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Psalms 119:133 — Word Study

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WLCפְּ֭עָמַי הָכֵ֣ן בְּאִמְרָתֶ֑ךָ וְֽאַל־ תַּשְׁלֶט־ בִּ֥י כָל־ אָֽוֶן׃

BSAOrderkûwn [establish, direct] my stepspaʻam [footsteps, paths] in Your wordʼimrâh [promise, saying] let noʼal [do not allow] sinʼâven [iniquity, evil] ruleshâlaṭ [domineer, have dominion]

Word
Listen & take awayPsalms 119
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 133 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration ('A.ven) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Psalms 119:133quick helps
In a sentenceThe psalmist asks God to guide his actions according to His word and to prevent sin from having control over him.
Who is speakingThe psalmist, addressing God directly.
Where we areThis verse is part of a prayer for guidance and deliverance in the context of Psalm 119.
The hard wordתַּשְׁלֶט
Take awayThe request is made for divine help in avoiding sin.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbכּוּן The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Psalms 119:133

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — A Prayer for Guidancegenerated

132Turn to me and show me mercy, as You do to those who love Your name.
133Order my steps in Your word; let no sin rule over me.
134Redeem me from the oppression of man, that I may keep Your precepts.
135Make Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes.

Psalm 119:133 is a plea from the psalmist for God's direction in his life. He seeks to align his footsteps with God's teachings and desires to be free from the dominion of sin. This verse reflects a deep reliance on God's word as a source of guidance and strength, emphasizing the importance of divine assistance in maintaining righteousness.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 119:116Sustain me as You promised, that I may live; let me not be ashamed of my hope.
2Psalm 17:5My steps have held to Your paths; my feet have not slipped.
3Psalm 32:8I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you.
4Psalm 121:3He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber.
51 Samuel 2:9He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 8 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word הָכֵ֣ן, ha.Khengenerated

The verb כּוּן (kuwn) means to establish or direct. It conveys the idea of setting something in order, which in this context refers to the psalmist's request for God to guide his actions.

This imperative form indicates a strong desire for God's intervention, highlighting the psalmist's recognition of his dependence on divine guidance to navigate life according to God's will.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The translations generally agree on the meaning of the verse, with all versions reflecting the psalmist's plea for guidance and the desire to avoid sin's control.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verb הָכֵ֣ן, direct, governs the entire verse, with two phrases following: a prepositional phrase indicating how the steps should be ordered and a second clause expressing the desire for sin not to have power.

The structure emphasizes the psalmist's request for guidance and highlights the relationship between God's word and the avoidance of sin.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates הָכֵ֣ן as κατεύθυνον, which means to direct or guide. This choice reflects a similar understanding of the need for divine guidance in one's life.

The LXX maintains the core message of the Hebrew text, emphasizing the importance of God's direction in avoiding sin.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Psalm 119:133 is a prayer asking God to guide the psalmist's steps according to His word and to prevent sin from having control over him. It shows a deep reliance on God's teachings for direction in life.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does the psalmist mean by 'Order my steps'?

The psalmist is asking God to guide and direct his actions according to God's word.

Why does the psalmist want to avoid sin?

The psalmist recognizes that sin can dominate and control one's life, and he desires to live righteously.

How does God's word help in this context?

God's word provides guidance and direction, helping the psalmist to align his life with God's will.

What is the significance of the request not to let sin rule?

This highlights the struggle against sin and the need for divine assistance to maintain a righteous path.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what areas of my life do I need to seek God's guidance?
  2. How can I better align my actions with God's word?
  3. What steps can I take to avoid the influence of sin in my life?
  4. How does understanding God's word help me in my daily decisions?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Early church fathers, such as Augustine, referenced this verse to discuss the importance of divine guidance and the struggle against sin.

