Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Psalms 146:7 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 7. 7Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Psalm 146:7: Within “Do not trust princes; praise the defender of the vulnerable,” the line “Which executeth judgment for the oppressed” supplies one distinct parallel claim, image, address, or response.
Read It With
- Psalms 146:1–10
Read Psalms 146:7 with 146:1–10. Read alone, “Which executeth judgment for the oppressed” could lose the communal voice, the parallel line or movement it develops, and the psalm's outcome. The complete movement establishes: Within Psalms 146:1–10, the communal voice carries the movement “Do not trust princes; praise the defender of the vulnerable” as part of “Do not trust princes; praise the defender of the vulnerable.” Its hallelujah-hymn form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Psalms 146:1–10 opens Psalm 146 with “Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul” and establishes the communal voice and “Do not trust princes; praise the defender of the vulnerable” movement before later lines develop or answer it. Psalm 146 begins the five-psalm hallelujah finale after Psalm 145's alphabetic praise of the LORD's kingdom and care, widening the collection toward everything that breathes. Within that relationship, Psalm 146:7 adds the distinct poetic line “Which executeth judgment for the oppressed” within “Do not trust princes; praise the defender of the vulnerable,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope.
Follow the Context
- Identify the communal voice, address, and parallel lines in Psalms 146:1–10; do not make every “I”, “we,” king, enemy, or worshiper interchangeable.
- Within Psalms 146:1–10, the communal voice carries the movement “Do not trust princes; praise the defender of the vulnerable” as part of “Do not trust princes; praise the defender of the vulnerable.” Its hallelujah-hymn form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.
- This reading does not authorize the following misuse: The warning against princes relativizes every human regime; it does not commend political apathy or transfer divine authority to another leader.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Psalms 146:7 does not allow “Which executeth judgment for the oppressed” to become an independent promise, command, accusation, doctrine, or authorization. This verse adds the distinct poetic line “Which executeth judgment for the oppressed” within “Do not trust princes; praise the defender of the vulnerable,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope. The complete movement is “Do not trust princes; praise the defender of the vulnerable.” This reading does not authorize the following misuse: The warning against princes relativizes every human regime; it does not commend political apathy or transfer divine authority to another leader.
What Remains True
The verse's role is specific—Psalm 146:7 adds the distinct poetic line “Which executeth judgment for the oppressed” within “Do not trust princes; praise the defender of the vulnerable,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope. Within that role, Praise and prayer become truthful when they attend to people harmed by predatory power and pursue protection, generosity, and fair judgment. The local movement is “Do not trust princes; praise the defender of the vulnerable.” The unit's reviewed limit is: The warning against princes relativizes every human regime; it does not commend political apathy or transfer divine authority to another leader.
How It Can Shape Life
- Keep the movement “Do not trust princes; praise the defender of the vulnerable” in view. Ask who is exposed or unheard in “Which executeth judgment for the oppressed”, then take one accountable step toward material help, fair process, or protection. The textual reason is this verse's role: Psalm 146:7 adds the distinct poetic line “Which executeth judgment for the oppressed” within “Do not trust princes; praise the defender of the vulnerable,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope.
Teach It Back
Show how “Which executeth judgment for the oppressed” functions in the hallelujah-hymn poem “Do not trust princes; praise the defender of the vulnerable.” Your explanation should include context, source evidence, uncertainty, enduring truth, practice, and the explicit limit This reading does not authorize the following misuse: The warning against princes relativizes every human regime; it does not commend political apathy or transfer divine authority to another leader.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Psalms 146:1–10 — Do not trust princes; praise the defender of the vulnerableSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Psalms 146:1–10, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Psalms
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 146:1–10
Open the fixed Hebrew Psalms file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Psalms 1-150
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, current official online edition
Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 146:1–10.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 146 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 146:1–10
Open the official NET Psalms notes ↗modern scholarly book course
Psalms course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world
Fred Gaiser; revised by Nicholas Schaser
Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, revised May 2024
Supports: Five-book, genre, poetic, historical, theological, liturgical, communal, and reception synthesis with visible limits.
Exact location: Enter the Bible Psalms course, Summary, Outline, Introductory Issues, and Theological Themes; applied to Psalms 146:1–10
Open the Enter the Bible Psalms course ↗ancient greek text translation and introduction
A New English Translation of the Septuagint: Psalms
Albert Pietersma
International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies; Oxford University Press, 2009
Supports: Ancient Greek wording, numbering, division, and superscription evidence where it materially clarifies translation or reception.
Exact location: NETS Psalms, Pietersma introduction pp. 542–543 and exact Greek translation headed Ps 146 for Psalms 146:1–10
Open NETS Psalms ↗