For you are my hope, Lord Yahweh, my confidence from my youth.
I have relied on you from the womb. You are he who took me out of my mother’s womb. I will always praise you.
I am a marvel to many, but you are my strong refuge.
Parallel Translations
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For you are my hope, Lord Yahweh, my confidence from my youth.
I have relied on you from the womb. You are he who took me out of my mother’s womb. I will always praise you.
I am a marvel to many, but you are my strong refuge.
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For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.
By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.
I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.
Show all 3 translations
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For Thou art my hope; O Lord GOD, my trust from my youth.
Upon Thee have I stayed myself from birth; Thou art He that took me out of my mother's womb; my praise is continually of Thee.
I am as a wonder unto many; but Thou art my strong refuge.
Cross-references (44)
- Jeremiah 1:5 (v6) “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
- Psalms 22:9-10 (vv5–6) But you brought me out of the womb. You made me trust while at my mother’s breasts. I was thrown on you from my mother’s womb. You are my…
- Psalms 139:15-16 (v6) My frame wasn’t hidden from you, when I was made in secret, woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my body. In your book…
- Galatians 1:15 (v6) But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through his grace
- Isaiah 8:18 (v7) Behold, I and the children whom Yahweh has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from Yahweh of Armies, who dwells in Mount Zion.
Show all 43 cross-references
- Isaiah 49:1 (v6) Listen, islands, to me. Listen, you peoples, from afar: Yahweh has called me from the womb; from the inside of my mother, he has mentioned…
- Isaiah 46:3-4 (v6) “Listen to me, house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, that have been carried from their birth, that have been carried…
- Isaiah 49:5 (v6) Now Yahweh, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, says to bring Jacob again to him, and to gather Israel to him, for I am…
- Jeremiah 17:7 (v5) “Blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh, and whose confidence is in Yahweh.
- Psalms 39:7 (v5) Now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you.
- Psalms 34:1 (v6) I will bless Yahweh at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth.
- Psalms 62:7 (v7) My salvation and my honor is with God. The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
- Psalms 119:81 (v5) My soul faints for your salvation. I hope in your word.
- Psalms 145:1-2 (v6) I will exalt you, my God, the King. I will praise your name forever and ever. Every day I will praise you. I will extol your name forever…
- Acts 4:13 (v7) Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. They…
- 1 Corinthians 4:9 (v7) For, I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last of all, like men sentenced to death. For we are made a spectacle to the world,…
- Psalms 71:17 (v5) God, you have taught me from my youth. Until now, I have declared your wondrous works.
- Proverbs 8:17 (v6) I love those who love me. Those who seek me diligently will find me.
- Jeremiah 16:19 (v7) Yahweh, my strength, and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the nations will come to you from the ends of the earth,…
- 2 Corinthians 6:8-10 (v7) by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we…
- Psalms 61:3 (v7) For you have been a refuge for me, a strong tower from the enemy.
- Psalms 119:166 (v5) I have hoped for your salvation, Yahweh. I have done your commandments.
- Jeremiah 3:4 (v6) Will you not from this time cry to me, ‘My Father, you are the guide of my youth?’
- Jeremiah 17:17 (v5) Don’t be a terror to me. You are my refuge in the day of evil.
- 1 Samuel 17:45-47 (v5) Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin; but I come to you in the name of Yahweh…
- Zechariah 3:6 (v7) Yahweh’s angel protested to Joshua, saying,
- Luke 1:31-32 (v6) Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him ‘Jesus.’ He will be great and will be called the Son of…
- Luke 2:34 (v7) and Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for…
- Romans 15:13 (v5) Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
- 2 Corinthians 4:8-12 (v7) We are pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not to despair; pursued, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed;…
- Psalms 71:14 (v6) But I will always hope, and will add to all of your praise.
- Psalms 142:4-5 (v7) Look on my right, and see; for there is no one who is concerned for me. Refuge has fled from me. No one cares for my soul. I cried to you,…
- Jeremiah 14:8 (v5) You hope of Israel, its Savior in the time of trouble, why should you be as a foreigner in the land, and as a wayfaring man who turns aside…
- Jeremiah 17:13 (v5) Yahweh, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you will be disappointed. Those who depart from me will be written in the earth, because they…
- 2 Timothy 3:15 (v5) From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus.
- 1 Samuel 16:13 (v5) Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the middle of his brothers. Then Yahweh’s Spirit came mightily on David from that day…
- 1 Samuel 17:33-37 (v5) Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth, and he a man of war from…
- Psalms 13:5 (v5) But I trust in your loving kindness. My heart rejoices in your salvation.
