Psalm 71:11
New International Version
They say, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him.”

New Living Translation
They say, “God has abandoned him. Let’s go and get him, for no one will help him now.”

English Standard Version
and say, “God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him.”

Berean Standard Bible
saying, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for there is no one to rescue him.”

King James Bible
Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.

New King James Version
Saying, “God has forsaken him; Pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.

New American Standard Bible
Saying, “God has abandoned him; Pursue and seize him, for there is no one to save him.

NASB 1995
Saying, “God has forsaken him; Pursue and seize him, for there is no one to deliver.”

NASB 1977
Saying, “God has forsaken him; Pursue and seize him, for there is no one to deliver.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Saying, “God has forsaken him; Pursue and seize him, for there is no one to deliver.”

Amplified Bible
Saying, “God has abandoned him; Pursue and seize him, for there is no one to rescue him.”

Christian Standard Bible
saying, “God has abandoned him; chase him and catch him, for there is no one to rescue him.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
saying, “God has abandoned him; chase him and catch him, for there is no one to rescue him.”

American Standard Version
Saying, God hath forsaken him: Pursue and take him; for there is none to deliver.

Contemporary English Version
They say, "Now we'll catch you! God has deserted you, and no one can save you."

English Revised Version
Saying, God hath forsaken him: pursue and take him; for there is none to deliver.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They say, "God has abandoned him. Pursue him and grab him because there is no one to rescue him."

Good News Translation
They say, "God has abandoned him; let's go after him and catch him; there is no one to rescue him."

International Standard Version
and say, "God has abandoned him. Run after him and seize him, because there's no deliverer."

Majority Standard Bible
saying, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for there is no one to rescue him.”

NET Bible
They say, "God has abandoned him. Run and seize him, for there is no one who will rescue him!"

New Heart English Bible
saying, "God has forsaken him. Pursue and take him, for no one will rescue him."

Webster's Bible Translation
Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.

World English Bible
saying, “God has forsaken him. Pursue and take him, for no one will rescue him.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Saying, “God has forsaken him, "" Pursue and catch him, for there is no deliverer.”

Young's Literal Translation
Saying, 'God hath forsaken him, Pursue and catch him, for there is no deliverer.'

Smith's Literal Translation
Saying, God forsook him: pursue him and take him, for none delivering.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Saying: God hath forsaken him: pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.

Catholic Public Domain Version
saying: “God has abandoned him. Pursue and overtake him. For there is no one to rescue him.”

New American Bible
They say, “God has abandoned him. Pursue, and seize him! No one will come to the rescue!”

New Revised Standard Version
They say, “Pursue and seize that person whom God has forsaken, for there is no one to deliver.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Saying, God has forsaken him; pursue and take him; for there is none to deliver him.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And they said, "God has forsaken him; pursue him and take him because he has no Savior."
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Saying: 'God hath forsaken him; Pursue and take him; for there is none to deliver.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
saying, God has forsaken him: persecute ye and take him; for there is none to deliver him.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
In You, O LORD, I Have Taken Refuge
10For my enemies speak against me, and those who lie in wait for my life conspire, 11saying, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for there is no one to rescue him.” 12Be not far from me, O God. Hurry, O my God, to help me.…

Cross References
Matthew 27:43
He trusts in God. Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

Isaiah 49:14
But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me!”

Job 19:13-19
He has removed my brothers from me; my acquaintances have abandoned me. / My kinsmen have failed me, and my friends have forgotten me. / My guests and maidservants count me as a stranger; I am a foreigner in their sight. ...

Lamentations 3:31-33
For the Lord will not cast us off forever. / Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion. / For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.

2 Timothy 4:16-17
At my first defense, no one stood with me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be charged against them. / But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion.

Psalm 22:7-8
All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads: / “He trusts in the LORD, let the LORD deliver him; let the LORD rescue him, since He delights in him.”

Isaiah 54:7-8
“For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will bring you back. / In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.

John 16:32
“Look, an hour is coming and has already come when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and you will leave Me all alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

Psalm 31:11-12
Among all my enemies I am a disgrace, and among my neighbors even more. I am dreaded by my friends—they flee when they see me on the street. / I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind. I am like a broken vessel.

Hebrews 13:5-6
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” / So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Psalm 38:11
My beloved and friends shun my disease, and my kinsmen stand at a distance.