Augustine of HippoExposition on Psalms 119 354–430
See what the Psalmist next most openly says: "Order my steps after Your word: and so shall no wickedness have dominion over me" [Psalms 119:133].
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 119 →
Augustine of HippoLETTER 157 354–430
This free will will be free in proportion as it is sound, and sound in proportion as it is submissive to divine mercy and grace.
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 119 →
Augustine of HippoOn Continence 5:12 354–430
When, however, you hear, “Sin shall have no dominion over you,” do not trust in yourself in order that sin may not dominate you, but trust in him to whom that holy one was praying when he said, “Direct my steps according to your word,
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 119 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Psalms 119:133 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Order my steps in thy word,.... Or, "by thy word" (s), or "according" to it.

Read John Gill on Psalms 119 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 119 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Ver. 133. Order my steps; by thy grace direct and govern all my motions and actions. In thy word; in the way prescribed in thy word; or, by thy word. Let thy Spirit accompany thy word, and ingraft it within me, so that I may be guided and ruled by it. And although I have evil inclinations and affections within me, let them not bear sway in me, nor withdraw me from the course of obedience.

Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 119 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psalms 119:133 Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.Ver. 133. Order my steps in thy word] Let me walk as in a frame, walk by rule exactly, accurately, Ephesians 5:15. Here he prayeth that he may keep the affirmative precepts, saith Aben Ezra; as in the next words, the negative. And let not any iniquity have dominion over me] Let it not reign, though it doth rebel; let it be like those beasts in Daniel, whose dominion was taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time, Psalms 7:12.

Read John Trapp on Psalms 119 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(133) Have dominion.—Or, get the mastery. The Arabic root cognate with the Hebrew of the word appears in the title sultan.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 119 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 133. Order my steps] הכן hachen, make them firm; let me not walk with a halting or unsteady step. Have dominion over me.] בי bi, IN me. Let me have no governor but God; let the throne of my heart be filled by him, and none other.

Read AdamClarke on Psalms 119 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

133. Direct my footsteps, or, make my footsteps firm, in or by thy word, and so let no iniquity have dominion over me, through stress either of temptation from within, or of trial from without. Iniquity or vanity is a comprehensive term for sin as moral worthlessness or antagonism to God; it is the very opposite of that law which is truth.

Read Cambridge on Psalms 119 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Order my steps in thy word - My goings, or, my conduct and life - by thy word; according to thy requirements. Let me be wholly obedient to thy will. And let not any iniquity have dominion over me - See the notes at Psalms 19:13.

Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 119 →

The verse in English, compared — 16 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Order my steps in Your word; let no sin rule over me.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Establish my footsteps in your word. Don’t let any iniquity have dominion over me.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Order my steps in Your word; let no sin rule over me.

NETBNew English Translation2006

Direct my steps by your word! Do not let any sin dominate me!

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Establish my footsteps in thy word; And let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Order my footsteps in thy word; and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Direct my steppes in thy worde, and let none iniquitie haue dominion ouer me.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Establish my steps in thy *word; and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

My steps establish by Thy saying, And any iniquity doth not rule over me.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Establish my steps by Your saying, || And any iniquity does not rule over me.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

My steps establish thou through thy promise, and suffer not any wrong to have dominion over me.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Direct my footsteps by your word; do not let any sin rule me.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Tell me by your word the way I should go, and don't let any kind of evil control me.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Let my steps be guided by your word; and let not sin have control over me.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clausenoun phrase · objectפְּ֭עָמַfootstepsיmyverbהָכֵ֣ןdirectprepositional phrase · prepositionalבְּbynoun phraseאִמְרָתֶ֑wordךָyourוְֽandclauseadverbialאַלnotverbתַּשְׁלֶטlet.it.gain.powerprepositional phrase · prepositionalבִּ֥overיmenoun phrase · objectכָלanyאָֽוֶןwickedness

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint align closely, with 8 of the 8 words matched. The Dead Sea Scrolls also support the same wording, indicating consistency across these ancient texts.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

פְּ֭עָמַי הָכֵ֣ן בְּאִמְרָתֶ֑ךָ וְֽאַל־ תַּשְׁלֶט־ בִּ֥י כָל־ אָֽוֶן׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
פְּ֭עָמַיμουהָכֵ֣ןκατεύθυνονבְּאִמְרָתֶ֑ךָκατὰוְֽאַל־μὴתַּשְׁלֶט־κατακυριευσάτωבִּ֥יμουכָל־πᾶσαאָֽוֶן׃ἀνομία

8 of the 8 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 11Q5a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

פעמ׳י הכן לאמרת׳כה ואל תשלט ב׳י כול און

8 words on the leather.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Psalms 119:133פַּ֫עַםfootsteps mfootsteps myפַּ֫עַםכּוּןdirectdirectכּוּןאִמְרָהby word youby word yourאִמְרָהאַלand may notand may notאַלשָׁלַטit have powit have powerשָׁלַטנִיover meover meנִיכֹּלanyanyכֹּלאָ֫וֶןwickednesswickednessאָ֫וֶןפָּעַםto troubleto troubleפָּעַםכָּלַלto perfectto perfectכָּלַלאֹמֶרwordwordאֹמֶרלֹאnotnotלֹאאַ֫יִןnothingnothingאַ֫יִןשֶׁ֫בַעsevensevenשֶׁ֫בַעתֵּבֵלworldworldתֵּבֵלכִּסֵּאthronethroneכִּסֵּאצָרַףto refineto refineצָרַףאָזַןto listento listenאָזַןחָתַתto to be dto to be dismayחָתַתיָרֵאto fearto fearיָרֵאיְהוּדִיof Judahof Judahיְהוּדִיהָפַךְto overturto overturnהָפַךְעֵדָהcongregaticongregationעֵדָהעֲבֹדָהserviceserviceעֲבֹדָהפָּעַלto workto workפָּעַלעָמָלtroubletroubleעָמָל
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Psalms 119:133

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

footsteps my direct by word your and may not it have power over me any wickedness
פְּ֭עָמַיPe.'a.mai footsteps my H6471 Noun common masculine plural construct · suffix
118× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to a beat or stroke, like a footstep or a blow. It can also mean a time or occurrence, and is used in the Bible to describe things like a single step or a repeated action.
Amplified meaning
footsteps, paths
Tyndale gloss
beat
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

פַּ֫עַם (pa'am) refers to a beat or stroke, and encompasses meanings such as foot, anvil, and occurrence. It can denote a footstep or time, indicating repetitions like once, twice, or thrice. The word is built from a root that suggests various applications related to rhythm and timing.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

פַּ֫עַם 118 n.f. beat, foot, anvil, occurrence

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6471 פַּ֫עַם beat, foot, anvil, occurrence

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6471 pa`am pah'-am

or (feminine) pa;amah {pah-am-aw'}; from 6470; a stroke,

literally or figuratively (in various applications, as

follow):--anvil, corner, foot(-step), going, (hundred-)fold,

X now, (this) + once, order, rank, step, + thrice, ((often-)),

second, this, two) time(-s), twice, wheel.

see HEBREW for 06470

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

פַּ֫עַם (pa.am) — beat.

1) stroke, beat, foot, step, anvil, occurrence

1a) foot, hoof-beat, footfall, footstep

1b) anvil

1c) occurrence, time, stroke, beat

1c1) one time, once, twice, thrice, as time on time, at this repetition, this once, now at length, now...now, at one time...at another

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fp | Suff — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffix
HNcmpc/Sp1bs
footsteps my direct by word your and may not it have power over me any wickedness
הָכֵ֣ןha.Khen direct H3559 Verb · Hiphil · imperative second person masculine singular
217× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This verb means to set something up or establish it, like setting up a tent or appointing someone to a position, as seen in Isaiah 7:14.
Amplified meaning
establish, direct
Tyndale gloss
to establish: prepare
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כּוּן (kuwn) is a Hebrew verb meaning to establish or prepare. It encompasses a range of meanings, including to be firm, to fix, to direct, and to be ready, with applications in both literal and figurative contexts. The entries indicate various forms of the verb, such as Niph'al (to be established) and Hiph'il (to establish), but there is a note on a noun form, נָכוֹן (nakhon), meaning 'blow'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[כּוּן] 218 vb. prob. be firm, only in der. conj.

Niph.

be set up, established, fixed

in a moral sense, be directed aright, of ways

prepare, be ready

pass. be prepared, of judgments

Hiph.

establish, set up

fix, so as to be ready, make ready, prepare, a gift

provide for, provide, furnish

direct one's face toward

arrange, order

Hoph.

be established, of throne

be prepared for

Po‛lēl.

set up, establish

constitute, make, a man (in womb)

fix, so as to be ready

direct

Po‛lal. be established

Hithpo‛l. be established

base

נָכוֹן n. [m.] = blow Jb 12:5

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3559a כּוּן prob. be firm, only in der. conj. . . be set up, established, fixed

. in a moral sense, be directed aright, of ways

. prepare, be ready

. pass. be prepared, of judgments

. . establish, set up

. . fix, so as to be ready, make ready, prepare, a gift

. provide for, provide, furnish

. direct one's face toward

. arrange, order

. . be established, of throne

. be prepared for

. . set up, establish

. constitute, make, a man (in womb)

. fix, so as to be ready

. direct

. be established

. be established

H3559b נָכוֹן n. [m.] = blow

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3559 kuwn koon

a primitive root; properly, to be erect (i.e. stand

perpendicular); hence (causatively) to set up, in a great

variety of applications, whether literal (establish, fix,

prepare, apply), or figurative (appoint, render sure, proper

or prosperous):--certain(-ty), confirm, direct, faithfulness,

fashion, fasten, firm, be fitted, be fixed, frame, be meet,

ordain, order, perfect, (make) preparation, prepare (self),

provide, make provision, (be, make) ready, right, set (aright,

fast, forth), be stable, (e-)stablish, stand, tarry, X very

deed.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כּוּן (kun) — to establish: prepare.

: prepare/direct

1) to be firm, be stable, be established

1a) (Niphal)

1a1) to be set up, be established, be fixed

1a1a) to be firmly established

1a1b) to be established, be stable, be secure, be enduring

1a1c) to be fixed, be securely determined

1a2) to be directed aright, be fixed aright, be steadfast (moral sense)

1a3) to prepare, be ready

1a4) to be prepared, be arranged, be settled

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to establish, set up, accomplish, do, make firm

1b2) to fix, make ready, prepare, provide, provide for, furnish

1b3) to direct toward (moral sense)

1b4) to arrange, order

1c) (Hophal)

1c1) to be established, be fastened

1c2) to be prepared, be ready

1d) (Polel)

1d1) to set up, establish

1d2) to constitute, make

1d3) to fix

1d4) to direct

1e) (Pulal) to be established, be prepared

1f) (Hithpolel) to be established, be restored

נָכוֹן (na.khon) — blow.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Hiphil-Impv-2ms — Verb · Hiphil · imperative second person masculine singular
HVhv2ms
footsteps my direct by word your and may not it have power over me any wickedness
בְּאִמְרָתֶ֑ךָbe.'im.ra.Te.kha by word your H565 Preposition · noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
37× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means a threat or warning, often from God. It appears in the context of judgement or punishment. The KJV translates it as commandment, speech, or word.
Amplified meaning
promise, saying
Tyndale gloss
word
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אִמְרָה (imrah) refers to an utterance, speech, or word, and can denote a word of God, including commands and promises. It also has a connotation of a threat, particularly in the context of divine judgment. The term is feminine and is derived from a related root, אֶמְרָה (emrah), which shares similar meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[אִמְרָה] n.f. utternace, speech, word

base

[אֶמְרָה] n.f. id. [a.ea.ac] La 2:17.

