What Does Psalm 119:90 Mean in the King James?
Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
Faithfulness becomes visible as load-bearing steadiness: the earth stands, and God’s reliability carries through every generation.
THE MEANING
You can lean your full weight on a faithfulness that carries through generations. The earth beneath you is set in place and still stands; its persistence makes trustworthiness tangible now.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that God’s steadiness belongs only to another generation: the verse says that faithfulness extends to all generations.
THE ROOT
אֱמוּנָתֶךָ
ʾĕmûnāṯeḵā
GROWS FROM
אמן
To be firm, reliable, or trustworthy.
“Faithfulness” can sound like an abstract quality, but its root carries the sense of firmness you can lean on. Here, that reliability spans generations and echoes in the earth that has been set firm and still stands.
ALSO GROWS
ʾāmēn: Truly; firm, so be it.
אָמֵן
The familiar word carries the same sense of something affirmed as sure, echoing the trustworthiness named in the verse.
neʾĕmān: Reliable, trustworthy, faithful.
נֶאֱמָן
This branch names someone as dependable, bringing the root’s firmness into relationship.
כּוֹנַנְתָּ
kônantā
GROWS FROM
כון
To be firm, prepared, or established.
“established” in this verse is kônantā. The earth is not merely present; it is set in place. This verb adds a second image of firmness beside the reliability of the first phrase, preparing for the final picture of the earth still standing.
ALSO GROWS
hēḵîn: To prepare or make ready.
הֵכִין
It shows the root’s sense of setting something in readiness, as the earth is set in place here.
māḵôn: A fixed place, foundation, or dwelling place.
מָכוֹן
This branch makes the root’s established place concrete, echoing the earth’s fixedness in the verse.
וַתַּעֲמֹד
wattaʿămōḏ
GROWS FROM
עמד
To stand, remain standing, or take one’s stand.
KJV’s “abideth” renders a Hebrew verb of standing: the earth holds its place. Its continuance makes the verse’s trustworthiness visible in the world beneath you.
ALSO GROWS
ʿāmaḏ: To stand or remain standing.
עָמַד
This is the root verb itself, showing the verse’s concrete image of continuance.
ʿammûḏ: A pillar or column.
עַמּוּד
A pillar is something that stands in place, extending the verse’s image of stability.
THE PATTERN
What God establishes remains steady across time, carrying reliability from one generation into the next.
The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.THE THREAD
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.Habakkuk’s “faith” is אֱמוּנָה (ʾĕmûnāh, emunah: trust you can lean your full weight on), the same root that names faithfulness here. Psalm 119 pictures that steadiness across generations; Habakkuk shows it as something a person lives by now.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us