These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.

PSALMS 50:21KJV
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Psalms 50:21 (KJV)

What does Psalms 50:21 mean?

Psalms 50:21 describes God confronting people who have done wrong, thinking they could get away with it because God seemed silent. God says that He will now correct them and make their actions clear before their eyes.

In this verse, God is speaking to His people, addressing their mistaken belief that His silence meant approval or indifference to their actions. The situation is one where God has observed wrongdoing without immediate response, but now He announces that He will openly address and judge these actions, making everything plain and undeniable.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 50:21

  • "Silence" (חָרַשׁ, ḥārash): This word means to be silent or still. God's silence here is not approval, but patience or restraint, which the people misinterpret.
  • "Thoughtest" (דָּמָה, damah): This word carries the idea of assuming or imagining. The people assumed God was like them because He did not act right away.
  • "Reprove" (יָכַח, yakhach): This means to correct, rebuke, or set straight. God promises to confront and correct their misunderstandings and actions.
  • "Order" (עָרַךְ, arakh): This word means to arrange or set in order. God will lay out their deeds clearly, leaving no room for confusion or denial.

Why Psalms 50:21 matters

  • This verse clears up the misunderstanding that God's silence means He does not care or will not act; it shows that patience is not the same as approval.
  • Psalms 50:21 emphasizes God's justice and His commitment to truth, promising that wrong actions will eventually be addressed openly.
  • In the context of the whole psalm, this verse highlights the difference between outward religious acts and genuine righteousness, warning against self-deception.

Where else these words appear

“thoughtest” Hebrew H1819 · used in 27 verses

  • Numbers 33:56 Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.
  • Song of Solomon 1:9 I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots.
  • Isaiah 40:18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

“reprove” Hebrew H3198 · used in 55 verses

  • Genesis 20:16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.
  • Job 15:3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?
  • Proverbs 19:25 Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware: and reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge.

“silence” Hebrew H2790 · used in 66 verses

  • Genesis 24:21 And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
  • Esther 4:14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
  • Proverbs 6:18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

“order” Hebrew H6186 · used in 71 verses

  • Genesis 14:8 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela(the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;
  • 1 Samuel 17:8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
  • Job 28:19 The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.