Psalms 81:12
Psalms 81:12 in Multiple Translations
So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.
So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
So I let them go after the stubbornness of their heart, That they might walk in their own counsels.
So I gave them up to the desires of their hearts; that they might go after their evil purposes.
So I sent them away to follow their stubborn thinking, living as they chose.
So I gaue them vp vnto the hardnesse of their heart, and they haue walked in their owne cousels.
And I send them away in the enmity of their heart, They walk in their own counsels.
So I let them go after the stubbornness of their hearts, that they might walk in their own counsels.
So I gave them up to their own hearts lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
So even though they were very stubborn, I allowed them to do whatever they wanted to do.
Berean Amplified Bible — Psalms 81:12
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Psalms 81:12 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
וְ/לֹא
שָׁמַ֣ע
עַמִּ֣/י
לְ/קוֹלִ֑/י
וְ֝/יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל
לֹא
אָ֥בָה
לִֽ/י
וְ/לֹא
lôʼ
H3808
not
Conj | Part
שָׁמַ֣ע
shâmaʻ
H8085
to hear
V-Qal-Perf-3ms
עַמִּ֣/י
ʻam
H5971
Amaw
N-ms | Suff
לְ/קוֹלִ֑/י
qôwl
H6963
voice
Prep | N-ms | Suff
וְ֝/יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל
Yisrâʼêl
H3478
Israel
Conj | N-proper
לֹא
lôʼ
H3808
not
Part
אָ֥בָה
ʼâbâh
H14
be willing
V-Qal-Perf-3ms
לִֽ/י
Prep | Suff
Hebrew Word Study
Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.
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Hebrew Word Reference — Psalms 81:12
וְ/לֹא
lôʼ
H3808
"not"
Conj | Part
The Hebrew word for not or no is used to indicate absence or negation, as when God says no to the Israelites' requests, or when they disobey His commands.
Definition: 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)
Usage: Occurs in 3967 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as truly as, [phrase] of a truth, [phrase] verily, for want, [phrase] whether, without. See also: Genesis 2:5; Genesis 31:15; Exodus 4:9.
שָׁמַ֣ע
shâmaʻ
H8085
"to hear"
V-Qal-Perf-3ms
To hear and listen is what this Hebrew word means, often implying attention and obedience. In Exodus and Deuteronomy, it is used when God speaks to the people, and they must listen and obey.
Definition: : hear v 1) to hear, listen to, obey 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to hear (perceive by ear) 1a2) to hear of or concerning 1a3) to hear (have power to hear) 1a4) to hear with attention or interest, listen to 1a5) to understand (language) 1a6) to hear (of judicial cases) 1a7) to listen, give heed 1a7a) to consent, agree 1a7b) to grant request 1a8) to listen to, yield to 1a9) to obey, be obedient 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be heard (of voice or sound) 1b2) to be heard of 1b3) to be regarded, be obeyed 1c) (Piel) to cause to hear, call to hear, summon 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to hear, tell, proclaim, utter a sound 1d2) to sound aloud (musical term) 1d3) to make proclamation, summon 1d4) to cause to be heard n m 2) sound
Usage: Occurs in 1072 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] attentively, call (gather) together, [idiom] carefully, [idiom] certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, [idiom] diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), [idiom] indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, [idiom] surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness. See also: Genesis 3:8; Exodus 32:18; Deuteronomy 27:9.
עַמִּ֣/י
ʻam
H5971
"Amaw"
N-ms | Suff
A people or nation is what this Hebrew word represents, like the nation of Israel in Exodus 33:13. It can also mean a tribe, troops, or attendants, and is used to describe a group of people gathered together. The word is often used to refer to the people of God.
Definition: This name means nation, people
Usage: Occurs in 1655 OT verses. KJV: folk, men, nation, people. See also: Genesis 11:6; Exodus 16:4; Leviticus 17:9.
לְ/קוֹלִ֑/י
qôwl
H6963
"voice"
Prep | N-ms | Suff
A voice or sound, it can refer to the sound of a person speaking, an animal, or a musical instrument. In the Bible, it is often used to describe God's voice or the sound of praise and worship.
Definition: : sound/noise 1) voice, sound, noise 1a) voice 1b) sound (of instrument)
Usage: Occurs in 436 OT verses. KJV: [phrase] aloud, bleating, crackling, cry ([phrase] out), fame, lightness, lowing, noise, [phrase] hold peace, (pro-) claim, proclamation, [phrase] sing, sound, [phrase] spark, thunder(-ing), voice, [phrase] yell. See also: Genesis 3:8; Judges 5:11; Job 4:10.