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H565a אִמְרָה utternace, speech, word H565b אֶמְרָה id. [565a]

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

565 'imrah im-raw'

or memrah {em-raw'}; feminine of 561, and meaning the

same:--commandment, speech, word.

see HEBREW for 0561

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אִמְרָה (im.rah) — word.

1) utterance, speech, word

1a) word of God (command and promise)

אֶמְרָה (im.rah) — threat.

threat (of judgement from God)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-fs | Suff — Preposition · noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
HR/Ncfsc/Sp2ms
footsteps my direct by word your and may not it have power over me any wickedness
וְֽאַל־ve.'al- and may not H408 Conjunction · particle
724× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Means not or nothing, used to express negation, as in the phrase do not or let not be.
Amplified meaning
do not allow
Tyndale gloss
not
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אַל (al) is a negative particle meaning 'not' or 'no,' often used to express a wish or prohibition rather than an objective fact. It can also function as a noun meaning 'nothing.' The lexicons highlight its use in various contexts, including deprecative forms, but do not show significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אַל adv. of negation, denying however, not objectively as a fact, but subjectively as a wish, expressing therefore a deprecation or prohibition

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H408 אַל adv. of negation, denying however, not objectively as a fact, but subjectively as a wish, expressing therefore a deprecation or prohibition

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

408 'al al

a negative particle (akin to 3808); not (the qualified

negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun,

nothing:--nay, neither, + never, no ,nor, not, nothing

(worth), rather than.

see HEBREW for 03808

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אַל (al) — not.

1) not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference)

1a) do not, let not (with a verb)

1b) let there not be (with a verb understood)

1c) not, no (with substantive)

1d) nothing (as substantive)

Aramaic equivalent: al (אַל "not" H0409)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Part — Conjunction · particle
HC/Tn
footsteps my direct by word your and may not it have power over me any wickedness
תַּשְׁלֶט־tash.let- it have power H7980 Verb · Hiphil · imperfect third person feminine singular
8× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To shalat means to have power or control over something, like dominating or ruling. It can also imply giving someone power or permission to act.
Amplified meaning
domineer, have dominion
Tyndale gloss
to domineer
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שָׁלַט (shalat) is a Hebrew verb meaning to dominate or exercise power over something. It encompasses the ideas of governing, having mastery, and permitting authority. The entries indicate its use in both the Qal and Hiphil forms, with the latter involving giving or obtaining power. An Aramaic equivalent is noted as שְׁלֵט.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שָׁלַט vb. domineer, be master of (late)

Qal domineer, lord it over

Hiph.

give power of

get mastery of

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7980 שָׁלַט domineer, be master of (late) .domineer, lord it over

. . give power of

. get mastery of

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7980 shalat shaw-lat'

a primitive root; to dominate, i.e. govern; by implication,

to permit:--(bear, have) rule, have dominion, give (have)

power.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁלַט (sha.lat) — to domineer.

1) to domineer, exercise power over, dominate, have mastery, be master, lord it over

1a) (Qal) to domineer, lord it over, become master

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to give power of

1b2) to get mastery of

Aramaic equivalent: she.let (שְׁלֵט "to rule" H7981)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Hiphil-Juss-3fs — Verb · Hiphil · imperfect third person feminine singular
HVhi3fs
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

pou'-er: This word, indicative of might, strength, force, is used in the Old Testament to render very many Hebrew terms, the translation in numerous instances being varied in the Revised Version (British and American) to words like "valor," "rule," "strength," "might," "dominion." The principal words for "power" in the New Testament are dunamis, and exousia. In the latter case the Revised Version (British and American) frequently changes to "authority" (Mr 3:15; 6:7; Eph 1:21, etc.) or "right" (Ro 9:21; 1Co 9:6; 2Th 3:9, etc.). Power is attributed preeminently to God (1Ch…

