About this song
About this song
This song belongs to the Psalms collection. One recording is available to play here, with the complete lyrics below.
- Collection
- Psalms
In the Lord I have taken refuge.
Why do you say to me,
Flee away like a bird to the mountain,
Run while the way is free?
The bow is bent, the arrow ready,
Aimed against the upright heart.
They shoot in secret from the darkness
At the ones who walk in truth.
If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?
The Lord is in His holy temple;
His throne is standing in the heavens.
His eyes behold the sons of men;
He tries them, and He sees.
He tries the righteous and He knows them.
He hates the love of violence.
On the wicked fall the snares and fire,
Brimstone and a burning wind.
This is the portion of their cup,
Measured out and fully poured.
The foundations were never theirs to break;
The throne was never moved.
The Lord is in His holy temple;
His throne is standing in the heavens.
The righteous Lord loves righteousness;
The upright shall behold His face.
I will not flee.
I have taken refuge.
The upright shall behold His face.
About the passage
Psalms 11: The foundations and the throne
Psalm 11 begins with competing refuges. Advisers urge flight to a mountain because hidden archers are ready and the foundations appear destroyed, but the speaker has already named the LORD as the place of trust. The danger is not dismissed as nervous imagination. Bows are bent, arrows are prepared, and the social order itself seems unstable. The answer changes the field of vision rather than denying the crisis: the LORD remains in his holy temple, his throne remains in heaven, and his eyes examine human conduct. Secret attackers are not hidden from that gaze. The ending turns on character. The righteous LORD opposes the love of violence and loves righteousness, so the final security of the upright rests in who still sees when earthly supports fail.
Study Psalms 11 in depth →
