Psalm 95:11 kjv
Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.
Psalm 95:11 nkjv
So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.' "
Psalm 95:11 niv
So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'?"
Psalm 95:11 esv
Therefore I swore in my wrath, "They shall not enter my rest."
Psalm 95:11 nlt
So in my anger I took an oath:
'They will never enter my place of rest.'"
Psalm 95 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Num 14:22 | "...they have put Me to the test ten times and have not obeyed My voice," | Israelites' repeated testing of God |
| Num 14:23 | "...they shall not see the land that I swore to their fathers..." | God's oath preventing entry to Promised Land |
| Num 14:28 | "'As I live,' declares the Lord, 'what you have said... I will do to you:'" | God's living oath against rebels |
| Num 14:30 | "...not one of you shall come into the land which I swore..." | Direct divine oath on wilderness generation |
| Deut 1:35 | "...Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land..." | Moses recounts the judgment at Kadesh-Barnea |
| Deut 2:14 | "...all the generation of those warriors had perished from the camp..." | The completion of God's judgment in the wilderness |
| Ps 78:59 | "When God heard, He was full of wrath and He utterly rejected Israel," | God's wrath due to Israel's rebellion |
| Ps 78:61 | "...He gave His strength to captivity and His glory into the enemy's hand." | Consequence of provoking God's wrath |
| Ps 106:26 | "Therefore He raised His hand in an oath against them to make them fall..." | God's oath to cause them to fall in wilderness |
| Jer 6:16 | "...and say, 'Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths...and find rest for your souls.'" | Rest for the soul offered by God's way |
| Heb 3:7 | "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: 'Today, if you hear His voice," | Direct quote from Psa 95, urging present obedience |
| Heb 3:8 | "...Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of testing..." | Warning against heart-hardening from Psa 95 |
| Heb 3:11 | "As I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.'" | Direct quote of Psa 95:11 in Hebrews |
| Heb 3:18 | "And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?" | Unbelief as the cause for denied entry |
| Heb 3:19 | "So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief." | Explicit reason for denied entry: unbelief |
| Heb 4:1 | "Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands..." | The continued opportunity to enter God's rest |
| Heb 4:3 | "...For we who have believed enter that rest, as He has said, 'As I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest,''..." | Believers now enter God's rest through faith |
| Heb 4:9 | "So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God." | The ultimate spiritual/Sabbath rest |
| Heb 4:11 | "Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same example of disobedience." | Exhortation to strive for spiritual rest |
| Matt 11:28 | "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." | Jesus offering rest for souls |
| Gen 2:2 | "By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day..." | God's original pattern of rest |
| Josh 21:44 | "And the Lord gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn..." | Fulfillment of the physical rest for a generation |
Psalm 95 verses
Psalm 95 11 Meaning
Psalm 95:11 records a solemn divine oath, declared by God in righteous anger. It states that because of the rebellion and unbelief of a particular generation of Israel, they would be forbidden from entering "My rest." This rest, primarily the Promised Land of Canaan, signifies a cessation from weary wandering and the enjoyment of God's provided peace and inheritance, carrying deeper implications for spiritual peace and eternal life in His presence.
Psalm 95 11 Context
Psalm 95 functions as a powerful exhortation to worship God in both joyous praise and humble obedience. The first part (Psa 95:1-7a) is an enthusiastic invitation to celebrate God as the Great King, Creator, and Shepherd of His people. The second part (Psa 95:7b-11) abruptly shifts to a severe warning against hardening one's heart. Psalm 95:11 serves as the climactic warning, explicitly recalling God's judgment upon the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings, specifically their rebellion at Meribah and Massah (Exo 17; Num 20) and later at Kadesh-Barnea (Num 14). Historically, this refers to the generation that left Egypt but, through repeated acts of rebellion, testing God, and especially their unbelief at the borders of Canaan, forfeited their right to enter the Promised Land. This historical event became a perpetual object lesson warning against stubborn disobedience and hardened hearts, emphasizing that true participation in God's promises requires active faith and ongoing submission.
