Psalm 44 21

Psalm 44:21 kjv

Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

Psalm 44:21 nkjv

Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.

Psalm 44:21 niv

would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?

Psalm 44:21 esv

would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.

Psalm 44:21 nlt

God would surely have known it,
for he knows the secrets of every heart.

Psalm 44 verses

Psalm 44 21 Meaning

Psalm 44:21 asserts that God, with His perfect knowledge, would surely know if His people had been truly disloyal or had forgotten Him. The verse implies a rhetorical question followed by a strong affirmation: God, by His very nature, deeply investigates and fully comprehends the most concealed aspects and intentions of the human heart, leaving no secret hidden from His divine sight. It is a plea for divine intervention based on their declared innocence and God's omniscience regarding their true internal state, challenging Him to verify their faithfulness despite their outward suffering.

Psalm 44 21 Context

Psalm 44 is a communal lament in which the people of Israel express profound distress and bewilderment. The initial verses (1-8) recount God's powerful acts in their past, emphasizing that victory came not from their strength but by God's hand. However, the mood shifts dramatically from verse 9, as they lament current military defeat and national disgrace, perceiving themselves to be abandoned by God. They feel like a sheep appointed for food (v. 11), ridiculed by their neighbors (v. 13). Verses 17-22 form the heart of their defense: they adamantly deny any covenant breach or turning away from God, asserting that despite their suffering, their hearts remain loyal. Verse 21, specifically, is a core component of this impassioned self-vindication. It is a rhetorical appeal to God's perfect knowledge, asserting that He knows their innocence even as external circumstances suggest otherwise. This verse serves as a crucial theological premise for their subsequent plea for divine intervention (vv. 23-26), urging God to 'awake' and rescue them because their suffering is undeserved in light of their maintained faithfulness.

Psalm 44 21 Word analysis

• Would not God (Hebrew: הֲלֹא אֱלֹהִים - halōʾ ʾĕlōhîm):

  • הֲלֹא (halōʾ): This is a strong rhetorical interrogative particle, meaning "Is it not true that?" or "Surely... not?" It expresses emphatic affirmation rather than doubt. It functions as a declarative statement framed as a question to underscore the certainty. It is used to elicit agreement and assert an undeniable truth. The psalmist is not asking if God knows, but asserting that God definitively knows.
  • אֱלֹהִים (ʾĕlōhîm): This is the common Hebrew word for God, often used in a general sense for deity but here referring specifically to the God of Israel. Its plural form hints at majesty and totality of divine power and authority.

• search this out? (Hebrew: יַחֲקָר זֹאת - yaḥaqar zōʾt):

  • יַחֲקָר (yaḥaqar): From the root חָקַר (chaqar), meaning "to search out," "investigate," "examine thoroughly," "explore." It denotes a deep, penetrating inquiry, not merely a superficial glance. This verb implies a process of detailed discovery.
  • זֹאת (zōʾt): This demonstrative pronoun "this" refers directly to the previous accusations the Psalmist denied (Psalm 44:17-20), particularly the charges of forsaking God's covenant, turning back, or forgetting Him. The Psalmist implicitly challenges God to investigate the veracity of their faithfulness.

• For he knows (Hebrew: כִּי הוּא יֹדֵעַ - kî hûʾ yōdēaʿ):

  • כִּי (kî): A causal conjunction, meaning "for," "because," or "indeed." It introduces the reason or basis for the rhetorical question and affirmation that precedes it.
  • הוּא (hûʾ): The independent pronoun "He." It emphatically refers to God, emphasizing His singular, inherent capacity.
  • יֹדֵעַ (yōdēaʿ): A Qal participle of the verb יָדַע (yādaʿ), meaning "to know," "perceive," "be acquainted with." The participial form signifies a continuous, abiding state of knowing. It is not just that He would know, but that He is continually knowing.

