Psalm 12 1

Psalm 12:1 kjv

Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.

Psalm 12:1 nkjv

To the Chief Musician. On an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David. Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.

Psalm 12:1 niv

For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David. Help, LORD, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.

Psalm 12:1 esv

Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.

Psalm 12:1 nlt

Help, O LORD, for the godly are fast disappearing!
The faithful have vanished from the earth!

Psalm 12 verses

Psalm 12 1 Meaning

Psalm 12:1 is a poignant lament and desperate prayer, expressing profound distress over the moral decay and spiritual vacuum in society. The psalmist cries out to the LORD for salvation and intervention, mourning the alarming scarcity of the godly and faithful. It reflects a time when covenant loyalty, truthfulness, and righteousness have seemingly vanished from human interaction, leaving the righteous isolated and vulnerable in a world dominated by deceit and ungodliness. This verse underscores the deep dependency on God in the face of human moral failure and the absence of trustworthy individuals.

Psalm 12 1 Context

Psalm 12 belongs to a collection of psalms attributed to David, expressing a common theme of distress amidst social corruption and reliance on divine intervention. The chapter as a whole describes a world steeped in deceit, flattery, and oppressive speech, contrasting the rampant wickedness of humanity with the perfect, purified, and trustworthy words of God. The psalmist begins with a cry for help (v. 1), elaborates on the pervasive evil speech of the wicked (v. 2-4), then states God's response to deliver the oppressed (v. 5), reaffirms the purity of God's words (v. 6), and concludes with a prayer for protection and a lament that the wicked prevail (v. 7-8). This psalm captures the moral struggle within a society where public morality and private integrity are deteriorating, making the absence of godly people acutely felt. Historically, such periods of moral decline occurred repeatedly in Israel, such as during times of corrupt kings or societal unfaithfulness, prompting heartfelt lament and earnest prayer from the righteous remnant.

Psalm 12 1 Word analysis

• Help (הוֹשִׁיעָה - hoshi’ah): This is a Hiphil imperative form of the verb יָשַׁע (yasha), meaning "to save," "to deliver," or "to grant victory." The Hiphil stem implies causing someone to be saved or delivered. It is an urgent, direct command/plea to God, reflecting a desperate need for immediate, decisive divine action. It conveys a deep recognition that human solutions are insufficient.
• LORD (יְהוָה - Yahweh): The personal covenant name of God, revealing His self-existent, unchanging, and active nature. Addressing God as Yahweh implies reliance on His covenant faithfulness, power, and commitment to His people, even when they seem abandoned. It emphasizes His supreme authority and unique ability to deliver.
• for (כִּי - ki): This conjunction here introduces the reason or explanation for the urgent plea. It establishes the immediate cause of the psalmist's distress: the pervasive absence of righteousness.
• the godly (חָסִיד - chasid): Singular, meaning "pious," "devoted," "loyal one," or "merciful one." It is derived from חֶסֶד (chesed), "steadfast love," "covenant loyalty," "kindness," or "mercy." A chasid is one who exemplifies covenant faithfulness, acting with integrity, compassion, and devotion to God and others according to the terms of God's covenant. The singular term here might imply the extreme scarcity, perhaps indicating a remnant that feels alone, or referring to an archetypal righteous individual.
• are no more / gone (נִפְסַד - nifsad): This form implies something has "ceased to be," "vanished," or "perished." It denotes utter destruction or termination, intensifying the sense of loss and moral desolation. It suggests not just decline, but eradication.
• the faithful (אֱמוּנִים - emunim): Plural, from the root אָמַן (aman), meaning "to be firm," "to be reliable," "to be trustworthy." Emunim refers to those who are constant, steady, truthful, and dependable in character and action. Their disappearance signifies a breakdown of trust and truth in society.
• have vanished (נֶאֶמְנוּ - ne’em’nu): Passive participle of the same root אָמַן (aman). Here it is often translated as "vanished" or "ceased to be faithful" in many contexts. It carries the double sense of reliability and being gone, conveying that trustworthy individuals are not only few but have utterly ceased to exist in any discernible number or influence among humanity.
• from among men (מִבְּנֵי אָדָם - mibenei adam): Literally "from the sons of Adam" or "from among humanity." This phrase emphasizes that the moral decay is not confined to a specific group but pervades general society, making the crisis universal and deeply felt on a human level. It implies that these virtues are absent from common human interaction.

Words-Group Analysis:

• Help, LORD: This initial exclamation is a direct, urgent cry for divine intervention, pinpointing the sole source of rescue amidst human failure. It highlights absolute reliance on God's power and covenant loyalty.
• the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished: These two parallel clauses emphasize the double tragedy. Not only is the character of holiness (chasid) absent, but also the character of trustworthiness and truthfulness (emunim) has disappeared. The parallel structure amplifies the pervasive nature of the moral crisis. The shift from singular "godly" to plural "faithful" suggests both the archetypal loss and the collective disappearance.

Psalm 12 1 Bonus section

The strong sense of isolation felt by the psalmist in this verse resonates with believers in various epochs who feel like a remnant in an ungodly generation. This Psalm offers solace in confirming that this feeling is biblically acknowledged and directs the faithful to turn immediately and solely to God. Furthermore, the deliberate pairing of "godly" (chasid) and "faithful" (emunim) in this lament subtly reinforces the interconnectedness of devotion to God and reliability towards humanity. True piety (chasid) naturally produces trustworthy and firm character (emunim). Therefore, the vanishing of the latter is a direct consequence of the loss of the former.

Psalm 12 1 Commentary

Psalm 12:1 is a raw expression of lament, echoing through millennia for those who find themselves isolated in a morally compromised world. It's a prophetic outcry about the spiritual drought within society, where the foundational pillars of truthfulness, covenant loyalty, and godly character have seemingly crumbled. The psalmist, like a lone sentinel, observes a populace adrift from God's ways, leading to a desperate plea to the ultimate moral standard—Yahweh. This verse captures the heart of biblical lament: a fervent cry to God in the face of widespread human depravity and the painful scarcity of righteousness. It underscores that true salvation, deliverance from moral decay, must come from divine intervention, not from human efforts, which have clearly failed. The very nature of a chasid (godly) and emunim (faithful) is defined by their covenant relationship with God; their absence implies a collective turning away from this vital connection, making the societal fabric unravel.