The Meaning of Psalms 33:20 Explained

Psalms 33:20

KJV: Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.

YLT: Our soul hath waited for Jehovah, Our help and our shield is He,

Darby: Our soul waiteth for Jehovah: he is our help and our shield.

ASV: Our soul hath waited for Jehovah: He is our help and our shield.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Our soul  waiteth  for the LORD:  he [is] our help  and our shield. 

What does Psalms 33:20 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The righteous wait for God to deliver them and regard Him as their help and protector.

Context Summary

Psalm 33:13-22 - "the Eye Of Jehovah"
The comprehensiveness of God's providence, Psalms 33:13-15. No one, however lowly or abject, is beneath notice. It is not that all hearts are alike in their aptitudes or intensity, but that there is not one that does not bear some trace, however defaced, of His image and superscription.
God's watchfulness, Psalms 33:16-19. The preparations that men make against peril and poverty often fail them. A horse is a vain thing for safety. If God is not with you, His fleet foot will not deliver you in the day of battle, when the enemy bears down on you in force. But God's unslumbering eye watches over them that fear Him, especially if they are not possessed of horses; and at the moment when He can help them best, He will intervene to deliver. Remember Psalms 20:7.
The certainty of God's help, Psalms 33:20-22. Let us await His time to act. Trust is certain to bear fruit in joy. They that hope in God shall have abundant cause to praise Him. Be of good cheer! Even now you can hear the footfall of the advancing angel-host! Get ready to praise Him! [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalm 33

1  God is to be praised for his goodness
6  for his power
12  and for his providence
20  Confidence is to be placed in God

What do the individual words in Psalms 33:20 mean?

Our soul waits for Yahweh our help and our shield He [is]
נַ֭פְשֵׁנוּ חִכְּתָ֣ה לַֽיהוָ֑ה עֶזְרֵ֖נוּ וּמָגִנֵּ֣נוּ הֽוּא

נַ֭פְשֵׁנוּ  Our  soul 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
חִכְּתָ֣ה  waits 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: חָכָה  
Sense: to wait, wait for, await.
לַֽיהוָ֑ה  for  Yahweh 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
עֶזְרֵ֖נוּ  our  help 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: עֵזֶר  
Sense: help, succour.
וּמָגִנֵּ֣נוּ  and  our  shield 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common singular construct, first person common plural
Root: מָגֵן 
Sense: shield, buckler.
הֽוּא  He  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.