Psalm 33:12 kjv
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
Psalm 33:12 nkjv
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
Psalm 33:12 niv
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.
Psalm 33:12 esv
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
Psalm 33:12 nlt
What joy for the nation whose God is the LORD,
whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.
Psalm 33 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 144:15 | Happy is the people whose God is the LORD! | Direct echo of blessedness and YHWH. |
| Deut 7:6 | For you are a people holy to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you... His treasured possession. | Israel's election and status as God's special possession. |
| Ex 19:5-6 | ...if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant... you shall be My treasured possession. | Conditional aspect of covenant and divine possession. |
| Deut 26:18-19 | The LORD has declared today that you are a people for His treasured possession... to be exalted. | God's declaration of Israel as His own unique people. |
| 1 Pet 2:9-10 | But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession... | New Covenant application to believers as God's chosen people. |
| Isa 43:20 | The wild beasts will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I provide water in the wilderness for My chosen people. | God's care and provision for His chosen. |
| Mal 3:17 | “They will be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts, “on the day that I prepare My own treasured possession.” | Future restoration and acknowledgment of God's treasured possession. |
| Deut 4:34-35 | Or has any god ever tried to go and take for himself a nation from within another nation...? | Uniqueness of God's selection of a nation. |
| Jer 30:22 | ‘You will be My people, and I will be your God.’ | Prophetic reiteration of the covenant relationship. |
| Ezek 37:27 | My dwelling place also will be among them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. | God's presence among His people, fulfilling covenant. |
| Rom 9:4 | ...to whom belong the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises. | Listing privileges of Israel as the chosen nation. |
| Ti 2:14 | ...who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession... | Christ's work for His people, making them His special possession. |
| Eph 1:4-5 | ...just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy... | God's eternal choice and election of His people in Christ. |
| Deut 33:29 | Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD... | Emphasis on Israel's unique blessedness through God's salvation. |
| Zech 2:10-11 | “Sing for joy and rejoice, O daughter of Zion... And many nations will join themselves to the LORD in that day and will become My people.” | Expansion of God's people in the eschatological future. |
| 2 Cor 6:16 | ...for we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” | New Testament application of God dwelling among His people. |
| Ps 32:1 | How blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven... | The broader theme of blessedness rooted in a right relationship with God. |
| Phil 3:20 | For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior... | The ultimate inheritance and citizenship of God's people. |
| Heb 8:10 | FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT WHICH I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL... ‘I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.’ | The New Covenant renewing the ancient promise to God's people. |
| John 15:16 | “You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit..." | Christ's choice of His disciples for a specific purpose. |
| Isa 43:1 | “But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel... ‘You are Mine.’ ” | Affirmation of Israel as God's creation and possession. |
| Jer 10:16 | ...Jacob is the portion of His inheritance; The LORD of hosts is His name. | God's direct ownership and inheritance of Jacob/Israel. |
| 1 Chr 17:21 | And what one nation on earth is like Your people Israel...? | Israel's singular status among nations because of God's actions. |
Psalm 33 verses
Psalm 33 12 Meaning
Psalm 33:12 declares a profound blessedness upon the nation whose God is the LORD (Yahweh) and upon the people He has sovereignly chosen as His special possession. This blessedness is not merely earthly prosperity, but a deep spiritual well-being and security that stems directly from a covenant relationship with the true, living God. It signifies their unique position and divine favor among all the peoples of the earth, as their existence and destiny are secured by His wisdom and power.
Psalm 33 12 Context
Psalm 33 is a hymn of praise emphasizing God's omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence, contrasting His unchanging plan with the fleeting efforts of humanity. The preceding verses celebrate God as the creator of the heavens and earth by His word (vv. 6-9), His sovereignty over nations and their plans (vv. 10-11). Verse 12 serves as the climax, presenting the blessed alternative to trusting in human strength or fallible earthly powers. While other nations may boast in their armies or leaders (implicitly critiqued in vv. 10-11), Israel's true source of security and happiness is rooted solely in its relationship with YHWH, who orchestrates all things. Historically, this hymn would resonate in a setting where Israel faced geopolitical pressures from powerful empires, affirming their unique identity and ultimate reliance on God rather than worldly alliances or military might, a direct polemic against the polytheistic and nationalistic pride of surrounding pagan nations who worshipped false gods and trusted in their idols or physical strength.
