Psalms 33:20 — Word Study
WLCנַ֭פְשֵׁנוּ חִכְּתָ֣ה לַֽיהוָ֑ה עֶזְרֵ֖נוּ וּמָגִנֵּ֣נוּ הֽוּא׃
BSAOur soulnephesh [living being, essence of a person] waitschâkâh■ [patiently, with expectation] for the LORDYᵉhôvâh [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] Hehûwʼ is our helpʻêzer [assistant, one who provides aid] and our shieldmâgên [protector, defense, like a shield protects a soldier]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| נַ֭פְשֵׁנוּ | self our | Noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
| חִכְּתָ֣ה | it waits | Verb, Piel, perfect third person feminine singular |
| לַֽיהוָ֑ה | for Yahweh | Preposition, noun proper |
| עֶזְרֵ֖נוּ | [is] help our | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| וּמָגִנֵּ֣נוּ | and shield our | Conjunction, noun common both singular construct, suffix |
| הֽוּא׃ | he | Pronoun |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. |
| KJV | Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. |
| ASV | Our soul hath waited for Jehovah: He is our help and our shield. |
| YLT | Our soul hath waited for Jehovah, Our help and our shield [is] He, |
| WEB | Our soul has waited for Yahweh. He is our help and our shield. |
| BBE | Our souls are waiting for the Lord; he is our help and our salvation. |
All translations agree on the essential meaning of the verse, with no significant differences noted.
The verse consists of a main clause followed by a predicate that describes the nature of the LORD.







8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectהוּא
verbחָכָה
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
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 33:20
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 Psalm of Trustgenerated
Psalm 33:20 reflects the collective hope of the faithful in God as their source of help and protection. This psalm emphasizes the importance of waiting for the LORD, who is seen as a refuge and strength in times of trouble. The verses surrounding this one highlight God's ability to deliver and sustain His people, reinforcing the theme of reliance on divine assistance.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 27:14 | Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD! |
| 2 | Psalm 62:1–2 | In God alone my soul finds rest; my salvation comes from Him. |
| 3 | Psalm 130:5–6 | I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope. |
| 4 | Isaiah 40:31 | But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint. |
| 5 | Psalm 115:9–12 | O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and shield. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 7 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — נַ֭פְשֵׁנוּ, Naf.she.nugenerated
The word נֶ֫פֶשׁ (*nephesh*) translates to 'soul' or 'living being,' encapsulating the essence of a person. It signifies life, breath, and vitality, and is central to the biblical understanding of humanity.
In this context, it emphasizes the depth of longing and expectation as the psalmist expresses that their very being waits for the LORD. This waiting is not passive but filled with hope and trust in God's promises.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses waits, help, and shield consistently with the KJV and ASV.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb חִכְּתָ֣ה, it waits, governs the entire verse, with the subject נַ֭פְשֵׁנוּ (our soul) preceding it. This structure places emphasis on the soul's active waiting for the LORD.
The sentence flows from the subject to the action, clearly stating the relationship between the waiting soul and the LORD, who is both help and shield.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates נַ֭פְשֵׁנוּ as ἡμῶν, which emphasizes the collective aspect of the community's soul. This choice reflects the communal nature of faith in the Hebrew text.
The Greek rendering maintains the essence of waiting and reliance on God, aligning closely with the Hebrew text while adapting it for a Hellenistic audience.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 33:20 expresses a deep trust in the LORD, affirming that He is our help and shield. The psalmist emphasizes the importance of waiting for God, who delivers and protects His people in times of need.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Waiting for the LORD involves trusting in His timing and provision, expecting His help and deliverance.
God is described as both our help and our shield, indicating His role as a provider and protector.
The soul represents the essence of the person, emphasizing the depth of longing and dependence on God.
This verse teaches us the importance of patient trust in God as our source of strength and protection.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what areas of my life do I need to practice waiting on the LORD?
- How can I better recognize God's help and protection in my daily life?
- What does it mean for me to consider God as my shield?
- How can I encourage others to wait on the LORD during difficult times?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early church fathers comment on this verse to highlight God's role as a protector and helper, emphasizing the importance of trust and patience in faith.
[God] is always helping and providing us with salvation. The term “protector,” you see, is a metaphor from those thrusting their own shields among the enemy and by protection from these often sheltering others and freeing them from every…Early Church Fathers on Psalms 33 →
"My soul shall be patient for the Lord:" that hereafter it may be filled with dainties incorruptible, meanwhile, while here it remains, my soul shall be patient for the Lord.Early Church Fathers on Psalms 33 →
When the psalmist says “he waits,” he indicates the endurance of the Christian … since it is endurance that makes the martyrs glorious, that watches over the good things of our faith, that conquers everything that stands against us,Early Church Fathers on Psalms 33 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 33:20 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleOur soul waiteth for the Lord,.... This, and what follows, are the words of the church, expressing her expectation, faith, and joy, by reason of what is suggested in the preceding verses.
Read John Gill on Psalms 33 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryOur soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. Conclusion.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 33 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThe help of us Israelites, to whom he hath made many promises and glorious discoveries of his goodness.
Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 33 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 33:20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he [is] our help and our shield.Ver. 20. Our soul waiteth for the Lord] i.e. Patiently tarrieth the Lord’ s leisure. We can both wait and want for a need.
Read John Trapp on Psalms 33 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(20-22) Hope—wait—trust.—The Hebrew language was naturally rich in words expressive of that attitude of expectancy which was characteristic of a nation whose golden age was not in the past, but in the future—a nation for which its great ancestor left in his dying words so suitable a motto— “I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord,” and which, while itself held back outside the promised land of the hope of immortality, was to be the birth-race of the great and consoling doctrine that alone could satisfy the natural craving expressed by the moralist in the well-known line— “Man never is, but always to be, blest;” and by the Christian apostle— “For here we have no continuing city, but we seek…
Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 33 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 20. Our soul waiteth] Our whole life is employed in this blessed work; we trust in nothing but him; neither in multitudes of armed men, nor in natural strength, nor in the fleetest animals, nor in any thing human: we trust in Him alone "who is our help and our shield."
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 33 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges20–22. The people’s concluding profession of patient trust and hope, corresponding to the introductory invitation of Psa 33:1-3, and springing naturally out of the consideration of Jehovah’s character in Psalms 33:12-19.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 33 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleOur soul waiteth for the Lord - This and the subsequent verses to the end of the psalm refer to the people of God, expressing their faith in him in view of the considerations suggested in the former part of the psalm.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 33 →The verse in English, compared — 17 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
Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.
Our soul has waited for Yahweh. He is our help and our shield.
Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.
We wait for the Lord; he is our deliverer and shield.
Tyndale line
Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.
Our soul hath waited for Jehovah: He is our help and our shield.
Our soul hath waited for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.
Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.
Our soule waiteth for the Lord: for he is our helpe and our shielde.
Strictly literal
Our soul waiteth for Jehovah: he is our help and our shield.
Our soul hath waited for Jehovah, Our help and our shield [is] He,
Our soul has waited for YHWH, || He [is] our help and our shield,
Our soul waiteth for the Lord: our help and our shield is he.
We wait for Yahweh; he is our help and our shield.
From the Latin
Many are the afflictions of the just; but out of them all will the Lord deliver them.
Simplified
We place our confidence in the Lord; he is our help and our defender.
Our souls are waiting for the Lord; he is our help and our salvation.
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.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
Both the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of Psalm 33:20, with no variations noted. This consistency reinforces the integrity of the text across different traditions.
נַ֭פְשֵׁנוּ חִכְּתָ֣ה לַֽיהוָ֑ה עֶזְרֵ֖נוּ וּמָגִנֵּ֣נוּ הֽוּא׃
6 of the 6 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.
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.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 33:20
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.
The Hebrew word נֶ֫פֶשׁ (*nephesh*) broadly means 'soul' or 'living being,' encompassing concepts like life, self, person, desire, and emotion. It is derived from the root meaning 'to breathe' and signifies both physical and mental aspects of existence. The lexicons note its use in various contexts, including as the seat of appetites and emotions, though its application to will and character is uncertain.
נֶ֫פֶשׁ 756 n.f. soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, appetite, emotion, and passion
= that which breathes, the breathing substance or being
The נפשׁ becomes a living being
The נפשׁ is specif.
The נפשׁ as the essential of man stands for the man himself
נפשׁ = seat of the appetites, in all periods (46 t.)
נ׳ = seat of emotions and passions
נפשׁ is used occasionally for mental acts
נפשׁ for acts of the will is dub.
נפשׁ = character is still more dub.
נ׳ in D
base
H5315 נֶ֫פֶשׁ soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, appetite, emotion, and passion . = that which breathes, the breathing substance or being
. The נפשׁ becomes a living being
. The נפשׁ is specif.
. The נפשׁ as the essential of man stands for the man himself
. נפשׁ = seat of the appetites, in all periods (46 t.)
. נ׳ = seat of emotions and passions
. נפשׁ is used occasionally for mental acts
. נפשׁ for acts of the will is dub.
. נפשׁ = character is still more dub.
. נ׳ in D
5315 nephesh neh'-fesh
from 5314; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of
(abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal,
accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental):--any,
appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, X dead(-ly), desire,
X (dis-)contented, X fish, ghost, + greedy, he, heart(-y),
(hath, X jeopardy of) life (X in jeopardy), lust, man, me,
mind, mortally, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-,
thy-)self, them (your)-selves, + slay, soul, + tablet, they,
thing, (X she) will, X would have it.
see HEBREW for 05314
נֶ֫פֶשׁ (ne.phesh) — soul.
1) soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion
1a) that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man
1b) living being
1c) living being (with life in the blood)
1d) the man himself, self, person or individual
1e) seat of the appetites
1f) seat of emotions and passions
1g) activity of mind
1g1) uncertain
1h) activity of the will
1h1) uncertain
1i) activity of the character
1i1) uncertain
נֶ֫פֶשׁ (ne.phesh) — soul: life.
1) soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion
1a) that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man
1b) living being
1c) living being (with life in the blood)
1d) the man himself, self, person or individual
1e) seat of the appetites
1f) seat of emotions and passions
1g) activity of mind
N-cs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHNcfsc/Sp1bp
חָכָה (chakah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to wait or await. It encompasses various nuances, including waiting in ambush or longing for something. The root suggests an idea of adhering or tarrying, and it appears in different forms, such as Qal and Piel, indicating different aspects of waiting.
[חָכָה] vb. wait, await
Qal waiting for him
Pi.
wait, tarry
wait (in ambush)
wait for, long for
base
H2442 [חָכָה] wait, await
2442 chakah khaw-kaw'
a primitive root (apparently akin to 2707 through the idea of
piercing); properly, to adhere to; hence, to await:--long,
tarry, wait.
see HEBREW for 02707
חָכָה (cha.khah) — to wait.
1) to wait, wait for, await
1a) (Qal) to wait for
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to wait, tarry
1b2) to wait (in ambush)
1b3) to wait for, long for
V-Piel-Perf-3fs — Verb · Piel · perfect third person feminine singularHVpp3fs
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) is the proper name of the God of Israel, often rendered as Jehovah or the Lord. It signifies the self-existent or eternal nature of God. The name is closely associated with the revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:12-15 and is used in conjunction with other terms to denote sacred places. Some scholars suggest it derives from a root meaning 'to bring into being.'
יהוה c. 6823 i.e. יַהְוֶה n.pr.dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel—(1. MT יְהֹוָה 6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי), or יֱהֹוִה 305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים) 2. Many recent scholars explain יַהְוֶה as Hiph. of הוה (= היה) the one bringing into being, life-giver)
יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given Ex 3:12-15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb
יהוה is used with אלהים and suffixes, especially in D
the phrase † אֲנִי יהוה is noteworthy
יהוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of Yahweh
base
H3068 יהוה i.e. יַהְוֶה n. pr. dei Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel
3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw'
from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish
national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord. Compare 3050, 3069.
see HEBREW for 01961
see HEBREW for 03050
see HEBREW for 03069
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — LORD.
Jehovah = "the existing One"
1) the proper name of the one true God
1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of a.do.na (אֲדֹנָי "Lord" H0136)
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — The Lord.
Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
יְהֹוָה (ye.ho.vah) — (Jerusalem of) the Lord.
Combined with ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
Prep | N-proper — Preposition · noun properHR/Npt
עֵ֫זֶר (ezer) means help or succour, referring to assistance or support. It can denote both the act of helping and a person who provides help. The term is derived from a root meaning to aid. The entries consistently emphasize its meaning as a source of assistance.
עֵ֫זֶר n.m. help, succour
help, succour
concr. = one who helps
base
H5828 עֵ֫זֶר help, succour
5828 `ezer ay'-zer
from 5826; aid:--help.
see HEBREW for 05826
עֵ֫זֶר (e.zer) — helper.
1) help, succour
1a) help, succour
1b) one who helps
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp1bp
מָגֵן (magen) means 'shield' and can refer to both a small shield or buckler and a figurative protector. It can also denote the scaly hide of a crocodile. The word is feminine in plural form, מִגִּנָּה (mginnah), and is derived from a root meaning to cover or protect.
מָגֵן n.m. & f. shield
base
H4043 מָגֵן shield
4043 magen maw-gane'
also (in plural) feminine mginnah {meg-in-naw'}; from 1598; a
shield (i.e. the small one or buckler); figuratively, a
protector; also the scaly hide of the crocodile:--X armed,
buckler, defence, ruler, + scale, shield.
see HEBREW for 01598
מָגֵן (ma.gen) — shield.
shield, buckler
Conj | N-cs | Suff — Conjunction · noun common both singular construct · suffixHC/Ncbsc/Sp1mp
הוּא (hu) is a third-person singular pronoun meaning he, she, or it, used for emphasis or when no verb is present. It can also refer to oneself or serve as a demonstrative pronoun. The word has various nuances, including resuming the subject with emphasis or expressing it unobtrusively. It can indicate 'that' or 'those' when used with the definite article.
הוּא m. הִיא f., pron. of the 3rd ps. sing. he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it
an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)
It resumes the subj. with emph.
Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible
It anticipates (as it seems) the subject
As an emph. predicate, of God
In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)
With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.
base
H1931 הוּא, הִיא he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it . an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)
. It resumes the subj. with emph.
. Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible
. It anticipates (as it seems) the subject
. As an emph. predicate, of God
. In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)
. With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.
1931 huw' hoo
of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a
primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or
it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also
(intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same;
sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally
(instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self),
it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they,
this, those, which (is), who.
הוּא (hu) — he/she/it.
pron 3p s
1) he, she, it
1a) himself (with emphasis)
1b) resuming subj with emphasis
1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate)
1d) (anticipating subj)
1e) (emphasising predicate)
1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron
2) that (with article)
Pron — PronounHPp3ms
ha: The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet; transliterated in this Encyclopedia as "h." It came also to be used for the number 5. For name, etc., see ALPHABET.
