But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.

PSALMS 73:2KJV
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Psalms 73:2 (KJV)

What does Psalms 73:2 mean?

Psalms 73:2 describes the psalmist feeling close to losing his moral footing, saying his feet almost slipped and he nearly went astray. The verse uses the image of stumbling to express how near he came to giving up his faith or integrity.

The speaker is Asaph, writing honestly about a time when he struggled with doubt and envy as he saw the prosperity of the wicked. This verse sets the stage for the rest of the psalm, showing how deeply troubled he was and how real his inner conflict felt.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 73:2

  • "Feet" (רֶגֶל, regel, H7272) and "steps" (אֲשֻׁרַי, ashurai, H838) both point to the idea of a person's path or way of life, not just physical walking. The use of both words stresses how close the psalmist came to a real fall, not just a minor stumble.
  • "Almost" (כִּמְעַט, kim'at, H4592) means "a little" or "barely," emphasizing just how close the psalmist was to slipping.
  • "Gone" (נָטָה, natah, H5186) often means "to bend" or "to turn aside," suggesting a movement away from the right path.
  • "Slipped" (שָׁפַךְ, shafakh, H8210) can mean "to pour out" or "to slip," giving the sense of losing control or spilling over the edge.

Why Psalms 73:2 matters

  • This verse clears up any idea that faith always feels strong or unshakable; even a respected leader like Asaph admits to nearly losing his way.
  • The vivid language of slipping and stumbling helps readers understand the emotional and spiritual danger the psalmist felt, making his later recovery more meaningful.
  • Psalms 73:2 connects to the wider passage by introducing the psalmist’s crisis, which is resolved only after he seeks understanding from God later in the psalm.

Where else these words appear

“steps” Hebrew H838 · used in 9 verses

  • Job 23:11 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.
  • Psalms 17:5 Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.
  • Psalms 40:2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

“nigh” Hebrew H369 · used in 29 verses

  • Genesis 2:5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
  • 1 Chronicles 22:4 Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.
  • Isaiah 41:24 Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.

“almost” Hebrew H4592 · used in 92 verses

  • Genesis 18:4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
  • 1 Samuel 14:29 Then said Jonathan, My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.
  • Proverbs 10:20 The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.

“slipped” Hebrew H8210 · used in 111 verses

  • Genesis 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
  • Job 30:16 And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.
  • Ezekiel 16:36 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;