, your dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you for; that all the peoples of the earth may…
- Psalms 123:1 (v14) I lift up my eyes to you, you who sit in the heavens.
- Isaiah 57:15 (v14) For the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a…
- Isaiah 66:1 (v14) Yahweh says, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build to me? Where will I rest?
- Luke 11:2 (v14) He said to them, “When you pray, say, ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come. May your will be done on…
- 1 Timothy 6:16 (v14) He alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen.
- Job 34:21-22 (v15) “For his eyes are on the ways of a man. He sees all his goings. There is no darkness, nor thick gloom, where the workers of iniquity may…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (18 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv13, 15 13. Jehovah looked down from heaven. The Psalmist still…
13. Jehovah looked down from heaven. The Psalmist still proceeds with the same doctrine, namely, that human affairs are not tossed hither and thither fortuitously, but that God secretly guides and directs all that we see taking place. Now he here commends God’s inspection of all things, that we on our part may learn to behold, and to contemplate with the eye of faith, his invisible providence. There are, no doubt, evident proofs of it continually before our eyes; but the great majority of men, notwithstanding, see nothing of them, and, in their blindness, imagine that all things are under the conduct of a blind fortune. Nay, the more plenteously and abundantly that he sheds his goodness upon us, the less do we raise our thoughts to him, but preposterously settle them down immovably on the external circumstances which surround us. The prophet here rebukes this base conduct, because no greater affront can be offered to God than to shut him up in heaven in a state of idleness. This is the same as if he were to lie buried in a grave. What kind of life would God’s life be, if he neither saw nor took care of any thing? Under the term throne, too, the sacred writer shows, from what is implied in it, what an absurd infatuation it is to divest God of thought and understanding. He gives us to understand by this word, that heaven is not a palace in which God remains idle and indulges in pleasures, as the Epicureans dream, but a royal court, from which he exercises his government over all parts of the world. If he has erected his throne, therefore, in the sanctuary of heaven, in order to govern the universe, it follows that he in no wise neglects the affairs of earth, but governs them with the highest reason and wisdom.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv13, 15 He proveth, that all things are governed by God’s…
He proveth, that all things are governed by God’s providence and not by fortune.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv13–15 Psa 33:13 The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth…
Psa 33:13 The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.
Ver. 13. The Lord looketh from heaven] Ita respicit universos quasi singulos, ita singulos quasi solos. And this doctrine of God’s particular providence is, fides nationum quarum Deus est Dominus, saith Kimchi, taught in the Church only.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv14–15 Although he hath a special relation to Israel, yet…
Although he hath a special relation to Israel, yet he hath a general care and inspection over all mankind, all whose hearts and ways he discerns and observes.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv13–15 The Lord looketh from heaven,.... Where his throne and…
The Lord looketh from heaven,.... Where his throne and temple are, upon the earth and men, and things in it, as follows;
he beholdeth all the sons of men; the evil and the good; which is contrary to the sense of many wicked men, who imagine he takes no notice of what is done here below; but his eye is upon all, upon all the workers of iniquity, how secret soever they may be; and not only his eye of Providence is upon good men, but his eye of love, grace, and mercy; and he has a special and distinct knowledge of them: agreeably to this are some expressions of Heathen writers; says one (e),
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"the eye of God sees all things;''
says another (f),
"there is a great God in heaven who sees all things, and governs.''
(e) , &c. Hesiod. Opera & Dies, l. 1. v. 263. (f) , &c. Sophoclis Electra, v. 174, 175.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv13, 15 All men - Although he hath a relation to…
All men - Although he hath a relation to Israel, yet he hath a general care over all mankind, all whose hearts and ways he observes.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv13, 15 Verse 13. The Lord looketh from heaven] This and…
Verse 13. The Lord looketh from heaven] This and the following verse seem to refer to God's providence. He sees all that is done in the earth, and his eye is on all the children of men.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v13 Psa 33:13-15. He beholdeth all the sons of men…
Psa 33:13-15. He beholdeth all the sons of men — Although he had a special relation to Israel, yet he hath a general care over all mankind, all whose hearts and ways he observes. He fashioneth their hearts alike —
היצר יחד לבם, hajotzer jachad lib-bam, It is he that formed their hearts, one and all, and consequently must know what are their thoughts and intentions: or, in the present tense, as our version renders it, He formeth, and so it refers to the works of God’s providence; and the psalmist having said that God sees and observes all men, now adds, that he rules and governs them; yea, even their hearts, which are most unmanageable, he disposes and inclines according to the counsel of his will. Alike, or, equally, one as well as another; whether they be Jews or Gentiles, bond or free, princes or peasants; all are alike subject to his jurisdiction. He considereth all their works — Both outward and inward, all the workings of their minds and actions, and all their endeavours and actions. How great then “must be the advantage of living in the favour, and under the protection, of this great Being, who, from the watch-tower of his eternal throne, beholdeth, directeth, and controlleth, at pleasure, not only the actions and the words, but the very thoughts and imaginations of all the inhabitants of the earth!” — Horne.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv13–15 The Lord looketh from heaven - heaven is represented…
The Lord looketh from heaven - heaven is represented as his abode or dwelling; and from that place he is represented as looking down upon all the nations of the earth. The meaning here is, that he sees all that dwell upon the earth, and that, therefore, all that worship him are under his eye. He knows their wants, and he will watch over them to protect them. It is not merely to the abstract truth that God sees all who dwell upon the earth that the psalmist means to refer; but that those who are his friends, or who worship him, are all under his eye, so as to enjoy his watchful care and attention.