- Luke 2:40 (v5) The child was growing, and was becoming strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
- Ecclesiastes 12:1 (v5) Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw near, when you will say, “I have no…
- Ephesians 5:20 (v6) giving thanks always concerning all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God, even the Father;
- Psalms 42:11 (v5) Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him, the saving help of my…
- Jeremiah 50:7 (v5) All who found them have devoured them. Their adversaries said, ‘We are not guilty, because they have sinned against Yahweh, the habitation…
43 distinct cross-references across this passage (44 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (18 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv5–7 5. For thou art my expectation, O Lord Jehovah!…
5. For thou art my expectation, O Lord Jehovah! The Psalmist here repeats what he had said a little before concerning his trust or confidence. But some, perhaps, may be inclined to refer this sentence rather to the matter or ground afforded him for hope and confidence than to the emotions of his heart; supposing him to mean, that by the benefits which God had conferred upon him, he was furnished with well-grounded hope. And certainly he does not here simply declare that he hoped in God, but with this he conjoins experience, and acknowledges that even from his youth he had received tokens of the Divine favor, from which he might learn, that confidence is to be reposed in God alone. By adverting to what God had done for him, he expresses the real cause of faith, (if I may so speak;) and from this we may easily perceive the powerful influence which the remembrance of God’s benefits had in nourishing his hope.
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 vv5, 7 He strengtheneth his faith by the experience of God’s…
He strengtheneth his faith by the experience of God’s benefits, who did not only preserve him in his mother’s belly, but took him thence, and ever since hath preserved him.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv5–7 Psa 71:5 For thou [art] my hope, O Lord…
Psa 71:5 For thou [art] my hope, O Lord GOD: [thou art] my trust from my youth.
Ver. 5. For thou art my hope] Helpless I may seem, but hopeless I am not.
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 vv6–7 From the womb, i.e. from the time when I…
From the womb, i.e. from the time when I came out of the womb.
My mother’s bowels, i.e. out of her womb; which he justly mentions as a great and wonderful, though a common and neglected, work of God’s power and goodness.
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 vv5–7 For thou art my hope, O Lord God,.... The…
For thou art my hope, O Lord God,.... The object, ground, and foundation of it, even of present deliverance, and of future and eternal salvation;
thou art my trust from my youth; in whom he trusted in his youthful days, of which there is an eminent instance in Sa1 17:33.
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 v7 A wonder - For my many and sore calamities.
A wonder - For my many and sore calamities.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv5, 7 Verse 5. My trust from my youth.] When I…
Verse 5. My trust from my youth.] When I was born into the world, thou didst receive me, and thou tookest me under thy especial care. "My praise shall be continually of thee." Rather, I have always made thee my boast.
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 v7 Psa 71:7. I am a wonder to many —…
Psa 71:7. I am a wonder to many — Hebrew, כמופת, chemopeth, as a prodigy, or monster, that is, as a frightful spectacle, which they are afraid to come near. Green renders it, as a gazing-stock to the multitude. This David was, on account of his many and sore calamities, and perhaps, also, because of his firm trust in God amidst them all; as if he had said, Every one waits to see what will be the issue of such extraordinary troubles as I have fallen into, and such extraordinary confidence as I profess to have in God. But thou art my sure refuge — But, although men desert me, and look with suspicion and contempt on me, God is a sure refuge for me. “David, banished from his kingdom,” says Dr. Horne, “was regarded as a wonder, or prodigy of wretchedness; Christ, in his state of humiliation upon earth, was a sign everywhere spoken against, as Simeon foretold he would be, Luk 2:34. The Christian, who lives by faith, who quits possession for reversion, and who chooses to suffer with his Saviour here, that he may reign with him hereafter, appears to the men of the world as a monster of folly and enthusiasm. But God is the strong refuge of all such.”
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 vv5–7 For thou art my hope, O Lord God -…
For thou art my hope, O Lord God - The ground of my hope and my expectation is in thee.
(1) I have no other help; no other defense; but
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(2) I “have” confidence; on thee I “do” rely.
Thou art my trust from my youth - From my earliest years. The meaning is, that he had always trusted in God, and had always found him a helper. All that he was, and all that he possessed, he owed to God; and he felt now that God had been his protector from his earliest years. Perhaps it could not be shown certainly from this expression that he meant to say he had “actually trusted” in God from his youth, for the “language” means no more than that God had actually protected him, and holden him up, and had continually interposed to save and keep him. As God had always been his Protector, so he felt that he might come to Him now, and put his trust in Him.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv5–7 5. My trust from my youth—Happy the man who…
5. My trust from my youth—Happy the man who can say this! A life-long habit of faith gives strength to character, and support and assurance to prayer.