Word Analysis
- Therefore (לָכֵ֚ן, lakhen): This connective adverb points back to the preceding reasons mentioned in verses 8-10. It indicates a logical consequence or conclusion drawn from the Israelites' actions—their testing of God and the hardening of their hearts. It highlights divine justice responding to human behavior.
- I swore (נִשְׁבַּ֤עְתִּי, nishba‘ti): From the Hebrew verb shava', meaning "to swear, to take an oath." This denotes an extremely solemn and irrevocable divine commitment. God does not make light vows; His oath is binding and guarantees the certainty of the pronouncement. Since there is no greater to swear by, God swears by Himself, underscoring the absolute certainty and immutability of His word.
- in My wrath (בְאַפִּ֑י, be’appi): The Hebrew word aph often means "nose" and by extension "anger" or "wrath," as anger is often physically manifested in breathing or flaring nostrils. This is not arbitrary anger but righteous indignation, a holy response of God's character to sustained and defiant unbelief, provocation, and rebellion from His chosen people whom He had powerfully delivered. It demonstrates God's profound displeasure with sin.
- They shall not enter (אִם יְבֹא֗וּן, 'im yevo'un): In Hebrew, the particle 'im preceding a verb following an oath serves as a strong negation, meaning "surely not," "never," or "on no account." It conveys an emphatic and irreversible denial of access, emphasizing the finality of the judgment.
- My rest (אֶל־מְנוּחָתִֽי, 'el-menuḥati): The Hebrew word menuḥah refers to a state of quiet, repose, or security.
- Primary sense: The Promised Land of Canaan (Deut 12:9-10). It was a land flowing with milk and honey, a settled inheritance where the Israelites would cease their wandering and be free from their enemies, enjoying peace provided by God.
- Deeper spiritual sense: The denial of this physical rest foreshadows a deeper spiritual rest. This encompasses the spiritual tranquility found in fellowship with God, freedom from the burdensome toil of sin, and ultimately, the eternal Sabbath rest that remains for the people of God (as elaborated in Hebrews). The phrase "My rest" underscores that this rest is God-ordained and God-given; it is an experience of His presence and provision.
Psalm 95 11 Commentary
Psalm 95:11 crystallizes the stern consequences of persistent unbelief and a hardened heart. Within a call to joyous worship, it functions as a solemn reminder of divine justice. God's declaration, made under an irrevocable oath in His holy wrath, underscores the gravity of His people's rebellion in the wilderness. The "rest" denied was initially the physical land of Canaan, representing the secure and prosperous life God intended for them after their liberation. However, as the New Testament explicates, this "rest" transcends mere geography, pointing to a spiritual condition of peace with God, the cessation of striving against His will, and the ultimate eternal fellowship found in Him. The verse serves as a timeless warning that divine blessings, even those divinely promised, are contingent upon a humble, responsive, and faithful heart. It reveals that human sin can indeed forfeit divine promise, not because God's power diminishes, but because unfaithfulness severs the experiential pathway to His provided blessings.
Bonus Section
- The profound connection between Psalm 95 and the Epistle to the Hebrews cannot be overstated. Hebrews chapters 3 and 4 directly quote and expound upon Psalm 95:7-11, applying the ancient warning to New Testament believers. This application elevates the concept of "My rest" from the historical Promised Land to a present spiritual rest in Christ and a future eternal rest with God. The New Testament writers thus underscore the enduring spiritual principle: just as ancient Israel was denied their rest due to unbelief, so too can Christians miss God's spiritual rest through similar hardened hearts and disobedience.
- The phrase "testing Me" in Psalm 95:9 does not imply God needing to be proven, but rather the Israelites repeatedly provoking and challenging God's patience and power through their complaints and lack of trust, despite having witnessed His mighty works.
- The entire Psalm 95 serves as a liturgical call and response, commonly used in synagogue worship and later adapted by the Christian church (e.g., in the Invitatory for Matins/Morning Prayer), setting the stage for worship by both celebrating God's majesty and warning against the peril of unfaithfulness.