2 Corinthians 4:9
persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

Psalm 41:9
Even my close friend whom I trusted, the one who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

Romans 8:31
What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Psalm 42:9-10
I say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why must I walk in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?” / Like the crushing of my bones, my enemies taunt me, while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”


Treasury of Scripture

Saying, God has forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.

God

Psalm 3:2
Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.

Psalm 37:25,28
I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread…

Psalm 41:7,8
All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt…

for there

Psalm 7:2
Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

Psalm 50:22
Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

2 Chronicles 32:13,14
Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the people of other lands? were the gods of the nations of those lands any ways able to deliver their lands out of mine hand? …

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Psalm 71
1. David, in confidence of faith, and experience of God's favor, prays both for himself,
10. and against the enemies of his soul
14. He promises constancy
17. He prays for perseverance
19. He praises God, and promises to do it cheerfully














They say
This phrase introduces the voices of adversaries, those who oppose the psalmist. In the Hebrew text, the verb used here is "אָמַר" (amar), which means "to say" or "to speak." This word often introduces statements that reflect the thoughts or intentions of others. In the context of Psalm 71, it highlights the external pressures and the verbal assaults faced by the psalmist. Historically, the people of God have often faced opposition and slander, and this phrase captures the reality of living in a world where faith is frequently challenged.

God has forsaken him
This accusation is a profound one, suggesting abandonment by God. The Hebrew word for "forsaken" is "עָזַב" (azab), which conveys a sense of leaving or deserting. This reflects a common fear among believers, especially in times of distress, that God might have withdrawn His presence. Throughout Scripture, however, God repeatedly assures His people of His steadfast presence, as seen in Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5. The historical context of Israel often involved periods of exile and suffering, where such feelings of abandonment were prevalent, yet the overarching narrative of the Bible is one of God's unwavering faithfulness.

Pursue and seize him
This phrase reflects the intent of the psalmist's enemies to take advantage of what they perceive as divine abandonment. The Hebrew words "רָדַף" (radaph) for "pursue" and "תָּפַשׂ" (taphas) for "seize" are action-oriented, indicating a relentless and aggressive pursuit. This imagery is reminiscent of a predator chasing its prey, underscoring the urgency and danger faced by the psalmist. In the broader biblical narrative, such language is often used to describe the relentless pursuit of enemies, yet it also serves to highlight God's deliverance and protection, as seen in the accounts of David and other biblical figures.

for there is no one to deliver him
This statement concludes the enemies' taunt, suggesting that the psalmist is utterly alone and without help. The Hebrew word for "deliver" is "נָצַל" (natsal), which means to rescue or save. This reflects a deep sense of vulnerability and helplessness. However, the psalmist's faith contrasts with this claim, as the entirety of Psalm 71 is a testament to trust in God's salvation. Throughout the Bible, God is portrayed as the ultimate deliverer, as seen in the Exodus narrative and the deliverance of Israel from various oppressors. This phrase, while expressing the enemies' perspective, ultimately sets the stage for God's intervention and the psalmist's vindication.

Verse 11. - Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him. Compare the words of Ahithophel, "Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue alter David this night; and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed; and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only" (2 Samuel 17:1, 2). It no doubt appeared to Absalom's party generally, as it did to Shimei, that God had "forsakes" David, and turned against him (2 Samuel 16:8).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
saying,
לֵ֭אמֹר (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“God
אֱלֹהִ֣ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

has forsaken him;
עֲזָב֑וֹ (‘ă·zā·ḇōw)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5800: To loosen, relinquish, permit

pursue him
רִֽדְפ֥וּ (riḏ·p̄ū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 7291: To pursue, chase, persecute

and seize him,
וְ֝תִפְשׂ֗וּהוּ (wə·ṯip̄·śū·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural | third person masculine singular
Strong's 8610: To manipulate, seize, chiefly to capture, wield, to overlay, to use unwarrantably

for
כִּי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

there is no
אֵ֥ין (’ên)
Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

one to rescue him.”
מַצִּֽיל׃ (maṣ·ṣîl)
Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 5337: To strip, plunder, deliver oneself, be delivered, snatch away, deliver


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OT Poetry: Psalm 71:11 Saying God has forsaken him (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 71:10
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