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 vv5, 7 5, 6. A free imitation of Psa_22:9-10.
5, 6. A free imitation of Psa_22:9-10.
my hope … my trust] Cp. Jer_14:8; Jer_17:7; Jer_17:13; and “Christ Jesus our hope” (1Ti_1:1).
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By thee &c.] Better (cp. Isa_48:2), On thee have I stayed myself from (my) birth. The same word is used in Psa_3:5; Psa_51:12.
thou art he that took me] A different word from that similarly translated in Psa_22:9, and of doubtful meaning. The rendering, Thou hast been my benefactor from my mother’s womb (cp. R.V. marg.), suits the parallelism well. But cp. Jer_1:5.
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 vv5–7 (5) My hope.—Comp. Jer_14:8; Jer_1:7. Also in New Testament,…
(5) My hope.—Comp. Jer_14:8; Jer_1:7. Also in New Testament, 1Ti_1:1, “The Lord Jesus Christ our hope.” Shakespeare, with his fine ear for scriptural expressions, caught this.
“And God shall be my hope, my stay.”
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“God, our hope, shall succour us.”—2 Henry VI.
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 vv5–7 For thou art my Hope, O Lord God. (comp.…
For thou art my Hope, O Lord God. (comp. Psa_39:7 Jer_14:8 Jer_17:13 Jer_50:7) Thou art my Trust from my youth. (comp. Psa_40:4)
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 vv5–7 Ver. 5. For thou art my hope, O Lord…
Ver. 5. For thou art my hope, O Lord God. God who gives us grace to hope in him, will assuredly fulfil our hope, and, therefore, we may plead it in prayer. His name is "Jehovah, the hope of Israel" (Jer 17:13); and, as he cannot be a false or failing hope, we may expect to see our confidence justified.
Thou art my trust from my youth. David had proved his faith by notable exploits when he was a youth and ruddy; it was to him a cheering recollection, and he felt persuaded that the God of his youth would not forsake him in his age. They are highly favoured who can like David, Samuel, Josiah, Timothy, and others say, "Thou art my trust from my youth."
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Ver. 5. Thou art my hope. Not only is our hope in him but he himself is our hope. "God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, "saith St. Paul, "our hope." 1Ti 1:1. Yea, there is a deeper, nearer depth: "The glory of the mystery of the gospel, "says St. Paul, "is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Christ himself is our hope, as the only Author of it; Christ is our hope, as the End of it; and Christ, who is the Beginning and the End, is our hope also by the way; for he saith, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Col 1:27. Each yearning of our hearts, each ray of hope which gleams upon us, each touch which thrills us, each voice which whispers in our inmost hearts of the good things laid up in store for us, if we will love God, are the light of Christ enlightening us, the touch of Christ raising us to new life, the voice of Christ, "Whoso cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out; "it is "Christ in us, the hope of glory, "drawing us up by his spirit who dwelleth in us, unto himself our hope. For our hope is not the glory of heaven, not joy, not peace, not rest from labour, not fulness of our wishes, nor sweet contentment of the whole soul, nor understanding of all mysteries and all knowledge, not only a torrent of delight; it is "Christ our God, ""the hope of glory." Nothing which God could create is what we hope for; nothing which God could give us out of himself, no created glory, or bliss, or beauty, or majesty, or riches. What we hope for is our Redeeming God himself, his love, his bliss, the joy of our Lord himself who hath so loved us, to be our joy and our portion for ever. E. B. Pusey.
Ver. 5. From my youth. The remembering and acknowledging of God in youth will be great satisfaction in old age. O what joy will reflection upon youthful piety yield! Even Seneca, a heathen, could say: "Youth well spent is the greatest comfort of old age." David could confidently plead with God for deliverance out of the hand of the wicked: For, saith he, thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth. "Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth" (Ps 71:9, 17-18). An ingenuous master will not turn off a superannuated servant. When the proconsul bade Polycarp deny Christ and swear by the emperor, he answered: "I have served Christ these eighty-six years, and he hath not once injured me, and shall I now deny him?" Jacob could say: "God hath fed me all my life long unto this day; he hath been kind to me all my days, and I trust he will look to me even in the end; and shall I now turn my back on him?" Whither can I go to mend myself for a master? "Thou only hast the words of eternal life." He that hath been the stay of my youth, will be the staff of my age. I dare venture my soul upon his promise who hath hitherto maintained me by his providence. "In the days of my youth, the secret of God was upon my tabernacle, his candle did shine upon my head, and by his light I walked through darkness; "and, though now "the sun, and the light, and moon and stars be darkened, "in this my natural horizon, yet "the Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?" "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." I have abundant experience of his grace and presence. O the days of mercy I have had many years ago! A good man said: "I got that in my youth, which I would not for all the world have to get now." Oliver Heywood. 1629-1702.
