Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Psalms 94:16 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 16. 16Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Psalm 94:16: Inside “How long until the judge confronts oppression?: The LORD becomes the threatened speaker's refuge,” “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who…” raises a real poetic question instead of supplying a detached answer.
A slipping foot finds help before the speaker falls into silence
This verse is one part of that explanation in Psalms 94:16–23. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Psalms 94:16–23
- Psalms 94:1–23
Read Psalms 94:16 with 94:16–23 and 94:1–23. Read alone, “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will…” could lose the communal voice, the parallel line or movement it develops, and the psalm's outcome. The complete movement establishes: Within Psalms 94:16–23, the communal voice carries the movement “The LORD becomes the threatened speaker's refuge” as part of “How long until the judge confronts oppression?.” Its communal-lament-imprecation form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Psalms 94:16–23 contrasts with “The creator who hears also instructs” within Psalm 94 by carrying “The LORD becomes the threatened speaker's refuge.” The turn from “But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it” to “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the…” explains why this movement occurs here. Within that relationship, Psalm 94:16 poses the poem's question through “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up…” and leaves the surrounding lines to answer, intensify, or hold it open.
What Remains True
In “How long until the judge confronts oppression?: The LORD becomes the threatened speaker's refuge,” Psalm 94:16 poses the poem's question through “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up…” and leaves the surrounding lines to answer, intensify, or hold it open. The resulting truth stays bounded by this movement: 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 “The LORD becomes the threatened speaker's refuge.” The unit's reviewed limit is: The poem names systemic violence and appeals to divine justice; it does not authorize torture, revenge, or partisan demonization.
How It Can Shape Life
- Because Psalm 94:16 belongs to “How long until the judge confronts oppression?: The LORD becomes the threatened speaker's refuge,” its role must lead the practice: Psalm 94:16 poses the poem's question through “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up…” and leaves the surrounding lines to answer, intensify, or hold it open. Let “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will…” test worship and public claims by their effect on vulnerable people; correct one practice that hides or compounds harm.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Psalms 94:16–23 — How long until the judge confronts oppression?: The LORD becomes the threatened speaker's refugeSources 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 94:16–23, 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 94:16–23
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 94:16–23.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 94 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 94:16–23
Open the official NET Psalms notes ↗