Nave's Topical Bible

→ OF CHRIST

As the Son of God, is the power of God Joh 5:17-19; 10:28-30

As man, is from the Father Ac 10:38

Described as supreme Eph 1:20,21; 1Pe 3:22

Unlimited Mt 28:18

Over all flesh Joh 17:2

Over all things Joh 3:35; Eph 1:22

Glorious 2Th 1:9

Everlasting 1Ti 6:16

Is able to subdue all things Php 3:21

footsteps my direct by word your and may not it have power over me any wickedness
בִּ֥יbi over me H9030 Preposition · suffix
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נִי (ni) — me.

Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 1st person singular

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Sp1bs — Preposition · suffix
HR/Sp1bs
footsteps my direct by word your and may not it have power over me any wickedness
כָל־khol- any H3605 Noun common · masculine singular construct
5,415× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for 'all' or 'everything' is used throughout the Bible, like in Genesis 1:31, where God sees all He has made as very good. It encompasses the entirety of something, whether people, things, or situations.
Tyndale gloss
all
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

Absolutely:

without the art., all things, all

with the art. הַכֹּל

where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all

. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3605 kol kole

or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;

hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a

plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any

(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as

many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,

whoso(-ever).

see HEBREW for 03634

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כֹּל (kol) — all.

1) all, the whole

1a) all, the whole of

1b) any, each, every, anything

1c) totality, everything

Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HNcmsc — Noun common · masculine singular construct
HNcmsc
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
footsteps my direct by word your and may not it have power over me any wickedness
אָֽוֶן׃'A.ven wickedness H205 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
77× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to evil, wickedness, or trouble, often describing idolatry or iniquity, and is used in various KJV translations to convey a sense of wrongdoing.
Amplified meaning
iniquity, evil
Tyndale gloss
evil: wickedness
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אָ֫וֶן (aven) encompasses meanings related to trouble, sorrow, and wickedness. It may also refer to idolatry and the concept of vanity or nothingness. The entries suggest a range of negative connotations, including affliction and iniquity, indicating a strong moral or ethical dimension. There are no significant disagreements among the lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אָ֫וֶן 85 n.m. trouble, sorrow, wickedness

trouble, sorrow

idolatry

trouble of iniquity, wickedness

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H205 אָ֫וֶן trouble, sorrow, wickedness

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

205 'aven aw-ven'

from an unused root perhaps meaning properly, to pant (hence,

to exert oneself, usually in vain; to come to naught);

strictly nothingness; also trouble. vanity, wickedness;

specifically an idol:--affliction, evil, false, idol,

iniquity, mischief, mourners(-ing), naught, sorrow, unjust,

unrighteous, vain ,vanity, wicked(-ness). Compare 369.

see HEBREW for 0369

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אָ֫וֶן (a.ven) — evil: wickedness.

1) trouble, wickedness, sorrow

1a) trouble, sorrow

1b) idolatry

1c) trouble of iniquity, wickedness

Also means: a.ven (אָ֫וֶן ": trouble" H0205H)

אָ֫וֶן (a.ven) — evil: trouble.

1) trouble, wickedness, sorrow

1a) trouble, sorrow

1b) idolatry

1c) trouble of iniquity, wickedness

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

wik'-ed-nes:

1. In the Old Testament:

The state of being wicked; a mental disregard for justice, righteousness, truth, honor, virtue; evil in thought and life; depravity; sinfulness; criminality. See SIN. Many words are rendered "wickedness." There are many synonyms for wickedness in English and also in the Hebrew. Pride and vanity lead to it: "All the proud, and all that work wickedness (rish`ah) shall be stubble" (Mal 4:1). Akin to this is the word `awen, "iniquity," "vanity": "She eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness" (Pr 30:20). Then we have the word hawwah, meaning "mischief," "calamity," coming from inward intent upon evil: "Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in…

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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