Psalms 30:6 — Word Study
WLCוַ֭אֲנִי אָמַ֣רְתִּי בְשַׁלְוִ֑י בַּל־ אֶמּ֥וֹט לְעוֹלָֽם׃
BSAforkîy momentregaʻ faceʼaph alivechay acceptancerâtsôwn eveningʻereb to lodgelûwn weepingBᵉkîy morningbôqer cryrinnâh
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַ֭אֲנִי | and I | Conjunction, pronoun |
| אָמַ֣רְתִּי | I said | Verb, Qal, perfect first person common singular |
| בְשַׁלְוִ֑י | in prosperity my | Preposition, noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| בַּל־ | not | Particle |
| אֶמּ֥וֹט | I will be shaken | Verb, Niphal, imperfect first person common singular |
| לְעוֹלָֽם׃ | for ever | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | In prosperity I said, “I will never be shaken.” |
| KJV | And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. |
| ASV | As for me, I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved. |
| YLT | And I — I have said in mine ease, 'I am not moved — to the age. |
| WEB | As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” |
| BBE | When things went well for me I said, I will never be moved. |
All translations agree on the core message of the verse, emphasizing the speaker's confidence.
The sentence consists of a main assertion followed by a negation, emphasizing the speaker's confidence.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectרֶגַע
verbבְּ
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 6 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 30:6
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — A Reflection on Prosperity and Stabilitygenerated
Psalms 30:6 captures a moment of confidence during a time of well-being. The speaker acknowledges their prosperity and expresses a strong conviction that they will not be shaken. This sentiment is a part of a larger reflection on God's favor and the contrasts between fleeting anger and lasting joy, as seen in the surrounding verses.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job 29:18–20 | So I thought: ‘I will die in my nest and multiply my days as the sand. |
| 2 | Isaiah 47:7 | You said, ‘I will be queen forever.’ You did not take these things to heart or consider their outcome. |
| 3 | Isaiah 56:12 | “Come, let me get the wine, let us imbibe the strong drink, and tomorrow will be like today, only far better!” |
| 4 | Daniel 4:30 | the king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great, which I myself have built by the might of my power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” |
| 5 | Luke 12:19 | Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 9 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — אֶמּ֥וֹט, 'e.Motgenerated
The verb מוֹט, transliterated as mot, means to shake or totter, indicating instability. In this verse, it is used in the Niphal form, suggesting that the speaker will not experience this instability.
The parsing indicates a first-person singular, showing the speaker's personal commitment to remain unshaken. This word is often associated with physical or emotional instability, but here it conveys a strong sense of assurance.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
All translations agree on the core meaning of the verse, emphasizing the speaker's declaration of confidence during prosperous times.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb אָמַ֣רְתִּי, amar, 'I said', governs the sentence, with a prepositional phrase indicating the context of prosperity and an adverbial phrase negating the action of being shaken.
The structure highlights the speaker's assertion followed by a condition of stability, emphasizing the contrast between prosperity and potential instability.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates the key verb מוֹט as θελήματι, which suggests a focus on the will or intention behind the action. This choice may imply a deeper understanding of the speaker's resolve not to be shaken.
This translation reflects a broader interpretation of the original Hebrew, framing the speaker's confidence in a more volitional context.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalms 30:6 shares the speaker's declaration during a time of prosperity, stating that they will not be shaken. This reflects a strong sense of security and confidence in God's favor.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The speaker expresses a strong assurance that they will remain stable and secure during times of prosperity.
This verse contrasts the fleeting nature of God's anger with the lasting joy that comes from His favor, emphasizing the speaker's confidence.
The verse teaches that confidence in God's favor can provide a strong foundation during times of success.
Being 'shaken' symbolizes instability and fear, while the speaker's declaration of not being shaken signifies trust and assurance in God's protection.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what areas of my life do I feel secure and confident, and how can I acknowledge God's role in that stability?
- How can I maintain my confidence in God's favor during challenging times?
- What practices can help me cultivate a sense of peace and assurance in my life?
- How can I support others who may feel shaken or unstable in their circumstances?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early Church Fathers have commented on this verse, using it to illustrate themes of prosperity and stability in God.