וְ֝/יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל
Yisrâʼêl
H3478
"Israel"
Conj | N-proper
Israel is the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants. Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebekah, had 12 sons who became the tribes of Israel, as told in Genesis 25:26. His story is crucial to the Bible's narrative.
Definition: A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.25.26; son of: Isaac (H3327) and Rebekah (H7259); brother of: Esau (H6215); married to Rachel (H7354), Leah (H3812), Zilpah (H2153) and Bilhah (H1090A); father of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); also called Jacob frequently § Israel = "God prevails" 1) the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel 2) the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob 2a) the name of the nation until the death of Solomon and the split 2b) the name used and given to the northern kingdom consisting of the 10 tribes under Jeroboam; the southern kingdom was known as Judah 2c) the name of the nation after the return from exile
Usage: Occurs in 2231 OT verses. KJV: Israel. See also: Genesis 32:29; Exodus 13:18; Exodus 40:38.
לֹא
lôʼ
H3808
"not"
Part
The Hebrew word for not or no is used to indicate absence or negation, as when God says no to the Israelites' requests, or when they disobey His commands.
Definition: 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)
Usage: Occurs in 3967 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as truly as, [phrase] of a truth, [phrase] verily, for want, [phrase] whether, without. See also: Genesis 2:5; Genesis 31:15; Exodus 4:9.
אָ֥בָה
ʼâbâh
H14
"be willing"
V-Qal-Perf-3ms
To be willing or consent is the meaning of this Hebrew word, which involves being acquiescent or accepting. It is used in various contexts, including being willing to obey or follow.
Definition: 1) to be willing, consent 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be willing 1a2) to consent, yield to, accept 1a3) to desire
Usage: Occurs in 52 OT verses. KJV: consent, rest content will, be willing. See also: Genesis 24:5; 2 Samuel 14:29; Psalms 81:12.
לִֽ/י
""
Prep | Suff
Study Notes — Psalms 81:12
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Psalms 81:12 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Psalms 81:12
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 81:12
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 81:12
- Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 81:12
- Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 81:12
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 81:12
- Cambridge Bible on Psalms 81:12
- Barnes' Notes on Psalms 81:12
- Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 81:12
- Sermons on Psalms 81:12
Context — Sing for Joy to God Our Strength
10I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it.
11But My people would not listen to Me, and Israel would not obey Me.
12So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.
13If only My people would listen to Me, if Israel would follow My ways, 14how soon I would subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their foes!Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romans 1:24 | Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. |
| 2 | Jeremiah 7:24 | Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but they followed the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. |
| 3 | Isaiah 30:1 | “Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out a plan that is not Mine, who form an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin upon sin. |
| 4 | Acts 7:42 | But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? |
| 5 | 2 Thessalonians 2:9–11 | The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder, and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie, |
| 6 | Acts 14:16 | In past generations, He let all nations go their own way. |
| 7 | Romans 1:26–27 | For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. Likewise, the men abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. |
| 8 | Jeremiah 44:16–17 | “As for the word you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you! Instead, we will do everything we vowed to do: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and offer drink offerings to her, just as we, our fathers, our kings, and our officials did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and good things, and we saw no disaster. |
| 9 | Job 8:4 | When your children sinned against Him, He gave them over to their rebellion. |
| 10 | Genesis 6:3 | So the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years.” |
Psalms 81:12 Summary
[This verse means that when we refuse to listen to God and obey Him, He may allow us to follow our own desires, even if they lead to harm. This is not because God wants us to be hurt, but because He wants us to learn and understand the consequences of our choices, as seen in Psalm 81:10, where God promises to fill our mouths if we open them to Him. By giving us over to our stubborn hearts, God is allowing us to experience the natural consequences of our actions, and hopefully, we will learn to turn back to Him and follow His ways, as encouraged in Psalm 81:13.]
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to be given over to our stubborn hearts?
This phrase suggests that when we refuse to listen to God, He may allow us to follow our own desires, even if they lead to harm, as seen in Romans 1:24-25, where God gave people over to their sinful desires.
Is God responsible for our sin when He gives us over to our stubborn hearts?
No, God is not responsible for our sin, but rather, He allows us to experience the consequences of our choices, as stated in Deuteronomy 30:19, where we are given the choice to life or death, and in Joshua 24:15, where we are encouraged to choose whom we will serve.
How does this verse relate to the concept of free will?
This verse highlights the tension between God's sovereignty and human free will, suggesting that God may limit His intervention when we insist on following our own ways, as seen in Psalm 78:41, where it is written that God was provoked by their stubbornness.