He beholdeth all the sons of men - All the descendants of “Adam,” for this is the original. There is no improbability in supposing that the word “Adam” here (usually meaning “man”) is employed as a proper name to denote the great ancestor of the human race, and that the psalmist means to refer to the race as one great family descended from a common ancestor, though scattered abroad over the face of the world.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv13, 15 looketh--intently (Isa 14:16).
looketh--intently (Isa 14:16).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v13 13-15. The psalmist reiterates the personal and minute inspection…
13-15. The psalmist reiterates the personal and minute inspection of the hearts of all men, to show that this knowledge will make a sure pathway for infinite power to execute eternal justice.
He fashioneth their hearts alike—The Hebrew yahhad, translated “alike,” and usually translated together, here means, wholly, altogether. The idea is, that the creation and endowment of man’s heart—his intellective, moral, and psychical being—is wholly, or altogether, God’s work. The Septuagint renders it μονας, alone, and the Vulgate, sigillatim, individually, every one of them. The argument requires this sense. God alone made the heart, and he alone perfectly understands all its workings. The passage is parallel to Psa_94:9-10
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv13–15 13, 14. The Psalmist dwells upon Jehovah’s all-seeing omniscience…
13, 14. The Psalmist dwells upon Jehovah’s all-seeing omniscience in order to emphasise the peculiar privilege of His people. Throned in heaven (1Ki_8:39 ff.) He surveys all mankind. Cp. Psa_11:4; Psa_14:2; Psa_102:19-20.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v15 (15) He fashioneth.—Better,
(15) He fashioneth.—Better,
“Moulding their hearts for all,
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Observing all their deeds.”
The Hebrew word rendered “fashion” is that used of a potter moulding clay.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv13–15 The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the…
The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. (comp. Psa_11:4:14:2 Psa_102:19) God"s having any care at all for man is a wondrous condescension, and so worthy of all praise; his having regard to all men all the frail sons of weak and sinful Adam is still more wonderful, still more deserving of eulogy.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain On vv13–15 Ver. 13. The Lord looketh from heaven. The Lord…
Ver. 13. The Lord looketh from heaven. The Lord is represented as dwelling above and looking down below; seeing all things, but peculiarly observing and caring for those who trust in him. It is one of our choicest privileges to be always under our Father's eye, to be never out of sight of our best Friend. He beholdeth all the sons of men. All Adam's sons are as well watched as was Adam himself, their lone progenitor in the garden. Ranging from the frozen pole to the scorching equator, dwelling in hills and valleys, in huts and palaces, alike doth the divine eye regard all the members of the family of man.
None.
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Ver. 13. Omniscience and its lessons.
Ver. 13-15. The doctrine of providence.
Psalms 33:14*
Ver. 13-15. The doctrine of providence.
Psalms 33:15*
Ver. 13-15. The doctrine of providence.
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v15 He fashioneth their hearts alike.
Psa_33:15
He fashioneth their hearts alike.
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The moral identity of human hearts
He fashioneth their hearts alike. All have certain instincts, passions, emotions with which conventional differences have nothing to do. One touch of Nature makes the whole world kin.
I. God hath fashioned our hearts alike in respect of this, that we are all self-conscious, I can think of myself as myself and no other--as one individual unit. I am myself a world, into which the great world cannot penetrate; and, in the light of my own consciousness, i am as effectually hidden as though I did not exist at all. And this does not break up the race. It unifies it. For it is the same with all.
II. In close connection with this we must take the moral sense, that is, the conviction that some things are right and some wrong. Take the rudest savage, one whose ideas as to what is right and what is wrong are all jumbled together; still he feels that there is a difference. In this also God fashioneth our hearts alike. Its universality makes it the foundation of law, the approver of right, and the avenger of wrong, even when human law fails to detect the criminal.
III. God has made us all for friendship, affection, mutual dependence and mutual help. God setteth us in families. None of us, king or subject, prince or peasant, is sufficient for himself. The whole civilization and beneficence of the world have sprung from this objective character of man. Give a man nothing to do, and he is miserable. Give a man nothing to love, and he is miserable.
IV. this outward seeking can never be fully satisfied with anything created. In order to full satisfaction it must go forward and upward to God. It calls for the infinite. In this sense, too, God hath fashioned our hearts alike. He has so made us that He Himself is necessary to us. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, and not all the resources of this manifold world can fill the void in the human heart, and lead it to say--It is enough. There is something unanswered still, and there ever will be till we rest in God. (A. L. Simpson, D. D)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v13 he looks down
he looks down
The place where Yahweh lives is spoken of as if it is above the earth where people live. (See: Metaphor)
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shapes the hearts of them all
Here "hearts" refers to the thinking of these people. The writer speaks of Yahweh guiding the thinking of the people as if he were a potter who was shaping a bowl. AT: "guides their thinking as a potter shapes a bowl" (See: Metonymy and Metaphor)
translationWords
heaven
life
earth
heart
works
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v13 33:13-19 From the heavens, the Lord searches out and…
33:13-19 From the heavens, the Lord searches out and cares for anyone who fears him (see 14:2-3).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.