As the prosperity of a city is dependent on the supply of goods for sale in the market, and as we say that a country is prosperous that produces much fruit,Early Church Fathers on Psalms 30 →
"But I said in my abundance, I shall not be moved for ever" [Psalms 30:6].Early Church Fathers on Psalms 30 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 30:6 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd in my prosperity,.... Either outward prosperity, when he was settled in his kingdom, and as acknowledged king by all the tribes of Israel, and had gotten the victory over all his enemies, and was
Read John Gill on Psalms 30 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. Here follows the body of the psalm, the detailed description of the distress which he had brought on himself by his elation through prosperity,
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 30 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleI thought myself past all danger of further changes, forgetting my own frailty, and the uncertainty of all worldly things.
Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 30 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 30:6 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.Ver. 6. And in my prosperity I said] Or, in my tranquillity. Then it was that he was overgrown with security; as was also Job, Job 29:18-20; Job 9:18. How many have burnt their wings about Job’ s candle? Job 29:3, saith one. Oh the hazard of honour! damage of dignity! how soon are we broken upon the soft pillow of ease! Lunatics, when the moon is declining and in the wane, are sober enough; but when full, more wild and exorbitant. Flies settle upon the sweetest perfumes when cold; so do sin and Satan’ s temptations on the best hearts, when dissolved and dispirited by prosperity: watch therefore. Adam in paradise was overcome…
Read John Trapp on Psalms 30 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(6) And in.—Better, But as for me, in, &c. The pronoun is emphatic. The mental struggle through which the psalmist had won his way to this sublime faith is now told in the most vivid manner, the very soliloquy being recalled. Prosperity.—Better, security. I shall never be moved.—Better, I shall never waver.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 30 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 6. In my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.] Peace and prosperity had seduced the heart of David, and led him to suppose that his mountain-his dominion, stood so strong, that adversity could never affect him. He wished to know the physical and political strength of his kingdom; and, forgetting to depend upon God, he desired Joab to make a census of the people; which God punished in the manner related in 2 Samuel 24:1-17, and which he in this place appears to acknowledge.
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 30 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges6, 7. The Psalmist relates his own experience of the truth stated in the preceding verse. His presumption had required the correction of chastisement.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 30 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleAnd in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved - I shall never be visited with calamity or trial.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 30 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
In prosperity I said, “I will never be shaken.”
As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”
In prosperity I said, “I will never be shaken.”
In my self-confidence I said, “I will never be upended.”
Tyndale line
And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
As for me, I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved.
As for me, I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved.
And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
And in my prosperitie I sayde, I shall neuer be moued.
Strictly literal
As for me, I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved.
And I — I have said in mine ease, 'I am not moved — to the age.
And I have said in my ease, “I am not moved for all time.
(30:7) And I had said indeed in my prosperity, I shall never be moved.
In confidence I said, “I will never be shaken.”
From the Latin
Into thy hands I commend my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.
Simplified
When things were going well, I said, “Nothing will ever shake me!”
When things went well for me I said, I will never be moved.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of this verse, with no significant variations noted. Both texts convey the same message of confidence in stability during prosperity.
וַ֭אֲנִי אָמַ֣רְתִּי בְשַׁלְוִ֑י בַּל־ אֶמּ֥וֹט לְעוֹלָֽם׃
6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 30:6
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
אֲנִי, transliterated as aniy, is a first-person singular pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me.' It is often used for emphasis and can also imply possession, as in 'mine' or 'myself.' The word is derived from a form that indicates self-reference, and it appears in various contexts throughout the Old Testament.
אֲנִי, אָ֑נִי pron. 1s. comm. I
base
H589 אֲנִי, אָ֑נִי I
589 'aniy an-ee'
contracted from 595; I:--I, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, X
which, X who.
see HEBREW for 0595
אֲנִי (a.ni) — I.
I (first pers. sing. -usually used for emphasis)
HC/Pp1bs — Conjunction · pronounHC/Pp1bs
אָמַר (amar) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to say' or 'to utter,' with a broad range of uses including to promise, command, or even boast. It appears in various forms, such as in the Qal (to say), Niphal (to be told), and Hiphil (to avow). The entries highlight its versatility in both spoken and internal contexts, though no specific verse is noted.
אָמַר 5287 vb. utter, say
Qal
Say
Say in the heart (= think)
Promise
Command (esp. late)
Niph. be said, told
Hiph. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)
Hithp. act proudly, boast
base
H559 אָמַר utter, say .. Say
. Say in the heart (= think)
. Promise
. Command (esp. late)
. be said, told
. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)
. act proudly, boast
559 'amar aw-mar'
a primitive root; to say (used with great
latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call,
certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment),
commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X
expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise,
publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X
suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech),
utter, X verily, X yet.
