Psalms 94:17

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Unless Jehovah had been my help, My soul had soon dwelt in silence.

Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

לוּלֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה עֶזְרָ֣תָה לִּ֑י כִּמְעַ֓ט ׀ שָֽׁכְנָ֖ה דוּמָ֣ה נַפְשִֽׁי

Transliteration

Unless YHWH ʿezrātāh for-me kimʿaṭ šāknāh dûmāh napšî

Grammar Details

*lûlê*: conjunction - unless/if not for
*YHWH*: proper noun - divine name
*ʿezrātāh*: noun, feminine, singular - help
*lî*: preposition + 1st person, singular pronominal suffix - for me
*kimʿaṭ*: adverb - almost
*šāknāh*: verb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular - she would have dwelt
*dûmāh*: noun, feminine, singular - silence/still place
*napšî*: noun, feminine, singular + 1st person, singular pronominal suffix - my soul

Word Meanings

*lûlê*: unless/if not for/had not
*ʿezrātāh*: help/assistance
*kimʿaṭ*: almost/nearly
*šāknāh*: would have dwelt/would have resided
*dûmāh*: silence/still place/place of death
*napšî*: my soul/my life/myself

ℹ️

About this Translation

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Formal EquivalenceSource: American Standard VersionBest for: Word studies and original-language research

🎯 Translation Approach

A highly literal, word-for-word translation (ASV, 1901) augmented with Strong's numbering to connect English words to underlying Hebrew and Greek terms for study.

Word-for-word

5/5

Readability

2/5

💎 Distinctive Features

Integrated Strong's numbering: Links English terms to underlying Hebrew and Greek words for deeper lexical study.
Formal equivalence: Prioritizes close alignment with source-language forms and structures.
Divine name rendering: Frequently renders the Tetragrammaton as Jehovah in the Old Testament, following ASV tradition.
Study-focused formatting: Optimized for reference and research rather than casual reading.

✅ Strengths

High fidelity to original languages
Includes Strong's numbers for precise word study
Consistent lexical choices aid exegesis
Stable, longstanding scholarly text

⚠️ Considerations

Archaic language reduces readability
Older textual basis compared to some modern translations
Strong's numbers are a concordance index, not full lexical definitions

👥 Who is this for?

Ideal for

Pastors and teachers
Seminary students
Serious Bible students
Readers conducting word studies
Those referencing Hebrew/Greek tools

Consider alternatives for

Casual readers
Children and early teens
ESL learners seeking simple English
Readers preferring contemporary language

🔄 Compare with

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Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

Ps 124:1-2 : 1 A Song of Ascents; of David. If it had not been Jehovah who was on our side, Let Israel now say, 2 If it had not been Jehovah who was on our side, When men rose up against us;
Ps 31:17 : 17 Let me not be put to shame, O Jehovah; For I have called upon thee: Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol.
Ps 13:3 : 3 Consider [and] answer me, O Jehovah my God: Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the [sleep of] death;
Ps 118:13 : 13 Thou didst thrust sore at me that I might fall; But Jehovah helped me.
Ps 115:17 : 17 The dead praise not Jehovah, Neither any that go down into silence;
Ps 125:1 : 1 A Song of Ascents. They that trust in Jehovah Are as mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abideth for ever.
Ps 142:4-5 : 4 Look on [my] right hand, and see; For there is no man that knoweth me: Refuge hath failed me; No man careth for my soul. 5 I cried unto thee, O Jehovah; I said, Thou art my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.
John 16:32 : 32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is {G3568} come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and [yet] I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
2 Cor 1:8-9 : 8 For we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning our affliction which befell [us] in Asia, that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, insomuch that we despaired even of life: 9 yea, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raiseth the dead: 10 who delivered us out of so great a death, and will deliver: on whom we have set our hope that he will also still deliver us;
2 Tim 4:16-17 : 16 At my first defence no one took my part, but all forsook me: may it not be laid to their account. 17 But the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me; that through me the message might me fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

