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Wisdom & Poetry · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Psalm 94

Psalm 94 is read especially through the theme of wisdom, within Book IV (Psalms 90–106). Its language invites attentive prayer before quick application.

WisdomLamentKingship
Old Testament

Psalm 94

1LORD, you God to whom vengeance belongs, you God to whom vengeance belongs, shine out.

2Rise up, you judge of the earth. Pay back the proud what they deserve.

3LORD, how long will the wicked, how long will the wicked triumph?

4They pour out arrogant words. All the evildoers boast.

5They break your people in pieces, LORD, and afflict your heritage.

6They kill the widow and the alien, and murder the fatherless.

7They say, “The LORD will not see, neither will Jacob’s God consider.”

8Consider, you senseless among the people; you fools, when will you be wise?

9He who implanted the ear, won’t he hear? He who formed the eye, won’t he see?

10He who disciplines the nations, won’t he punish? He who teaches man knows.

11The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile.

12Blessed is the man whom you discipline, LORD, and teach out of your law,

13that you may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked.

14For the LORD won’t reject his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.

15For judgment will return to righteousness. All the upright in heart shall follow it.

16Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will stand up for me against the evildoers?

17Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul would have soon lived in silence.

18When I said, “My foot is slipping!” Your loving kindness, LORD, held me up.

19In the multitude of my thoughts within me, your comforts delight my soul.

20Shall the throne of wickedness have fellowship with you, which brings about mischief by statute?

21They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.

22But the LORD has been my high tower, my God, the rock of my refuge.

23He has brought on them their own iniquity, and will cut them off in their own wickedness. The LORD, our God, will cut them off.

READ IN CONTEXT

Understanding Psalm 94

Psalm 94 is read especially through the theme of wisdom, within Book IV (Psalms 90–106). Its language invites attentive prayer before quick application. Read it within the complete five-book Psalms collection, then compare its prayer language with the types of prayer found across Scripture. Classification is a reading aid rather than a replacement for the Psalm's own movement and tension.

Collection

Book IV (Psalms 90–106). The five-book shape of the Psalter helps readers hear individual prayers within a deliberately arranged collection.

Themes detected

Wisdom, Lament, Kingship. Read for these themes while remaining open to tension and secondary movements.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Psalm 94

Psalm 94 contains 23 verses and about 326 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “LORD, you God to whom vengeance belongs, you God to whom vengeance belongs, shine out.” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 23 closes: “He has brought on them their own iniquity, and will cut them off in their own wickedness. The LORD, our God, will cut them off.” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include will, wicked, won’t, whom, people, soul. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Psalm 94

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Psalms 94:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

What kind of Psalm is this?+

Our reading profile emphasizes wisdom, with related themes of Wisdom, Lament, Kingship. Many Psalms blend genres or move between moods, so this label is a guide rather than a rigid classification.

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