Ver. 5. God the essence of hope and faith.
Psalms 71:6*
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 vv5–7 Thou art my hope, O Lord God: Thou art…
Psa_71:5
Thou art my hope, O Lord God: Thou art my trust from my youth.
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God our hope in youth
It was a man well advanced in life who uttered these words. Aye, the snows of age are falling on his head; his back bends under the weight of years; but,--is the frail old man dejected and forlorn? No, nothing of the kind: the faith of his youth proves the comfort of his age; and, as he leans his hand upon his staff, he lifts up his eyes to, heaven, and says, Thou art my hope, etc. What I wish to bring out and illustrate is this, that a pious trust in God at the outset of life guarantees a blessed hope in God at the end of it. Archbishop Leighton beautifully observes: The world dare say no more for its device, than Dum spire, spore, While I breathe, I hope; but the children of God can go further and say, Dum exspiro, spero, Even when I die, I hope; for that very event which drowns all the worldlings prospects throws open to the Christian the gates of a glorious eternity!
I. It is well for you in your youth to contemplate and prepare for age. As I was wandering one day through the old cathedral at Elgin, my eye lighted upon a quaint epitaph, carved on a slab in the wall:--
This world is a city full of streets;
And death is the market that all men meets;
If life were a thing that money could buy,
The poor could not live and the rich would not die.
The grammar may be at fault, but the sentiment is true. Oh, how many squander in early life those energies they would afterwards give a fortune to recall! How many are practically saying, Let youth have its carnival of pleasure, and let ago look out for itself! It is your duty to contemplate living long and growing old. But will you? Where do you spend your evenings? Answer me that, and I shall have some notion where you will spend eternity. Are you in the habit of taking stimulants? If you are, that lessens your chance of seeing old age by some fifty per cent. Oh, do not tamper with the drink-fiend that every year digs a grave for hundreds of the flower of London. If some of you will act upon the advice I am now to give you, you will thank me for it some day. It is meanly selfish for a man, dying in the prime of life and professing a Christian hope, to be perfectly happy whilst he knows that as he steps into heaven his wife and children will step into the workhouse. I say it is abominable! If you have the faintest prospect of having any dependent upon you, you have no business to spend on gratification all your weekly wage or your yearly salary. It is not yours to spend. The first few shillings, or the first few pounds, belong to them, and should go to pay the premium on a policy that at least will keep them from beggary.
II. The only guarantee of a blessed hope in age is a pious trust in youth. I was once summoned to the military barracks, to visit a soldier who was lying in the sick ward. I saw at once the stamp of death upon his countenance. It was evident he had but a few moment to live. I stooped over him, held his hand and softly asked him, Have you a hope in Christ? His answer made me tremble, and though twenty years have gone, it rings in my ear to-day--the last words of a dying unbeliever, I have no hope! Will any of you, dear lads, risk such an exit from the world? Can your life be genuinely happy, with a drawn sword hanging daily over you? Would you not wish, then, to be prepared? Would it not be a glorious thing if everybody could say with Dr. Watts: I lay my head upon my pillow to-night, not caring whether I awake in this world or the next? Oh, wont you all take the decisive step at once, the step that will make your whole life luminous, your death triumphant, and your eternity infinitely happy? (J. Thain Davidson, D.D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v5 (See Scofield "Psa 2:12").
trust
(See Scofield "Psa 2:12").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v6 By you I have been supported from the womb
By you I have been supported from the womb
This can be stated in active form. AT: "You have supported me from the womb" or "You have taken care of me ever since I came out of my mother's womb" (See: Active or Passive)
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you are he
"you are the one"
I am an example to many people
"Many people see how I live and want to live as I do"
translationWords
womb
praise
refuge
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 v5 71:5-6 The psalmist has trusted God throughout his life…
71:5-6 The psalmist has trusted God throughout his life (see 22:9).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.