Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
Psalm 33 Bible study: By the LORD's word
"For he spoke, and it was done" (33:9) has the two Hebrew verbs of Genesis 1:3's "God said" and "there was light", and 33:6's "all their army" is the Hebrew of Genesis 2:1's "all their vast array". And the verb of the world that "stood firm" (33:9) is the verb of the LORD's counsel that "stands fast forever" (33:11).
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“Let your loving kindness be on us, LORD, since we have hoped in you.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“Psalm 33 says the heavens were made by the LORD's word.”
Is that in Psalm 33, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
No title, and a new song
Psalm 33 has no title: in the WEB its first verse begins with the psalm's own words, "Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous! Praise is fitting for the upright" (33:1) (tap Rejoice). The psalm before it ends, "Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, you righteous! Shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart!" (Psalm 32:11). In Hebrew the two verses share three words: righteous, upright, and the verb of Psalm 33:1's Rejoice, which the WEB has as Shout for joy in Psalm 32:11. Then the call goes on: "Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre. Sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings. Sing to him a new song" (33:2-3) (tap song, new). Here is what almost everyone misses: the Psalms have new, chadash, six times in Hebrew, and every time it is a new song (Psalm 33:3, 40:3, 96:1, 98:1, 144:9, 149:1). Psalm 33 is the first of them.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Psalm 33
- "All their army by the breath of his mouth" (33:6). Is breath here the Holy Spirit?
- "A horse is a vain thing for safety" (33:17). Is the psalm saying it's wrong to have horses, or to prepare?
- "To deliver their soul from death, to keep them alive in famine" (33:19). Does this promise that those who fear the LORD will never go hungry or die?
That was a taste
The rest of Psalm 33 is waiting in Favor
- He spoke, and it was
- Two counsels
- What can't save, and the eye that can
- Breath, heap and deeps, at the sea
- By the word of God
- He spoke, and at that hour
- 7 questions as you read
- 14 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Psalm 33 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
דָּבָרdavarsay da-VAR
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "speech, word". "For the LORD’s word is right" (33:4), and "By the LORD’s word, the heavens were made" (33:6). In 33:9 the Hebrew has a verb instead: He spoke is amar, the verb of "God said" (Genesis 1:3).
For your group
Psalm 33 Bible study questions
- 1"For he spoke, and it was done" (33:9). Where this week do you most need to trust that what God says will stand?
- 2Psalm 33 names an army, great strength and a horse as things that can't save (33:16-17). What do you tend to lean on for safety, and what would hoping in God's loving kindness look like instead (33:18)?
- 3"Sing to him a new song" (33:3). What has God done lately that you could thank him for in a new way?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Psalm 33 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Psalm 33 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Psalm 33 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with Psalm 33
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home