What is the significance of 'following their own devices'?
This phrase implies that when we reject God's guidance, we are left to our own flawed understanding and desires, which can lead to destruction, as warned in Proverbs 14:12 and Proverbs 16:25, where it is stated that there is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way of death.
Reflection Questions
- What are some areas in my life where I have been stubborn and refused to listen to God's guidance?
- How have I experienced the consequences of following my own desires, and what can I learn from those experiences?
- What does it mean for me to 'open wide my mouth' and allow God to fill it, as mentioned in the preceding verse, Psalm 81:10?
- In what ways can I surrender my stubborn heart to God and follow His ways, as encouraged in Psalm 81:13?
Gill's Exposition on Psalms 81:12
So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust,.... Sometimes God gave them up, when they sinned, into the hands of the Moabites, or Ammonites, or Philistines, or other neighbouring nations, for their
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 81:12
But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 81:12
Upon their obstinate and oft-repeated rebellions and rejections of my grace and mercy offered to them, I withdrew all the restraints of my providence, and my Holy Spirit, and grace from them, and wholly left them to follow their own vain and foolish imaginations and wicked lusts. They walked in their own counsels; they practised those things, both in common conversation and in religious worship, which were most agreeable, not to my commands or counsels, but to their own fancies and inclinations, as appeared in the golden calf and many other things.
Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 81:12
Psalms 81:12 So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: [and] they walked in their own counsels.Ver. 12. So I gave them up] I left them as a ship without a rudder; as a horse without reins, to go whither they would, and do what they would. This is a fearful judgment ( poena rebellionis maxima), Hosea 4:14 Romans 1:28 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12. And they walked in their own counsels] To their own ruin, because they took counsel, but not of God, and covered with a covering, but not of his Spirit, that they might add sin to sin, Isaiah 30:1.
Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 81:12
(12) Lust.—Rather, stubbornness, or perversity, from root meaning “to twist.”
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 81:12
Verse 12. Unto their own hearts' lust] To the obstinate wickedness of their heart. In their own counsels.] God withdrew his restraining grace, which they had abused; and then they fulfilled the inventions of their wicked hearts.
Cambridge Bible on Psalms 81:12
12. So I let them go after the stubbornness of their heart, That they might walk in their own counsels. (R.V.). God punishes men by leaving them to their own self-willed courses of action, which prove their ruin. Cp. Job 8:4; Proverbs 1:30 ff.; Romans 1:24 ff.; 2 Thessalonians 2:10 ff. ‘Stubbornness’ is a favourite word with Jeremiah (Jeremiah 7:24, &c.), occurring elsewhere only in Deuteronomy 29:19. Most editions both of the Bible and of the Prayer Book wrongly print hearts’ for heart’s. See Scrivener, Auth. Ed. of Engl. Bible, p. 152, and Earle, Psalter of 1539, p. 313.
Barnes' Notes on Psalms 81:12
So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust - Margin, as in Hebrew, to the hardness of their own hearts.
Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 81:12
12. So I gave them up—The testimony against his people being given by God, the language takes a tone of deeper sorrow as it passes to the consequences. “I gave them up,” is the form of the judicial sentence.
Sermons on Psalms 81:12
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
|
A Soul Given Up to Sin by Thomas Brooks | Thomas Brooks emphasizes the grave danger of being left to sin, portraying it as the greatest judgment one can face. He warns that when God allows a person to follow their sinful i |
|
Warning to America 1987 by Lester Sumrall | This sermon warns about the predicted decline of America, highlighting the departure from historic faith, endorsement of pagan religions, and acceptance of doctrines of devils. It |
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The Sin of Sodom on Display in America by Voddie Baucham | In this sermon, the preacher discusses the story of Lot and the destruction of Sodom from Genesis chapter 19. He emphasizes the sinfulness of the city and how it was pervasive amon |
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(Genesis) Genesis 19:28 by J. Vernon McGee | In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the sinfulness of engaging in homosexuality and labels it as a sin. He refers to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 as an importan |
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Pilgrims Problems No. 1 Homosexuality by Willie Mullan | In this sermon, the preacher begins by discussing the curse placed on humanity and how it led to slavery. He then mentions the betrayal of Judas Iscariot and how he ended up in hel |
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A Layway, a Castaway and a Giveaway by Jack Hyles | In this sermon, Reverend Hiles shares a personal encounter with a man who had previously expressed interest in being saved but had repeatedly delayed making a decision. The man app |
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6 Prayers for Our Children and Grandchildren by Jack David Daniels | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of teaching children to flee from all appearance of evil. He highlights the contrast between the world's standards and the st |