Psalms 27:1–14, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Psalms 27:1–14
Light, dwelling, danger, and waiting
Light, a desired house, and a hidden pavilion
The LORD is the speaker's light and salvation; whom shall he fear? The LORD is the stronghold of his life; of whom shall he be afraid? When evildoers came to eat up his flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an army encamp, his heart will not fear.
One thing he has asked and seeks: to dwell in the LORD's house all the days of his life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. In the day of trouble God will hide him in a shelter, conceal him under the cover of a tent, lift him high on a rock. Confidence here is desire for presence, not a claim that fear is illegal.
A face that must not hide, and a wait without a date
Hear, O LORD, when I cry; be gracious and answer. 'Seek my face,' the heart heard; the speaker will seek. Hide not your face; turn not the servant away in anger. Do not forsake. Father and mother may forsake; the LORD will take him in.
Teach me your way, lead me on a level path because of foes. Give me not up to the will of adversaries; false witnesses have risen. He would have despaired unless he had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong; let the heart take courage; wait for the LORD. Faith and fear share the poem. Waiting is not a timetable, and not shame on a heart that still shakes.
How this should shape us
Seek the one thing of God's presence while armies and rumors still exist. Cry for an unhidden face. Wait without being told when courage must arrive, and without being scolded for needing it.
Teach it back
Explain Psalms 27:1–14 in your own words. Name the poetic voice and movement, trace its place in Psalm 27 and Book I, identify one exact source control or uncertainty, and reject one use the passage does not authorize.
Your explanation stays in this browser. It is not sent or saved.
Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Psalms 27:1–14, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.
Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 27:1–14
Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 27:1–14.
Official NET Bible Psalm 27 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 27:1–14
Supports: Five-book, genre, poetic, historical, theological, liturgical, communal, and reception synthesis with visible limits.
Enter the Bible Psalms course, Introductory Issues: individual and communal lament, from lament to praise, and Bible in the World; applied to Psalms 27:1–14
Supports: Ancient Greek wording, numbering, division, and superscription evidence where it materially clarifies translation or reception.
NETS Psalms, Pietersma introduction pp. 542–543 and exact Greek translation headed Ps 27 for Psalms 27:1–14
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
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 27:1–14, 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 27:1–14
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 27:1–14.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 27 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 27:1–14
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, Introductory Issues: individual and communal lament, from lament to praise, and Bible in the World; applied to Psalms 27:1–14
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 27 for Psalms 27:1–14
Open NETS Psalms ↗