The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.

PSALMS 118:7KJV
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Psalms 118:7 (KJV)

What does Psalms 118:7 mean?

Psalms 118:7 expresses the speaker’s confidence that the LORD is on his side as he faces people who hate him. The speaker expects to see the outcome he desires against those enemies, rather than remain at their mercy.

The phrase “taketh my part with them that help me” places the LORD alongside the speaker’s helpers. After the speaker’s confidence in verse 6, verse 7 turns toward the expected outcome for those who oppose him. The words “my desire” convey what the speaker hopes to see happen to his enemies.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 118:7

  • “LORD” — יְהוָה (YHWH): This is the personal name of Israel’s God. The KJV represents that name with “LORD” in capital letters.
  • “see” — רָאָה (raʾah): This word often means to see or look. Here, the KJV supplies “my desire” to express the sense of looking upon enemies after a hoped-for outcome.

Why Psalms 118:7 matters

  • The speaker expects more than help from other people. The LORD is named “with them that help me,” making him part of the speaker’s support.
  • The verse looks toward an outcome, not just the present danger. “Therefore shall I see” connects the speaker’s expectation about his enemies to the help he has just named.
  • The verses that follow give the speaker’s confidence a wider setting. Verses 8–9 contrast taking refuge in the LORD with putting confidence in people or rulers.

Where else these words appear

“help” Hebrew H5826 · used in 77 verses

  • Genesis 49:25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
  • 2 Chronicles 19:2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD.
  • Psalms 86:17 Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.

“hate” Hebrew H8130 · used in 139 verses

  • Genesis 24:60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
  • Esther 9:1 Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them,(though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)
  • Proverbs 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: