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Psalm 27 · a question people ask

"Whom shall I fear?" (27:1). Does the psalm mean someone who trusts the LORD is never afraid?

In the text

The psalm says, "The LORD is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?" (27:1), and "my heart shall not fear" (27:3). The same psalm also prays, "Don’t hide your face from me" and "Don’t abandon me, neither forsake me, God of my salvation" (27:9), and "Don’t deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries" (27:12). And it ends by telling someone, "Be strong, and let your heart take courage" (27:14). So Psalm 27 holds its questions of confidence and its pleas side by side. It doesn't say the psalmist never felt afraid, and it doesn't say he did. The WEB has confident twice, and they are two Hebrew verbs: batach in "even then I will be confident" (27:3), and aman in "I am still confident of this" (27:13), the verb of "He believed in the LORD" (Genesis 15:6).

The verses

“By David. The LORD is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?”
Psalm 27:1 · World English Bible
“Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war should rise against me, even then I will be confident.”
Psalm 27:3 · World English Bible
“Don’t hide your face from me. Don’t put your servant away in anger. You have been my help. Don’t abandon me, neither forsake me, God of my salvation.”
Psalm 27:9 · World English Bible
“Don’t deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen up against me, such as breathe out cruelty. I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD. Be strong, and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the LORD.”
Psalm 27:12-14 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Psalm 27

Psalm 27: The LORD is my light

With an army camped against him, the one thing Psalm 27 asks of the LORD is to dwell in his house and see his beauty (27:4). The "he will hide me" of 27:5 is the same Hebrew verb as "Don't hide your face from me" (27:9). And the call "Seek my face" (27:8) is plural in Hebrew, answered by one heart: "I will seek your face, LORD."

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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions