The Meaning of Psalms 94:18 Explained

Psalms 94:18

KJV: When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.

YLT: If I have said, 'My foot hath slipped,' Thy kindness, O Jehovah, supporteth me.

Darby: When I said, My foot slippeth, thy loving-kindness, O Jehovah, held me up.

ASV: When I said, My foot slippeth; Thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah, held me up.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

When I said,  My foot  slippeth;  thy mercy,  O LORD,  held me up. 

What does Psalms 94:18 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 94:6-23 - The Lord Our Defense Against Evil-Doers
Let us ponder all the great things that God will do for them that trust Him. He planted the ear, and will detect the sigh, sob, or broken utterance of His child, Psalms 94:9. He formed the eye, and He knows our sorrows. He watches the sparrow's fall, and His child is of more value than many sparrows. He corrects us; shall we not be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live, Psalms 94:10? He knows our thoughts; let us ask Him to purify and restrain them, Psalms 94:11. He teaches out of His Law; let us be diligent students of the Scriptures, Psalms 94:12. He will neither cast us off nor forsake us, Psalms 94:14.
The Lord is our help, and the soul that trusts Him shall not be silenced, Psalms 94:17. He holds us up when our foot slips, Psalms 94:18. Whatever thoughts may startle or affright us, God has a comfort suited to counteract each of them. His comforts delight the soul. They bring joy and hope with them, Psalms 94:19. He defends us against the charges laid at our door, and is a rock on which we may stand steadily, amid the seething waters, Psalms 94:22. If God be for us, who can be against us, or who can separate us from His love? Romans 8:31. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 94

1  The prophet, calling for justice, complains of tyranny and impiety
8  He teaches God's providence
12  He shows the blessedness of affliction
16  God is the defender of the afflicted

What do the individual words in Psalms 94:18 mean?

If I say slips My foot Your mercy Yahweh will hold me up
אִם־ אָ֭מַרְתִּי מָ֣טָה רַגְלִ֑י חַסְדְּךָ֥ יְ֝הוָ֗ה יִסְעָדֵֽנִי

אָ֭מַרְתִּי  I  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
מָ֣טָה  slips 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: מֹוט  
Sense: to totter, shake, slip.
רַגְלִ֑י  My  foot 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: רֶגֶל  
Sense: foot.
חַסְדְּךָ֥  Your  mercy 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: חֶסֶד 
Sense: goodness, kindness, faithfulness.
יְ֝הוָ֗ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
יִסְעָדֵֽנִי  will  hold  me  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: סָעַד  
Sense: to support, sustain, stay, establish, strengthen, comfort.