The Meaning of Psalms 33:19 Explained

Psalms 33:19

KJV: To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

YLT: To deliver from death their soul, And to keep them alive in famine.

Darby: To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

ASV: To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

To deliver  their soul  from death,  and to keep them alive  in famine. 

What does Psalms 33:19 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 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: Psalms 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 33:19 mean?

to deliver from death their soul and to keep them alive in famine
לְהַצִּ֣יל מִמָּ֣וֶת נַפְשָׁ֑ם וּ֝לְחַיּוֹתָ֗ם בָּרָעָֽב

לְהַצִּ֣יל  to  deliver 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: נָצַל  
Sense: to snatch away, deliver, rescue, save, strip, plunder.
מִמָּ֣וֶת  from  death 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָוֶת  
Sense: death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead.
נַפְשָׁ֑ם  their  soul 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
וּ֝לְחַיּוֹתָ֗ם  and  to  keep  them  alive 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct, third person masculine plural
Root: חָיָה  
Sense: to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health.
בָּרָעָֽב  in  famine 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רָעָב  
Sense: famine, hunger.