Psalm 33 12 Word analysis
- אשׁרי (ashrei): Transliterated as "Ashrei," meaning "Blessed," "Happy," or "Fortunate." This word, often found at the beginning of Psalms (e.g., Pss 1:1, 32:1), signifies a state of true, lasting spiritual prosperity and well-being, derived from one's relationship with God, rather than superficial joy. It speaks of a flourishing, envied condition.
- הגוי (hagoy): "The nation." While goy can refer generically to any nation or Gentiles, when used with the definite article ha ("the") and in this specific context (contrasted with God's choosing), it primarily refers to the nation of Israel, singled out from others. It acknowledges Israel as a corporate entity with a distinct identity.
- אשׁר (asher): "Whose" or "that." This conjunction links the blessed nation to the specific identity of their God, emphasizing the relational aspect.
- יהוה (YHWH): The unique covenant name of God, often translated "LORD" (in all caps) in English Bibles. It signifies God's self-existence, eternal nature, and personal, covenantal relationship with His people. Unlike other nations whose gods were territorial or capricious, YHWH is the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all, making the relationship truly secure. This name embodies His faithfulness and redemptive power.
- אלהיו (Elohim): "His God." The suffix "-iv" means "his." Elohim is the generic Hebrew word for "God" or "gods," but here, in conjunction with YHWH, it stresses YHWH as the particular God worshipped by that nation. It signifies possession and worship.
- העם (ha'am): "The people." Another term referring to the Israelites, interchangeable with hagoy in this context, reinforcing their identity as a distinct community chosen by God.
- בחר (bachar): "Has chosen," "elected," "selected." This verb emphasizes God's sovereign and free initiative in selecting Israel. It highlights the divine prerogative and not human merit as the basis for the relationship. This is an act of grace.
- לנחלה לו (lanachalah lo): "for His own inheritance" or "for His own possession." Nachalah means "inheritance," "possession," "property." The lo ("to Him," or "His own") emphasizes the possessive nature. God views Israel not as a burden, but as a cherished treasure, a valuable estate. This relationship makes Israel unique, distinguished from other nations who might inherit land from their ancestors, but Israel is God's inheritance, chosen by Him, reflecting His value and delight in them.
Psalm 33 12 Bonus section
The Hebrew parallelism in the verse, using "the nation" and "the people" along with "whose God is the LORD" and "He has chosen for His own inheritance," powerfully reinforces the single, profound truth about Israel's blessed state. This literary device emphasizes both their corporate identity and their distinct theological status. The contrast with pagan nations trusting in their gods or human strength is subtly woven through the psalm, making verse 12 a clear declaration of divine favor versus the futility of human ambition (Ps 33:10-11). The concept of God "choosing" a nation for His "inheritance" implies not only favor but also a specific purpose and mission for that people—to reflect His glory and be His instruments in the world. While the primary application in the Old Testament is to ethnic Israel, the principles of God's sovereign election, His care for His own, and the resulting blessedness extend to all who are His people through faith, culminating in the church as "spiritual Israel," demonstrating that God's electing grace is not limited to one ethnic group but is extended to all who believe in Christ.
Psalm 33 12 Commentary
Psalm 33:12 encapsulates a central theological truth for God's covenant people: true blessedness emanates not from political power, economic might, or military strength, but solely from having the Sovereign LORD as one's God, through His gracious and unilateral act of election. This verse contrasts the fleeting nature of human plans, previously detailed in the psalm, with God's immutable decrees. For ancient Israel, this served as a powerful reminder of their unique identity and divine purpose, countering the temptation to rely on human endeavors or to imitate the idolatrous practices and political schemes of surrounding nations. Their election by Yahweh means they are His special inheritance, valued and protected, which bestows upon them an unshakeable security and a deep joy that transcends worldly circumstances. This truth later finds echoes in the New Testament as believers, the spiritual Israel, are identified as a chosen people and God's treasured possession through Christ, heirs to divine promises and recipients of His unwavering faithfulness, irrespective of earthly status or circumstances. It provides a timeless encouragement to place ultimate trust not in the things of the world but in the electing love and sovereign power of God. For example, a Christian struggling with anxiety over worldly affairs finds peace in knowing they are God's chosen child. A church facing cultural pressures relies on being God's special possession, not public opinion.