Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.

PSALMS 60:11KJV
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Psalms 60:11 (KJV)

What does Psalms 60:11 mean?

Psalms 60:11 is a prayer asking God to provide help in times of trouble, because relying on human help alone is ultimately useless. The verse highlights the belief that only God can truly deliver people from difficult situations, while human efforts without God’s aid fall short.

King David is speaking to God during a time of national crisis, likely when Israel faced military threats and defeat. David openly admits that human help (even from allies or armies) is "vain"—meaning empty or unreliable—compared to God’s power. The verse expresses both humility and dependence on God, recognizing that real rescue comes from Him alone.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 60:11

  • "Help" (עֶזְרָה, ezrah, H5833) refers to practical aid or rescue, not just encouragement. David is asking for real, tangible intervention from God.
  • "Trouble" (צָר, tsar, H6862) means distress or a tight, pressing situation, often used for times of danger or siege. This word emphasizes the seriousness of the crisis.
  • "Vain" (שָׁוְא, shav, H7723) means empty, worthless, or ineffective. The verse stresses that human help, described by this word, cannot be relied on in the way God’s help can.
  • "Help" (תְּשׁוּעָה, teshuah, H8668) in the second phrase is a different Hebrew word, often used for deliverance or salvation, not just assistance. This highlights the kind of rescue only God can provide.
  • "Man" (אָדָם, adam, H120) is the general word for human beings, emphasizing the contrast between limited people and the unlimited God.

Why Psalms 60:11 matters

  • Psalms 60:11 clarifies that the psalmist is not just asking for comfort, but for real, practical rescue from a desperate situation.
  • The verse highlights the limits of human strength and wisdom, especially in moments of crisis, and points the reader to trust in God’s power above all else.
  • In the context of the whole psalm, this verse is a turning point where David moves from describing defeat and trouble to expressing faith that God alone can change the situation.

Where else these words appear

“help” Hebrew H5833 · used in 25 verses

  • Judges 5:23 Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.
  • Psalms 40:13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.
  • Psalms 108:12 Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.

“Give” Hebrew H3051 · used in 30 verses

  • Genesis 11:3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
  • Deuteronomy 1:13 Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.
  • 1 Chronicles 16:29 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

“help” Hebrew H8668 · used in 32 verses

  • Judges 15:18 And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?
  • 1 Chronicles 19:12 And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will help thee.
  • Psalms 119:41 VAU. Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy word.

“vain” Hebrew H7723 · used in 48 verses

  • Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
  • Psalms 108:12 Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.
  • Jeremiah 46:11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.