אָמַר (a.mar) — to say.
1) to say, speak, utter
1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend
1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called
1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly
1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch
Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)
HVqp1cs — Verb · Qal · perfect first person common singularHVqp1cs
שָׁ֫לוּ (shelev) refers to the concepts of ease and prosperity. It is derived from the root word associated with security. The entries consistently emphasize its meaning related to well-being and success.
[שָׁ֫לוּ] n.[m.] ease, prosperity
base
H7959 שָׁ֫לוּ, שֶׁלֶו
7959 shelev sheh'-lev
from 7951; security:--prosperity.
see HEBREW for 07951
שָׁ֫לוּ (she.lev) — prosperity.
ease, prosperity
HR/Ncmsc/Sp1bs — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHR/Ncmsc/Sp1bs
בַּל (bal) is an adverb meaning 'not' or 'none.' It conveys a sense of negation, indicating absence or failure. The word is derived from a root that implies nothingness and can also be used in contexts like 'lest' or 'neither.' The entries consistently emphasize its function as a negation in various forms.
בַּל 69 adv. not
base
H1077 בַּל not
1077 bal bal
from 1086; properly, a failure; by implication nothing;
usually (adverb) not at all; also lest:--lest, neither, no,
none (that...), not (any), nothing.
see HEBREW for 01086
בַּל (bal) — not.
not, hardly, else
HTn — ParticleHTn
מוֹט (mot) is a Hebrew verb meaning to totter, shake, or slip. It has various forms, including Qal (to totter), Niphal (to be shaken), Hiphil (to dislodge), and Hithpael (to be greatly shaken). The entries indicate a range of meanings related to instability and movement, but do not specify any particular Old Testament verses.
[מוֹט] vb. totter, shake, slip
Qal totter, slip
Niph. be shaken, moved, overthrown
Hiph. dislodge, let fall, drop
Hithpo‛l. be greatly shaken
base
H4131 [מוֹט] totter, shake, slip
4131 mowt mote
a primitive root; to waver; by implication , to slip, shake,
fall:--be carried, cast, be out of course, be fallen in
decay, X exceedingly, fall(-ing down), be (re-)moved, be
ready, shake, slide, slip.
מוֹט (mot) — to shake.
1) to totter, shake, slip
1a) (Qal) to totter, shake, slip
1b) (Niphal) to be shaken, be moved, be overthrown
1c) (Hiphil) to dislodge, let fall, drop
1d) (Hithpael) to be greatly shaken
HVNi1cs — Verb · Niphal · imperfect first person common singularHVNi1cs
עוֹלָם (owlam) refers to concepts of long duration, antiquity, and futurity, encompassing meanings like eternity and perpetual existence. It is derived from a root meaning 'concealed' or 'the vanishing point.' The term is used to describe both ancient times and an indefinite future, indicating continuity and everlastingness.
עוֹלָם 439 n.m. long duration, antiquity, futurity
base
H5769 עוֹלָם long duration, antiquity, futurity
5769 `owlam o-lawm'
or lolam {o-lawm'}; from 5956; properly, concealed, i.e. the
vanishing point; generally, time out of mind (past or future),
i.e. (practically) eternity; frequentatively, adverbial
(especially with prepositional prefix) always:--alway(-s),
ancient (time), any more, continuance, eternal, (for,
(n-))ever(-lasting, -more, of old), lasting, long (time), (of)
old (time), perpetual, at any time, (beginning of the) world
(+ without end). Compare 5331, 5703.
see HEBREW for 05956
see HEBREW for 05331
see HEBREW for 05703
עוֹלָם (o.lam) — forever: enduring.
: enduring/eternal
1) long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world
1a) ancient time, long time (of past)
1b) (of future)
1b1) for ever, always
1b2) continuous existence, perpetual
1b3) everlasting, indefinite or unending future, eternity
עוֹלָם (o.lam) — Everlasting.
This name means long duration, everlasting, perpetual
Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)
עוֹלָם (o.lam) — forever: any time.
: any_time
1) long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world
1a) ancient time, long time (of past)
1b) (of future)
1b1) for ever, always
1b2) continuous existence, perpetual
1b3) everlasting, indefinite or unending future, eternity
עוֹלָם (o.lam) — forever: antiquity.
: old/ancient
HR/Ncmsa — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHR/Ncmsa