The Meaning of Psalms 66:9 Explained

Psalms 66:9

KJV: Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.

YLT: Who hath placed our soul in life, And suffered not our feet to be moved.

Darby: Who hath set our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.

ASV: Who holdeth our soul in life, And suffereth not our feet to be moved.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Which holdeth  our soul  in life,  and suffereth  not our feet  to be moved. 

What does Psalms 66:9 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 66:1-15 - "come And See The Works Of God"
Some of the old expositors speak of this psalm as "the Lord's Prayer in the Old Testament."
A summons to praise, Psalms 66:1-4
The devout soul cannot be glad alone. It demands sympathy in its raptures. All the earth is not too great for an orchestra, nor all mankind for a choir. God's love may compel a feigned obedience, Psalms 66:3, R.V., margin, but the divine Spirit changes the heart.
Divine deliverance, Psalms 66:5-12
Come and see. Compare John 1:39-40. Let us never forget the great past. The Red Sea and the Jordan have their counterparts in all lives. How often God has turned our seas into dry land, and cleaved paths through our rivers! Through the flood on foot is a miracle of daily experience. The rebels exalt themselves, but we are unmoved. We are tried in the fire, but no atom perishes. We go through persecution and oppression, but we come forth into abundance.
The payment of vows, Psalms 66:13-15
Let us pay under bright skies what we vowed under dark ones. Pay your vows; declare what God has done for you; offer not beasts, but offer yourself, as a living sacrifice unto God! Romans 12:1. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 66

1  David exhorts to praise God
5  observe his great works
8  to bless him for his gracious benefits
12  He vows for himself reverent service to God
16  He declares God's special goodness to himself

What do the individual words in Psalms 66:9 mean?

Who keeps our soul among the living and not does allow to be moved our feet
הַשָּׂ֣ם נַ֭פְשֵׁנוּ בַּֽחַיִּ֑ים וְלֹֽא־ נָתַ֖ן לַמּ֣וֹט רַגְלֵֽנוּ

הַשָּׂ֣ם  Who  keeps 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
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.
בַּֽחַיִּ֑ים  among  the  living 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
וְלֹֽא־  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
נָתַ֖ן  does  allow 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
לַמּ֣וֹט  to  be  moved 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֹוט  
Sense: a shaking, wavering, pole, bar of yoke.
רַגְלֵֽנוּ  our  feet 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: רֶגֶל  
Sense: foot.