I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.

PSALMS 52:9KJV
Know the Bible

Psalms 52:9 (KJV)

What does Psalms 52:9 mean?

Psalms 52:9 is a speaker’s promise to keep thanking God for what God has done and to wait on him with confidence. The speaker also declares God’s name good in the presence of others who are faithful to him.

After comparing himself to a flourishing olive tree in verse 8, the speaker addresses God directly. “Thou hast done it” looks back to the psalm’s account of God bringing down a person who trusted in wealth and harmed others.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 52:9

  • “praise” — יָדָה (yadah): This word can mean to give thanks or acknowledge someone. Here it expresses gratitude to God for an action the speaker attributes to him.
  • “wait” — קָוָה (qavah): This word can carry the sense of waiting with expectation. The speaker’s waiting is directed toward God’s name, rather than being mere inactivity.
  • “name” — שֵׁם (shem): A name can stand for the person who bears it. Waiting on God’s name points to reliance on God himself and his reputation.

Why Psalms 52:9 matters

  • The praise has a reason: “because thou hast done it.” The speaker’s response is tied to what the psalm presents God as having done, not simply to a change in the speaker’s feelings.
  • The closing words place the speaker among a community. “Before thy saints” means in the presence of God’s faithful people; the KJV word “saints” here refers to those devoted to God.

Where else these words appear

“saints” Hebrew H2623 · used in 32 verses

  • Deuteronomy 33:8 And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;
  • Psalms 32:6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
  • Psalms 132:9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.

“wait” Hebrew H6960 · used in 45 verses

  • Genesis 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
  • Psalms 40:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
  • Isaiah 49:23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

“praise” Hebrew H3034 · used in 111 verses

  • Genesis 29:35 And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.
  • Psalms 7:17 I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.
  • Psalms 107:15 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!