• the secrets (Hebrew: תַּעֲלֻמוֹת - taʿălûmôṯ):

  • תַּעֲלֻמוֹת (taʿălûmôṯ): Plural noun from the root עָלַם (ʿalam), meaning "to hide," "conceal," "be out of sight." Thus, taʿălûmôṯ refers to things that are hidden, secret, or deeply concealed. These are the innermost thoughts, intentions, and motives that no human can perceive. It highlights the depth and interiority of God's knowledge.

• of the heart. (Hebrew: לֵב - lēv):

  • לֵב (lēv): The Hebrew word for "heart." In biblical anthropology, the heart is not just the seat of emotions but the center of the entire person – intellect, will, memory, desires, moral consciousness, and spiritual commitment. It represents the core of one's being and the source of thoughts and intentions.

• Word Groups Analysis:

  • "Would not God search this out? For he knows": This entire clause presents a profound logical sequence. The rhetorical question posits an investigative action by God, immediately followed by the definitive statement of His inherent, comprehensive knowledge. It moves from potential inquiry to certain reality. It stresses God's omniscience as the very basis for the psalmist's appeal.
  • "the secrets of the heart": This phrase pinpoints the precise scope of God's knowledge – the most intricate, concealed aspects of human nature. It indicates that God penetrates beyond outward appearances, words, or actions to grasp the authentic, private spiritual condition of a person, emphasizing the internal realm over external observations. This directly relates to the denial in previous verses; the psalmist declares their heart remains faithful despite their perceived divine abandonment.

Psalm 44 21 Bonus section

• The rhetorical structure of Psalm 44:21 (a rhetorical question followed by an explanatory clause) is typical in biblical Hebrew to emphasize a point of irrefutable truth, serving to underline the certainty of God's knowledge.
• This verse undergirds the concept of the "theological courtroom," where the people are presenting their case to God, asserting their innocence based on the evidence God Himself can perceive from within their hearts.
• The Psalmists’ appeal to God's knowledge of the ta‘ălûmôṯ (secrets/hidden things) stands in stark contrast to pagan deities often confined to specific geographical areas or limited in knowledge. This highlights the unique nature of Israel's God as truly omniscient and omnipresent.
• The concept expressed here – that God judges the heart and intentions – is foundational to the New Testament's teachings about the spirit of the law versus the letter of the law, where Christ frequently emphasized the inner disposition over mere external observance (e.g., Matt 5 on murder and adultery, Matt 6 on almsgiving, prayer, and fasting).
• Despite their suffering appearing to be God's judgment (as stated in Deut 28), their sincere self-proclamation of innocence requires divine knowledge for validation, posing a dilemma that the Psalmist urges God to resolve through active intervention.

Psalm 44 21 Commentary

Psalm 44:21 serves as the theological bedrock for the psalmist's insistent plea to God in their lament. It’s a powerful declaration of God’s absolute omniscience, particularly concerning the inner state and motives of His people. The verse dismisses any doubt about God's ability to discern their true loyalty, even when external circumstances (their suffering) seem to suggest divine disfavor or their own apostasy. The rhetorical question, "Would not God search this out?", isn't a query born of uncertainty, but an emphatic assertion that of course, God would, because He intrinsically "knows the secrets of the heart." This understanding is crucial for the Israelite's argument: they claim no overt breach of covenant, no forgetting God's name or reaching out to foreign gods (vv. 17-20). Knowing that human observation can be fallible or misleading, they appeal to the One who cannot be deceived, the very source of truth who probes the deepest recesses of the soul. Their faithfulness, they contend, lies in the unseen intentions and affections of their hearts, a realm accessible only to God. Thus, this verse transforms their lament into a compelling, heart-felt demand for divine vindication based on an irrefutable divine attribute—God's comprehensive, all-penetrating knowledge. It speaks to the integrity required in one's faith before God: outward conformity means little if the heart is not genuinely committed. For believers today, it serves as a powerful reminder of God's constant, intimate awareness of our truest self, comforting those whose genuine faith is obscured by trials, and admonishing those whose outward piety hides inner disloyalty.