Ps 94:18-19
2 verses
78%
18When I said, My foot slippeth; Thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah, held me up.
19In the multitude of my thoughts within me Thy comforts delight my soul.
Ps 124:1-3
3 verses
78%
1A Song of Ascents; of David. If it had not been Jehovah who was on our side, Let Israel now say,
2If it had not been Jehovah who was on our side, When men rose up against us;
3Then they had swallowed us up alive, When their wrath was kindled against us;
Ps 94:16
76%
16Who will rise up for me against the evil-doers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
Ps 27:13
76%
13[ I had fainted], unless I had believed to see the goodness of Jehovah In the land of the living.
Ps 54:3-4
2 verses
74%
3For strangers are risen up against me, And violent men have sought after my soul: They have not set God before them. {H5542}
4Behold, God is my helper: The Lord is of them that uphold my soul.
Ps 30:10
73%
10Hear, O Jehovah, and have mercy upon me: Jehovah, be thou my helper.
Ps 118:13
73%
13Thou didst thrust sore at me that I might fall; But Jehovah helped me.
Ps 119:92
72%
92Unless thy law had been my delight, I should then have perished in mine affliction.
2 Sam 22:19
72%
19They came upon me in the day of my calamity; But Jehovah was my stay.
Ps 109:26
72%
26Help me, O Jehovah my God; Oh save me according to thy lovingkindness:
Ps 94:22
72%
22But Jehovah hath been my high tower, And my God the rock of my refuge.
Ps 28:1
72%
1[ A Psalm of David.] Unto thee, O Jehovah, will I call: My rock, be not thou deaf unto me; Lest, if thou be silent unto me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
Ps 3:2
72%
2Many there are that say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. {H5542}
Ps 116:6-8
3 verses
71%
6Jehovah preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he saved me.
7Return unto thy rest, O my soul; For Jehovah hath dealt bountifully with thee.
8For thou hast delivered my soul from death, Mine eyes from tears, [And] my feet from falling.
Ps 13:4
71%
4Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; [Lest] mine adversaries rejoice when I am moved.
Ps 73:2
71%
2But as for me, my feet were almost gone; My steps had well nigh slipped.
Ps 18:18
71%
18They came upon me in the day of my calamity; But Jehovah was my stay.
Ps 32:3
71%
3When I kept silence, my bones wasted away Through my groaning all the day long.
Ps 31:14
71%
14But I trusted in thee, O Jehovah: I said, Thou art my God.
Ps 142:4
71%
4Look on [my] right hand, and see; For there is no man that knoweth me: Refuge hath failed me; No man careth for my soul.
Ps 143:3-4
2 verses
71%
3For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; He hath smitten my life down to the ground: He hath made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.
4Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; My heart within me is desolate.
Ps 121:1-2
2 verses
71%
1A Song of Ascents. I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains: From whence shall my help come?
2My help [cometh] from Jehovah, Who made heaven and earth.
Ps 116:4
71%
4Then called I upon the name of Jehovah: O Jehovah, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
Ps 141:8
71%
8For mine eyes are unto thee, O Jehovah the Lord: In thee do I take refuge; leave not my soul destitute.
Ps 40:13
70%
13Be pleased, O Jehovah, to deliver me: Make haste to help me, O Jehovah.
Ps 22:19
70%
19But be not thou far off, O Jehovah: O thou my succor, haste thee to help me.
Ps 7:2
70%
2Lest they tear my soul like a lion, Rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
Ps 31:7
70%
7I will be glad and rejoice in thy lovingkindness; For thou hast seen my affliction: Thou hast known my soul in adversities;
Ps 57:1
70%
1For the Chief Musician; [set to] Al-tashheth. [A Psalm] of David. Michtam; when he fled from Saul, in the cave. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me; For my soul taketh refuge in thee: Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge, Until [these] calamities be overpast.
Ps 38:16
70%
16For I said, Lest they rejoice over me: When my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
Ps 77:2
70%
2In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: My hand was stretched out in the night, and slacked not; My soul refused to be comforted.
Ps 118:18
70%
18Jehovah hath chastened me sore; But he hath not given me over unto death.
Ps 55:18
70%
18He hath redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me; For they were many [that strove] with me.
Ps 120:1
70%
1A Song of Ascents. In my distress I cried unto Jehovah, And he answered me.
Ps 62:1
70%
1For the Chief Musician; after the manner of Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. My soul waiteth in silence for God only: From him [cometh] my salvation.
Ps 28:6
70%
6Blessed be Jehovah, Because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
Ps 86:14
70%
14O God, the proud are risen up against me, And a company of violent men have sought after my soul, And have not set thee before them.
Ps 6:4
70%
4Return, O Jehovah, deliver my soul: Save me for thy lovingkindness' sake.
Ps 35:22
70%
22Thou hast seen it, O Jehovah; Keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me.
Ps 16:1
70%
1Michtam of David. Preserve me, O God; For in thee do I take refuge.
Ps 109:1
70%
1For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;
Ps 22:11
70%
11Be not far from me; For trouble is near; For there is none to help.